Strangers Like Me [Harps] [FIN]

[Lucca]

Eldryia was amazingly thankful for the generosity of Dania's mother. She'd needed to be a bit more frugal with what little gold she had left after so long on the road, and this much food would feed her relatively small appetite for several days, which she could imagine would be useful while in Torquehelm. Plus, it would remind her of her friends if she got...dragged down again by the gloomy atmosphere.

She waved a paw with several more thanks as she followed Dania out, and walked down the street on light paws. Though she hadn't forgotten about the mood it seemed Dania was in, and gave her a searching look at the faked smile. She'd grown up around politicians. She knew how to tell a genuine smile from a forced one.

"Dania...is something wrong?" Being subtle about it (or as subtle as the socially stunted Cat knew how to be) seemed the best route to actually get her friend to talk. Or not, but she'd hate to leave her on such a downer.

[Harpsdesire]

"Hm?" Dania was a bit startled by the question, as most cards in the area just assumed that something was wrong with most everyone, most of the time, and therefore rarely bothered to ask. "Yeah, I mean, no... I'm fine."

She was not being convincing, and she knew it. With a sigh, she once again opened up to the feline. "To be honest, I'm a little bummed that you're leaving and I'm, well, sorta stuck here. I really like," She paused, looking down at her paws in a sudden shyness, "I liked having a friend, even if only for a little while."

Although the smile she gave Eldy was as sad as ever, this time it also displayed a genuine warmth. "I hope you'll come visit again some time, if you have a chance. I know this town is basically the rear-end of Nowhere-," She glanced around at the nearly deserted town center with a roll of her purple eyes, "But if you are ever in the area, you'd be more than welcome."

She pushed open the door to the bookshop and led Eldy into the comforting, book-crowded dimness of the interior as a small bell at the door announced their arrival.

[Lucca]

Eldy merely raised an eyebrow at the unconvincing attempt to shake off the question. Yeah, no, that wasn't fooling anyone. As for something always being wrong with people in Torquehelm, Eldy may have known this, but she also knew that the Rat had -not- been acting this way before, so something new must be wrong, and she felt it her duty as the Rat's friend to ask. Of course, as the Rat went on to answer her question, Eldy almost wished she hadn't.

She shifted a bit, awkwardly. "Oh..." She coughed, trying to find a proper response to all this. "I'm...sorry." The offer for Dania to come with her was on the tip of her tongue, but then they entered the shop and she lost her nerve, entirely different words coming out. "Yeah, of course, I'll visit again at some point." She gave her a slightly sad smile, feeling ashamed. "Feel free to...look me up if you're ever near the Court of Hearts." And she wasn't sure why the Rat would be, especially after the horror stories she herself had told. To try and stave off an awkward silence in which she would regret not saying what she'd wanted to, the Cat turned and began to look over the spines of the books, seeing if she found one that caught her interest.

[Harpsdesire]

"Yeah, uh, thanks. That'd be nice." Dania wasn't in the least convinced that she would ever see her new friend again. In fact, she secretly felt that it was highly unlikely that Eldy would return to Torquehelm. It would take more than the short-lived friendship of a cursed, severely bound, socially-inept rat to bring someone like her back to this depressing place, Dania was sure of it.

She repressed a sigh and started straightening some books on a nearby shelf. "So, this is it. Have a look around if you like." She spoke as cheerfully as she could, and waved to her father as he sat behind the cash register. "Morning, Dad!" The greying canine returned her greeting, briefly looking up from an account book.

As she opened the curtains and bustled around, getting the shop ready for the busier hours of afternoon, Dania had a thought that brightened her eyes and restored at least a little of the spring to her step.

The rat quietly slipped into the cluttered back office of the store, and just a few moments later returned with a small book in her paw. She set it down on the front counter and went to join Eldy in browsing among the shelves. "Find anything interesting?"

[Lucca]

Eldy's ear went back slightly at the Rat's response. She sounded...well, she almost sounded doubtful, like she didn't believe her. Not like the Cat could blame her, it was the first instinct of many Torques to never believe people when told good things would happen to them. Still, despite what Dania may think, her friendship meant a lot to Eldy, who had so few of them that she treasured even short ones. She at least really did plan to see the girl again. At the very least she would write her letters.

"Thanks, I will," she said, still studying the books. There was quite the eclectic variety here, and she found herself intrigued. She found one set of old plays, and had just drawn out one titled Macbeth to have a look, when the Rat bustled back over to her. Startled, she looked up, one paw in the midst of the words of the play (they were written in Common, luckily, though an old version. After all, Eldy only knew a very little bit of her native Region's language.) "Well uh...this." She nodded towards the book she'd been perusing.

[Harpsdesire]

"Ah, Macbeth." Dania's lips quirked upward in an ironic smile. "You probably wouldn't be surprised to know that tragedies are top sellers, here." She ran a claw along the hard-bound volumes in front of her: Hamlet, Othello, King Lear. "Shakespeare wrote some of the best. I've read them all."

The rat's expression was almost tender. As much as she sometimes longed to leave, this was her home. Even with it's dim sky and gloomier inhabitants, she loved Torquehelm. Nowhere else was the beauty of sadness more treasured-- Plaintive strains of music, heart-rending poetry and glorious tragedies were the life-blood of the place. They stirred her soul in ways she couldn't begin to explain, and in ways no Highland jig or Villa en Miir symphony ever could.

