[PRP] Home Is Where the Hearth Is (Fala/Fai)

[Ice Queen]

"A brilliant idea," Fai said with a smile. "We will find someone sooner or later, I am sure. But until we are no longer... grounded, I doubt we will be able to do much with this new knowledge. A shame."

He sipped his tea for a moment. "Ah, yes, I did make a new friend while traipsing around the school," he said. "Her name is Obsidian--she prefers being called Siddie. She has an interest in tea. Perhaps she could explain this technology to us sometime!"

Yayoi

 

[Yayoi]

The term grounded confused Fala. "I am afraid this term grounded and what it pertains to is a bit lost on me." They did not have wings like some of their kind, so they were most certainly grounded all the time. Not knowing made Fala feel naive to the situation at hand.

She stood from her seat, moving to refill her cup then back to her chair. Stretching out more comfortably she settled the cup on the floor. Resuming her position she had earlier before Fai had returned. "It would be helpful to us in the end. If we are going to be here for an indeterminate time we should at least make ourselves knowledgeable. And I'm sure I would enjoy meeting your scareling friend."

Ice Queen

 

[Ice Queen]

Grounded... really, where had he picked up that term? He frowned, thinking about it for a moment. "I believe it means we are confined to certain areas--this reserve and the school grounds adjacent to it," he explained. "We cannot venture into the society itself, at the moment. Which is rather vexing, to say the least."

Then he smiled. "I believe it will be an enlightening experience," he said, changing the subject to Siddie again. "She enjoys tea, she cannot be completely uncivilized." His standards were odd, to say the least.

He sat silently for a moment, sipping his tea and pondering their new life. "I have a proposal for you, my dear," he said. "I have seen my vineyard, the grapes are on the verge of being overly ripe soon. I would be loathe to allow that to happen."

Yayoi

 

[Yayoi]

Falair wrinkled her nose. Well that just really wasn't fair. What had they done to receive such restrictions? Hm, she would have to investigate this more.

But Faiyum seemed more interested in talking about his new Scareling friend. Though her mind wandered in and out of half listening and half thinking to herself. "Since when was tea a pre-requisite to being civilized? Tyrants who slaughtered millions enjoyed a good cup of tea from time to time I'm sure." Falair never understood the correlation between what one wore or ate or drank that determined what kind of person or station that person held.

Now he had her full attention. Brown eyes snapped to as she locked gazes with him. Especially now that he was speaking of his vineyard. "What do you propose to happen with them then?"

Ice Queen

 

[Ice Queen]

Fai had absolutely no problem with tyrants that slaughtered millions. "I was thinking, perhaps, we could set up a small process. One where I create the wine and--since I am being watched very closely, I have others doing the taste testing for me," he said.

He could, perhaps, explain why they were "grounded," but that would include explaining his running around in the human world in a loincloth... and only a loincloth. And really, she had seen him drunk, she didn't need to picture him as that strange creature that human scarelings seemed so fond of.

Yayoi

 

[Yayoi]

"Hmm." Falair cupped her drink in slender fingers. He was asking a lot of trust from her with this proposal. She tried her best to just pump him full of tea to quell any lingering fire in his belly for wine. And now he wanted to make it.

It would be a tough test for him to. Falair's eyes lidded halfway as she ran in through her head. Ok then, new experiment time.

"It would be a waste of a good crop." She fiddled with a poofy pant leg idly. "Ok then. But I have my own stipulation if you would hear me out."

Ice Queen

 

[Ice Queen]

"I have already asked your sister if she would be interested in helping with the taste testing," he said mildly, watching her closely. Even Precious turned its many heads to her, the same expression as Fai's. "My dear, I know I ask you to trust me--and just how much of a temptation this will be for me. But if I am going to return to my... bad habit, it will happen when you are not watching, I am sure. But please, tell me of your stipulations."

Yayoi

 

[Yayoi]

She laughed, tapping her nails against her cup. "I'm sure my dear big sister accepted your offer quite willingly."

In all seriousness though, it seemed Fai underestimated her abilities. Alcohol was easily detectable even hours after one stopped drinking. It worked it's way into the pores. When you sweat you stunk of it. And Falair had a keen nose. Even the mention of sneaking and doing it when she wasn't watching raised a warning flag in the back of her mind.

