(no subject)

[katyafeline]

A tiny girl, with light delicate steps, slips into the bar.

And immediately disappears into the shadows, wary and watchful. She isn't sure how she got here, but she isn't about to surrender this rare chance to spend some time away from her trainers.

Comments

[katyafeline]

She studies him, considering. The rules of her life are fairly simple - don't get into fights, don't miss any of your classes, do well on all assignments, and do not let the humans know you exist.

It's not breaking the rules if they don't know it's you, right? If you don't leave anything readily identifiable? It's the theory she's going with.

But he's just laid out a challenge, and she has an awfully hard time refusing a challenge.

So she steals his pen, and responds.

| |
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|X|
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| |

[herr_bookman]

The boy squeaks, partially due to the ice on his fingers and partially due his happiness at the way she chose to retaliate.

He offers her a pen of her own, and picks up his quill. "Where do you come from, I wonder?"

| |
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|X|
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| | O

[katyafeline]

That, of course, she can't answer - it gets too close to the truth she's not suppose to tell, so she ignores it as best she can. Besides, she has strategy to prepare.

X| |
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|X|
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| | O

[herr_bookman]

"What do I call you?" he asks, sniffling as he considers his next move. He hopes that eventually he'll stumble on a question that she doesn't mind answering--but he's never put much stock in hope.

X| |O
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|X|
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| |O

[katyafeline]

She makes a face at him, even if he can't see it - he's very noisy.


X| |O
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|X|X
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| |O

[herr_bookman]

"All right. I think I'll call you Vere, from 'verecundus'," he muses quietly. "It means shy, in Latin."

He does, however, order up another half-bowl of sugar cubes.

X| |O
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O|X|X
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| |O

[katyafeline]

She frowns at him - she's not shy.

Just for that, when her answer appears, so do little frowny faces in all of his O's.


X|X|O
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O|X|X
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| |O

[herr_bookman]

Autor smirks. "I could have called you Furs, which means thief."

Then the boy softens, sniffling as he thinks. "How about Calli, from 'callidus', meaning clever or dexterous?" he says, and nudges the sugar bowl forward.

X|X|O
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O|X|X
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|O|O

[katyafeline]

Just for that, she only takes half of the sugar cubes.


X|X|O
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O|X|X
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X|O|O


The borrowed pen is laid neatly on top of the finished game, icy-cold