Life as usual...[Open]

[Jassen]

Jassen Grey walked casually over to an empty table that sat along one of the side walls of the Dancing Dove. He pulled out the chair, making it slide noisily on the floor. He grimaced and looked around. No one seemed to have noticed the sound, so he was relieved a bit. He sat in the chair and waved over a barmaid. She smiled at him and left after he asked for a mere glass of water. He didn't like the taste of whiskey or ale, and neither did he like the effects it had on people. A moment later, the barmaid returned, bearing a clean mug filled with water. He gratefully accepted it and searched his pockets for a copper to give her. He found one, and handed it to her.

Taking a sip of the water, Jassen noticed that it was very pure-tasting. After a few more sips and one rather large gulp, he set the mug down and pulled a small, worn novel from the inside pocket of his wool coat. He opened it to the page he had left off, and began reading while listening to the various conversations of the commoners and Rogues. He had heard rumors of a plot to overthrow the Queen of the Rogue, and his objective today was to see if he could hear anything about it. He lifted his blue-gray eyes to scan the room once, and then returned them to the page, where he kept reading and listening for some time.

[Riana]

Riana slowly walked through the old doors of the Dancing Dove, looking for someone to talk to. She was spending her afternoon without Queen's Riders training wandering in the lower city. This old inn always made her feel welcome, and she knew a few rogues as friends. Her eyes searched the room, trying to spot their familiar faces, but her search yielded an unwanted outcome. She didn't see any of her rogue friends, and her heart sank a little with this discovery.

Riana sighed deeply and looked for a table to sit down at. She wouldn't go back to the Rider's barracks just because none of her friends were here; she would make herself branch out an meet someone new. She spotted a young man sitting alone at one table, reading an old book. A small smile crossed her face as she tried to gather the courage to talk to him.

With a deep breath, she calmed her nerves and told herself that talking to new people was good for her self-esteem (what little she had of it). She swallowed hard and casually walked over to his table, forcing a friendly smile to her lips. "Hello," she said politely to the young man. "Do you mind if I sit with you? Many of the tables are...full." She looked around quickly, hoping she hadn't lied about that. Seeing that most of the tables were, indeed, occupied, her nerves calmed a little.

[Jassen]

Jassen's eyes rolled over the words written on the page, taking in their denotations, as well as searching for hidden meanings. His mind was engrossed in the twists and wild turns of the plot, and he hardly noticed a figure walking toward him. He was reaching a rather exciting part of the story when a woman's voice brought him back to the commotion of the Dancing Dove. He looked up, and saw a young woman around his age, maybe a little younger. With a slight blush on his face, he realized he hadn't really heard what she had said.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly. "Could you repeat that?" He felt the color in his cheeks brighten, and his eyes became clouded. Thinking back to what she might have said, he hastily thought of something to break the awkward silence that held between them. He dog-eared his place in the book and set it down on the table. "You can sit if you'd like," he said, his voice cracking on the last few words. Knowing that she would probably laugh, Jassen turned his blue-gray gaze away from her and stared intently at the chair next to him.

[Riana]

Riana smiled sweetly as he asked her to repeat the question; she pretended not to notice his voice cracking, as she guessed it must be quite mortifying for a young man. She saw the flush in his cheeks and was relieved to find him as nervous as she felt. Her own cheeks became a little hot as her smile held. "I had asked if I could sit with you? The other tables are full." Remembering that he had, indeed, invited her to sit, she gently pulled back the chair and sat. Her sapphire eyes were dull as she let her gaze wander the room.

Remembering that the young man had a book, she felt suddenly curious about him and his interests. Her gaze returned to the table. "What book is that?" she asked, her voice just barely loud enough to be heard over the crowd. Wringing her hands in her lap, she hoped that he wouldn't notice her sudden nervousness. The she remembered--she didn't even know his name!

Cheeks flushed with embarrassment, she made herself meet his gaze. "I'm Riana, by the way." After a deep breath, she added, "May I have your name?" A piece of her brown hair fell into her eyes and she frantically pushed it back.

[Jassen]

Jassen nodded as she retold him what her question was. "Sorry," he told her. "I often get lost in my books." He motioned to the book laying on the table with his hand. Taking a quick glance at her, he noticed her face was dusted with a light color of pink. Her blue eyes searched the room aimlessly as she sat across from him. The corners of his lips turned upward in a slight smile as he looked down at the old, wooden table.

"What book is that?" he heard her ask quietly. Looking up, he opened his mouth to tell her that it was a summarized history of the Yamani Isles. Her eyes met with his and he saw her face turn a light shade of pink again. When she told him her name Riana, his mind suddenly went blank and he sat blinking at her for a moment, his mind fumbling to make himself say his own name.