It sometimes seemed to Dania that the center of her entire wold was the bookstore, Paige's. The familiar sounds of softly-turned pages and scents of paper and ink were very dear to her. Her father was here, fussing over accounts, and her mother was just minutes away, probably kneading the evening's bread. It was a place too safe, essential and deeply beloved to even consider leaving for good. As she realized this, she felt a pang of sympathy for Eldy, who had grown up in a place she didn't love, where she didn't feel loved, and that she gladly left. In some ways, it was far better to be trapped than to be rootless.

"I know you need to leave soon, but before you go... I have something for you." Dania's eyes seemed unusually bright, as if lit from within. "Come with me."

[Lucca]

Eldryia smiled a bit grimly up at the Rat. "No, that's somehow not surprising..." She skimmed the titles as the Rat's claw ran over them, until one jumped out at her. Her ear went forward in surprise, and she stared up at the Rat. "Wait a minute...does that say 'Othello?' One of my nephews is named Othello." Her whiskers twitched in thought. Had her sister or Rhi read some...she glanced at the author's name again on the play...Shakespeare, or was it just a coincidence? It certainly seemed like an uncommon name.

Perhaps it was something those children that had regular tutors in the Court had all been exposed to, while Eldy, who was entirely taught by her Mother, had only learned what Peaches had deemed most important to her survival. Not that she was complaining, reading for long periods had always been a little difficult for her. She'd rather be out doing something or watching real people interact than staring at words on a page. Then again, these were all plays, right? So they were meant to be performed. She made a mental note to look up when the major theaters in the Capital were playing something from Shakespeare.

Dania at least looked a lot happier here. The bookstore must have been like a second home to her, what with how it was a family business. Her tail perked up in interest. "Oh? That's very kind of you." Carefully replacing Macbeth on the shelf with her paws, she followed the Rat to wherever she'd be leading her.

[Harpsdesire]

"Othello... Interesting choice of name." Dania couldn't help but wonder who would name a child after such an ill-fated character. Well, a relative of Eldy's must be a Torquehelm, too. That would explain it. Personally, she intended to entirely steer away from names of famous suicide victims if she ever had babies of her own. It just didn't seem to set a proper tone for a child's life, somehow.

With a tentative smile, she lead Eldy to the front counter, where a small book sat on the time-worn wooden surface. It was bound in midnight-black leather, but the center of the cover was decorated with a delicate pair of white feathered wings and several purple swirls. It appeared that the design had been imprinted in the leather, then painted with painstaking care. Inside, the pages were a delicate lavender color, and mostly blank, although a few had snippets of poetry adorning the margins. A loop of leather securely held a long, slender black pencil.

Dania handed Eldy the pretty journal with a shy smile. She sincerely hoped that Eldy had mastered the art of supporting a pencil between the pads of her front paws to write, as her father did. Otherwise, this was liable to be a little awkward, no matter how well-intentioned the gift.

"I thought you might like to have a place to write about your travels, so that when you return to the court, you'd have.. something to hold on to. Something to remember your home region by, as well." And me, Dania thought, a dull pain hitting her somewhere about the breastbone. "I-I hope you like it." She looked away shyly and tried to ignore the feeling of heat in her cheeks and ears. She worried that Eldy might take the gift the wrong way, but it was too late to turn back now..

[Lucca]

Not knowing anything about this Othello character her nephew was apparently named after, Eldy just nodded. She intended to see the play at some point, though what her opinion would be of her sister's naming capabilities after she knew was up for debate. As they approached the front counter, Eldy grew more and more curious, her whiskers tilted forward in interest. At first, she wasn't sure what to make of the book, though it was pretty, she thought...until noticing the pages were mostly blank.

Ah! "Oh. Well, thank you. That's...very nice of you to give me such a gift," she said, smiling at Dania and holding her paws out for the journal. It was a very nice one, too...not cheap or anything. Somehow, she also...managed to catch a hint of the words that hung unspoken between them in the air. "I do like it." And without really thinking about it, Eldy stepped forward to embrace the Rat in a sort of awkward hug. She wasn't really a master of writing, but she could manage well enough, even with paws. Though if the poems were written in their native language, she may have a bit of trouble reading them...she wasn't very good with the Torquehelm tongue.

[Harpsdesire]

"You're welcome." Dania replied, bashfully, placing the small book in Eldy's outstretched paws. She returned the unexpected hug tentatively at first, then almost fiercely, feeling her cheeks burn under the concealment of her fur. The rat's eyes seemed to sting a little as she released her friend after a long moment.

"Safe travels, Eldy." She spoke with a voice as strong and clear as she could manage. There was not point in dragging out the moment needlessly. If she and Eldy ever crossed paths again, Dania would treasure the reunion -- if not, well, that'd be okay, too. As much as it was hard to see a friend leave, probably forever, the rat had too much pride to make a scene. Besides, the last thing she wanted was to make Eldy feel uncomfortable.

"You're welcome back any time. I'm sure mom would be thrilled to feed you again." She laughed softly, patting Eldy's shoulder with undisguised affection. "I'm glad I ran into you."