Reading...

Jace sat lounged out across one of the couches reading a random book he picked up. He remembered the other night, when he had seen that girl with the curly white hair,turning the page of the book.

Looking over the room, he was alone.

Tahi wandered into the lounge. After the fiasco in the baths, all she wanted to do was settle down a little bit. She had a whole bunch of new fabrics from her last trip with Kal, and it was time to do some sewing - make a new dress or two.

She was heading towards her room, when she noticed a younger boy in sitting on one of the couches reading. She didn't recognize him either. What was with all of these first years?! Well - she had to pass him on her way to her room, so she decided it might be nice to say hello.

"Whatcha' readin'?" She asked the boy.

Jace looked up and said, "I'm not too sure."

"I'm Tahi by the way - technically it's Tahirah - but only my brother and Mnem call me that, and generally only when I'm in some sort of trouble." She winked at him. "Which is more often than I'd like."

"How do you not know what you're reading?" She asked, curious. "It is yours isn't it?"

((Girl with the curly white hair = Azu??))

((yah... Heheh))

"I'm not really paying attention to the book, it's just to make myself look busy." he replied. Liking her up and down, he returned to looking at the book.

"And why do you need to look busy?" She asked - curious... This boy was weird. He hadn't even told her his name yet.

((Can we make it a romance book XD ))

*looking

((sure.))

"My names Jace. I don't know, just feel like it, I guess?" , he smiled at that.

Tahi raised her eyebrows at him. "You just felt like looking like you were reading a romance novel?" Tahi said, pulling the book out of Jace's hands, and showing him the cover. "Trying to appear sensitive to the ladies Master Jace?"

Jace smirked, "Maybe, now give it back." he said playfully trying to the book back. "It was getting to the good part."

Tahi smirked, dancing out of his reach and reading aloud. "He swept her into his arms, gently caressing her face as he moved in for a kiss. Emile felt her knees turn to jelly as his lips brushed hers, his fingers twining into her hair. 'Lex' she whispered breathlessly. 'We shouldn't be doing this'..."

"Yup - that's the good part." She said laughing.

Jace laughed. "It is." , he snickered. "Don't you think that's the good part?"

Jace got up this time and went over to snatch the book back. Looking down at her, "Isn't it?"

"No - not really. But that's probably all the plot you'll find in a book like that. You have quite interesting tastes Master Jace." Tahi tossed the book back to him.

Jace scowled, " You don't need to call me 'master'." ,he paused. "What were you doing that you so happened to stop by here?" Sitting back on the couch, patting the cushion next to him, he said, " Come sit."

Jace felt really awkward, he hardly ever talked to anyone at all, but it did fell nice. For once. He'd always been so withdrawn, it was-nice.

Tahi raised her eyebrows at him. Where had he been raised? "In case you haven't noticed the dark skin - I'm only half Nephelae. Gotta be respectful to the purebloods."

Some of them were okay with half bloods, but there was a faction - a powerful faction - of Nephelae, who wanted to make sure all of the half bloods were put in their proper place.

"And I'm only passing through. I've got a bunch of new fabrics in my room from my latest trip from my brother, and I was going to make a new dress with them."

She made sure not to mention Kallistrates by name, though there was a good possibility Jace already knew who Kal was. Her brother - a pureblood from a noble line, was rather infamous for rejecting most conventional nephelae customs. She shouldn't elaborate until she knew more about him...

"Ohh, I'm sorry. Umm I don't mind really. If it makes you uncomfortable, do whatever makes you happy." Running his hand through his hair, something he did when he felt uncomfortable or awkward. "If you need to go, it's fine, I won't keep you. I would like it if you stayed?"

Tahi shrugged - considering him for a second. He didn't seem like the prejudiced type. Usually they were rather loud about their objections against her kind. He even appeared nervous - like he wasn't used to hanging around girls, or people even. Maybe he was worth getting to know.

"Well seeing as my roommate isn't... my favorite person in the world... I was going to come back out here to sew."

"I guess I'll see you in a minute - Jace." She said, winking at him as she took the stairs back up to where the warriors quarters were.

Jace saw her contemplating what he said.

"Ok." , he smiled.

Tahi had seemed surprised when he said that it didn't matter to him. Picking up his book, he waited for her to come back.

Tahi approached her room apprehensively. She peered through the door, checking to see if her roommate was in. She wasn't. Tahi breathed a sigh of relief. Dealing with Severa was not on her list of things to do right now. Entering her room she opened one of her trunks, and drew out the fabric. It was a rich blue and Tahi had found it in a little bazaar traveling with her brother. The fabric would suit Amaranth too - so she had bought extra for her surrogate elder sister.

Tahi pulled out her sewing kit from her travel bag, and headed back down the stairs. Taking over an entire table, she spread the fabric, and began marking and pinning where the seams would go.

"So, done with the good part yet?" She asked as she worked.

Looking back up to see Tahi was back, Jace replied, "I am."

Setting the book back down, he walked over, leaning over the table, "What are you making?"

Tahi had placed all of the pins for the skirt hem, and now she had to sew the fabric back in place. Pulling out a silver thread, she strung out two arms lengths, and broke it off the spool. Threading it through a needle she looked at Jace.

"It's a new dress," she replied. "A girl can never have too many dresses." She winked.

"I wouldn't know." ,replying with a chuckle. "My sister was like that." A sad look crossed his face. Jace sat down across from Tahi and watched her sew.

"Your sister?" Tahi asked, genuinely curious. Her brother was the most important person in the world to her. She wondered why Jace sounded so sad when he talked about her.

She pulled the cloth into her lap and began stitching the hem in place with small neat stitches.

"When I was thirteen, my dad got a little carried away, and he put me into a coma. My sister tried to stop him, well to make a long story short, she didn't make it. She was only ten." ,looking away, he closed his eyes. "I will never forgive my father for what he did to her, never." Clasping his fist tightly, he stood up to go sit back down on the couch.

Tahi looked at him, unsure of what to say, and a little confused. Why on earth would he tell her something like that? She knew what it was like to have daddy issues. Heck - the man she thought was her father killed her mother and tried to kill her. And her real father had driven Kal's mom to kill herself. But she wasn't about to tell some random stranger she had just met that.

Still, he looked like he was hurting - and she knew that feeling all too well. She was lucky. She had Kal, and her Aunties (because all of the other female mentors were like Aunts to her - except for Amaranth - because she said being called an Aunt made her feel old) to talk to, to help her and protect after it happened. This boy must not have had anyone.

"I'm sorry..." she said softly. Putting down her sewing, she got up, and took his fist, opening his hand until her hand was placed in his. "But in my personal experience, brooding about it only makes it worse."

"No other way for me to fix that is there?",looking at his hand, "it's the only way I can deal with it. I don't need anyone telling me that. It doesn't help anything."

As she had placed her hand in his, Jaces eyes widened in surprise.