Jassen broke eye contact with Riana and found it was easier to speak. "My name is Jassen," he told her. Remembering that he was in the Rogue's headquarters, he didn't tell her his last name in case she was a spy. Although he highly doubted it, one could never be too careful about matters such as spying. He noticed that she swept some of her hair out of her face and noticed that his own hair was sitting in front of his serious gray eyes. With a sigh, he pushed it back and made himself look at her.

"May I inquire as to what your profession is?" He tried to rid his voice of nervousness, but it wasn't quite working.

[Riana]

Riana smiled as Jassen told her of how he often got lost in his books. Wishing she could empathize, she made a mental note to stop at the palace library more often on her days off; she might learn something to talk to her new friend about. Her face retained its pink color when he smiled at her. It was a nice smile...

She snapped herself out of her thoughts. To think about how a man's smile made her feel--she didn't want to think about it any longer. At least for now, men were not to be trusted. "My name is Jassen," he told her. The end of his statement seemed to trail off, as if he was going to tell her his last name and then suddenly decided not to. Riana knew why instantly. He was probably a Rogue, or a spy, and giving a specific last name to a stranger could be lethal if he wasn't careful. For all he knew, she was a spy herself.

Looking down at her clothes, she wondered how he could think that. The light blue tunic she was wearing was smeared with grass stains, as were her breeches. The leather riding boots on her feet were clearly scuffed and dirty--there was even a streak of dirt on her face that she hadn't noticed when washing her hands after riding practice. "I'm a Queen's Rider Trainee," she told him in response to the question he asked. She tried her best to keep her voice calm after hearing his quaver a bit.

[Jassen]

As he told her his name, Jassen thought he saw something flash in her eyes. Whether it happened because she was curious, or whether she suspected something of him, he did not know. A smile still held as Riana looked down at her clothes. Asking her profession was probably a waste of time, but asking made for small conversation, and he would not have to suffer the awkwardness of a period of silence. She did look as if she'd spent the day rolling in the dirt, with grass stains on her tunic, and dirt on her face. There was something about her, he now noticed, that didn't make her for a spy. With that realization, he relaxed a little.

"I'm a Queen's Rider Trainee."

Without noticing it, Jassen raised his eyebrows. Ah, so the lass is with the Riders, he thought. Well, it definitely explained the condition of her clothing, and that of her face. He was still not used to the idea of women in military-like professions, even though the Riders were not associated with the military of Tortall. It took courage to go after such a profession, especially for a woman. For that, he admired and respected her instantly; it certainly was a more respectable job than being a Rogue.

With a nod of his head, he kept his eyes on her. "How is it--being in the Riders, that is?" The question was oddly worded, but it was the best he could for now.

[Riana]

((Sorry about the delay))

Riana smiled when Jassen's eyebrows went up. He seemed to be a man that didn't like to show much emotion, and just the way he looked with an expression of surprise made her have to stifle a laugh. A sudden thought occurred to her: Maybe if she laughed, it would ease some of his tension, and their conversation wouldn't be so awkward. She made a mental note to laugh when something amusing happened.

"How is it--being in the Riders, that is?"

The smile remained on her face as she replied to his question with complete honesty. "It's amazing!" she told him, her blue eyes alight with excitement. "It's probably the best thing I've ever decided to do with my life."

She leaned back in her chair, relaxing a bit to try and lighten the mood a bit more. "Is there anything you wish you could do with your life?"

[Jassen]

((No problem.))

Jassen looked up at Riana and saw she was amused when he raised his eyebrows. He scolded himself for not being more comfortable in the company of a wonderful person, and his goal from that point on was to see how much he could open himself up to her. He leaned back a little in his chair, reaching for the novel he had set on the table some time ago.

"It's amazing! It's probably the best thing I've ever decided to do with my life."

He met her gaze and saw her eyes full of excitement. The Queen's Riders had obviously made a big impact on her life, and he was determined to find out more. Of course, being a man of few words, he had difficulty deciding where to start. His mind was flooded with possible questions he could ask Riana, but he pushed them all aside except for one.

"What would you have done if not for the Riders?" he asked her, his hands still holding the tattered book.

[Riana]

"What would you have done if not for the Riders?"

Riana leaned forward, resting her elbows on the table. She knew it was bad manners, but in a place like the Dove, she didn't particularly care. Her thoughts reminisced back to the days when she was a wandering soul; forever traveling alone on the roads between Tortall and foreign lands. She was a different person then, a person that she didn't ever want to become again.

She sighed, and looked up into Jassen's eyes. "Honestly, I'd probably be dead."

Not liking the direction that the conversation was heading, she sat back up and looked around the room, trying to think of something to talk about that wasn't morbid.

"What about you?" she asked the man across the table. "What is it that you do?"

[Jassen]

"Honestly, I'd probably be dead."

The statement startled Jassen somewhat, and he almost dropped the book in his lap. Riana had seemed like such a bright and happy person; the thought of her being so . . . different made him think.