But she gave off no signals to that. She merely remained calm. Brown eyes drifting towards the smoldering embers within the hearth. "You underestimate me Fai. But....if you drink a single drop I leave. I won't be your apprentice anymore. I cannot work with someone I cannot trust." In truth, it pained her to say it. But when she had found him that day drunk as a skunk she had made a promise to herself to never let him get that way again. And falling off the wagon generally ended up way worse than the initial addiction.

Ice Queen

 

[Ice Queen]

Fai looked at her, then looked away again. "It... is not easy, Fala," he said quietly. "It is not easy to wake each morning, reaching for Cairo--only to find nothing but air. It is not easy to know that once I had entire isles to traverse as I pleased, now I am confined to one small area like a scareling--BY scarelings. It is--I find myself wondering," he said, almost changing the subject. "Every day I find myself wondering why I was not on the isles with her. And when I am sober, that thought is far more loud than when I am not.

"I will try," he said, looking back to her. "I will try my hardest to remain sober. But I cannot always understand why I should want to. I will TRY," he repeated. "But you will need to help me."

Yayoi

 

[Yayoi]

Falair frowned heavily. Placing her cup on the couch, she moved from it to kneel next to his chair. Grasping his hand in between her own. "You are not the only one who has lost, Faiyum. It hurts yes, I know it all too well. But I believe that you can get through it. The pain never really goes away but it does lessen in time. The only way you will ever get through it is to embrace the pain, not drown it temporarily."

She squeezed his hand lightly. "I never said I wouldn't. Its what I am doing now and will continue to do to the best of my abilities. But please, I only ask that you do not toss my effort to the wind for one moment of numbness. If the pain becomes too much, if your thoughts trouble you so, I am here."

Ice Queen

 

[Ice Queen]

Fai reached up, gently cupping her cheek. "Thank you, my dear," he said softly. "I think... honestly, that is the only thing that has allowed me to remain sober for this amount of time. But perhaps--rather than drinking, of course, I should find a way to... distract myself, as well," he said, his mind kicking into gear as his hand fell away again.

"I must be honest, building this tent was a wonderful way to keep my mind off of the wine. I think the garden will be a nice change, as well. And perhaps you might think on what you wish to study seriously?"

Yayoi

 

[Yayoi]

A smile flashed across her lips when he cupped her cheek. "A new hobby or project yes. That would do well to keep you busy. If you are still wishing to make use of your grapes perhaps you could use some for wine while some for other things. Perhaps some jams or jellys."

She released his hand and moved back to her couch. Flopping down upon it once more and stretching her arms and legs. "The garden will be nice I am sure. Perhaps we can put up some creeping vines and create a nice place to sit and have tea."

Now, the next part was a bit tricky. Falair really hadn't settled on any specific thing to study seriously. She had dabbled in things here and there but nothing ever really worked out for her. The Mare chewed on her bottom lip for a moment. "I will...give it thought." She teepeed her pointer fingers. "I am just unsure on what I'm all that good at. Sometimes I wonder if I was ever truly meant to be an Alchemist." Na was so successful at it, even becoming a Sage. It was a bit of a burn on Fala's ego but even still she was proud of her big sister.

In the end though she'd keep striving to find her calling.

Ice Queen

 

[Ice Queen]

"If I did not think you had promise, I would not have accepted you as my apprentice," Fai said. "It is merely a matter of finding what you are good at. Which means, my dear, that we should go out and try everything we can find--and I have an idea of something we can start with," he said, looking oddly entertained by what he had just decided. "Although, I am sure, the other horsemen will find it very strange indeed."

Yayoi

 

[Yayoi]

Propping an arm up on the arm of the couch, she tilted her head sideways and rested it upon said arm. Quirking a slender blue eyebrow at him. What exactly did he have in mind and why would the other Horsemen find it strange?

Not that it would really bother her. The number of Horsemen who's opinion really mattered to her could be counted on one hand.

"I must admit, you have my curiosity peeked. What do you propose then?"

Ice Queen

 

[Ice Queen]

"I propose we find some of that... Halloween technology and take it apart!" he said. "I know one scareling that could possibly get us some things--but I will need to... persuade him."

Yayoi