"In any case, I'm glad you're not dead, Riana." As soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted saying them. They had sounded all right in his head, but hearing them said was something totally different. He gave a half-smile to try and make up for the awkward statement.

"What about you? What is it that you do?"

The question put him in an odd position. He didn't want to tell her that he was a Rogue for the sake of his own safety. The situation called for him to be as vague as possible, and that is what he planned to do.

"Nothing in particular, really," he told her, shrugging his shoulders in an effort to keep the mood as casual as possible. If anything, she would take the hint and not talk about it anymore. However, sometimes he wasn't so lucky.

[Riana]

"In any case, I'm glad you're not dead, Riana."

The thought that someone she hardly knew was glad of her presence made Riana smile. She felt a few tears welling up in her eyes, but she blinked quickly and looked away, scolding herself silently for being so emotional. However, it was true that she might not be living right now if she hadn't joined with the Queen's Riders. If raiders hadn't attacked her on the road, she probably wouldn't have survived for long without much food or money to sustain herself.

Looking back at Jassen, she smiled to try and reassure him that she was all right. "Thank you," she told him, and she meant it. An idea occurred to her at that moment: this young man sitting across from her might become another of her wonderful friends. It was a good thought, and it calmed her mind a bit to picture it.

"Nothing in particular, really."

Ah, she thought to herself, the classic response of a Rogue. She wasn't surprised, really, that he was a Rogue or spy, for the very room she was sitting in was housed in the Rogue's headquarters, the Dancing Dove. In light of her recent discovery, she decided not to press further into his profession. Many Rogues, though she knew many, did not openly discuss their work -- especially with strangers. Riana was no different. Her eyes searched the room as she tried to think of something that they could discuss without raising eyebrows at each other.

[Jassen]

Jassen found himself looking into her eyes for a long moment, something he didn't normally do with almost anyone. Riana suddenly broke off the eye contact, and he had just barely seen the shimmer of tears in her eyes. A sudden pang of guilt found its way to his heart, and he immediately regretted what he had said to her. Her eyes found his again, and a smile crossed her face, making him feel a bit better. However, he still wasn't fully reassured that she was all right. "Thank you."

He gave her one of his rare smiles, one that was warm and friendly. "It's no problem at all," he told her, sincerely meaning it. A strange feeling arose inside him, one he had only felt when he was a small boy, sitting with his mother and father. It was feeling that said he cared; cared about Riana and her past, and her future. He was slightly uncomfortable in her presence now, but he pushed the feeling aside and leaned forward a bit.

"Riana," he began, his mind frantic to find a comfortable subject to talk about. "What kind of training do you have to go through with the Riders?"

[Riana]

Riana held her smile a little longer than necessary, and was surprised to see Jassen smile. Her heart felt lightened significantly just seeing him with a happy face. She was contemplating asking him why she'd only seen only one of his marvelous smiles, but the sensible side of her mind reminded her that he wasn't much a person to talk about his inner workings.

"It's no problem at all."

A wide grin returned to her face, along with a slight blush in her cheeks. Slightly mortified, she pretended to spot a bit of dirt on her tunic, and promptly brushed it aside. The coloring subdued after a moment's passing, and she felt brave enough to look him in the eye again. She lifted her deep blue eyes to meet his gray ones, and held them there.

"Riana, what kind of training do you have to go through with the Riders?"

She clapped her hands together excitedly, eager to talk about the Queen's Riders. Being a Rider Trainee was her life now, and, despite the almost insane exercises she went through every day, she loved it. "Well," she began, her voice light and calm, "I have to learn to shoot a bow, ride a pony, fight hand-to-hand combat..." Her voice trailed off as she thought of the final training she went through on almost a daily basis. "And there's more, but I can leave it at that. Unless you want to know everything," she told him, her hands extended in front of her.

[Jassen]

An awkward half-smile crossed his face when she looked down to brush dirt from her tunic. Her ways were so...eccentric, and different than the other girls he had come into contact with. She seemed more down to earth and more fun to be around. The thoughts going through Jassen's mind startled him a bit, for he'd never thought of a girl the way he was now. Something was different about her, perhaps, that made him somewhat drawn to her.

Jassen held in a laugh when Riana began telling him of the Queen's Riders training. Her enthusiasm was impressive, and it only made him want to know more about her.

"Well," she began, her voice light and calm, "I have to learn to shoot a bow, ride a pony, fight hand-to-hand combat..." Her voice trailed off as she thought of the final training she went through on almost a daily basis. "And there's more, but I can leave it at that. Unless you want to know everything," she told him, her hands extended in front of her.

"No, no," he began, "that can be saved for another time..." A slight hesitation made his voice trail off. Had he actually told Riana that he was planning on meeting her again sometime? The urge to shake his head was strong, but he resisted it. Something inside him did want to see her sometime again, and the feeling frightened him somewhat.