Talking about our time

Who: Cedric and Mary (open of course :3)
When: In the evening

Cedric walked to the warrior's lounge, the place that he had set to meet Lady Mary. He was still excited to know that there was somebody from Victorian England. And thinking he was the only one... it was so good to have a piece of home in this place.

He took a seat near the window, looking as the sun was slowly going down and the sky adquire a beautiful orange tone, the same from his eyes. He adjusted his eyes and looked at his pocket watch. Lady Mary was probably on her way. Knowing that she was a Victorian Era lady, she wouldn't be late. He waited there, with his legs crossed, looking at the horizon.

That afternoon Mary entered the warrior's lounge right on time, keeping an eye out for Cedric. She'd been relatively excited about meeting with him; she'd never thought she'd bump into someone from her own time, or at least moderately close to it, and from her very own England! And of course he was charming, calling her Lady Mary and being generally very bright in his behaviours.

She spotted him in a seat near the window, and smiled, drawing closer. He seemed entirely engrossed in the sunset, and indeed it was beautiful, all hues of orange bleeding into fading pinks and darkening blues.

"Good afternoon, Cedric," She said politely, dipping into a shallow curtsy and wondering if he would stand to greet her, as he'd proven quite the gentleman so far.

Hearing a familiar and polite voice, Cedric broke his gaze from the sunset and glanced over to the light brown haired woman near him.

"Oh, Lady Mary!" he said, standing up, making a small bow together with a smile. He took her hand and gave a small kiss, a courtesy he had adquire from his own family.

"Please take a seat! I was just watching this stunning sunset.... It's breath taking." he said, sitting down and offering the chair next to him, before glancing a bit more to the sunset.

Mary was quite surprised to receive a kiss on the knuckle; she jumped slightly, but let him do it. It was what he was taught, more than likely, and she was never one to offend. She could get used to such habits.

"It certainly is beautiful," she agreed, taking the seat offered her. His attention slid again to the window, and her own eyes followed; the view was simply fantastic. She noticed that a strain of orange in the skies matched his eyes, and smiled, blinking back her 'owl eyes' and settling into her comfortable chair. "A lot of things are different in Haven. But the skies, at least, are the same as they were back home."

Seeing that Mary jumped slightly at his kiss, Cedric wondered if it was the right thing to do. Well, wasn't she used to this? He wondered how her life was in Victorian England, if it was like his or better.

He was deep in thought and perked at her words about the sky "I don't know Lady Mary... I found London's sky a bit greyer and darker. Even so, it quite remindes me of home." he said with a nostalgic smile and turned his attention to her. "So, tell me a bit about yourself. How was your life back then?" he asked her politely.

"It was no where near as clear, you're right," she laughed, "My life... I was quite the Cinderella story, you could say, rags to dwindling riches."

Adjusting her glasses, Mary was encouraged by the nostalgia in his smile, seeing that same distant longing for home that she felt. Though, she supposed, most students were some measure of homesick... But he was remembering the same place as she was.

"I was a bit unconventional, you could say." Mary smiled, unabashed, "One thing I don't miss are the gender restrictions."

"The Cinderella story?" he tilted his head slightly, blinking his eyes "Is there a fairy and a pumpkin carriage in it?" he chuckled lightly, remembering the story his mother told when he was a little boy.

Oh the stories he heard every night. Leading to a sweet sleep, filled with fantastic creatures. He always thanked his mom for every story, seeing that that was the reason that made him get interested in reading.

"Gender Restrictions.... There were sure some things I didn't quite understand. And what do you mean unconventional?" he raised an eyebrown, glancing to her.

"Ah, no real magic until the Athenaeum, I'm afraid," Mary chuckled.

"Unconventional..." Mary thought for a moment, greatly amused by his expression. At length, she continued, "I grew up more or less in the gutter, in actuality. My father was absent, and so I worked to support my sickly mother." She shook her head, and smiled. "I have quite a mouth on me, and quite a punch, if I do say so myself. But with a raise in class came a raise in restraint."

"The sabotaging of the factory is what led me to my uncle, who took us in. A land owner, a committed worker... He had plenty to support us, though industrialization was in full swing by then, so funds were always in a flux."

"I had a proper governess, proper clothes, a proper way of speaking. But even beyond the conventional learning as to what I should be as a wife... I read. Everything. My cousin, especially, didn't approve; I was always in competition with him. I harbored secret dreams of taking over," Mary for a moment covered her eyes with a hand, hiding a glimpse of sad nostalgia, as well as another laugh, "I had a pen-name, even. 'Henry Upton'."

"But I go on. What about yourself?"

Cedric remained silently, like any gentleman and heard Mary's story. So she read. For Cedric that was great, he never approved that women couldn't read. What sort of society could England be if women didn't read and didn't know about our culture? That was so... retrograde.

"I think you did good to enter that small world of books. I found it very important to somebody to read." he said, nodding with a slight serious face.

He then perked at her questions and smiled lightly, shrugging his shoulders. "Oh nothing much. My father owns a carriage business on which I worked while my mother is a simple wife. Since I was little she told me crazy tales and I, for once, because interested in reading as well. One day as I was searching for some books on our little library I found some magic books and about my ancestrals. My urge to read become bigger and I end up even reading a book in my working breaks." he chuckled lightly.

"And of course, I had a arranged marriage." he found himself saying, blushing slightly as he noticed what he had said. "Oh sorry, I didn't wanted to disturb you with soup operas of my life" he said, adjusting his glasses nervously.

"I believe the same; reading is just so... convenient, people simply don't realize. So much knowledge, so much experience, contained in one place just for the reader. It's nice to know that you, at least, appreciate books."

Mary smiled warmly, pleased that he seemed to agree with her in that aspect, as well as a few others. Even though he'd described his mother as a 'simple wife' Mary supposed that it was just a slip of the tongue. He clearly thought women were capable.

"An arranged marriage?" Mary blanched, and then flushed slightly in response to his sudden nerves. "I'm not disturbed at your saying it, Cedric. Just the very idea... With our funds so subject to change, I knew that my uncle was looking for a partner for me, hoping to gain some sort of stability. But as I was, I was entirely object to being affianced."

"What about you, if you don't mind me asking. Did you ever meet your fiancee? What did you think of the situation?"

"Indeed! I completey agree with you but there's a slightly drawback which is that too much knowledge can definitly lead you to insanity. The more you know, the more secrets you uncover. Unfortunatly, I'm here just because of my thirst for knowledge." he said, sighing as he scratched the back of his hair.

Hearing Mary's situation when it came to marriage, Cedric adjusted his glasses and cleared his voice "Yeah, I did...." he said, a slight embarrassed blush still on his face. Leaving her wasn't something he was exactly proud. "But she was.... how can I say.... too... Okay, I'm going to say this and it will sound rude but she looked too much boring. She was a dull person which I didn't have any feelings for. And I didn't want a marriage that wouldn't make me and her happy." he explained, looking as the sun went down.

"Well, there has to be a certain balance of ignorance and knowledge. And, of course, madness and sanity. We're all here to learn, and depending on your methods this can be a gateway to any of them." Mary tilted her head, "I'm in a similar boat. My eagerness to learn, I suppose, intrigued my sponsor initially... And then she is fond of industrialism and feminine daring."

Cedric seemed uncomfortable with this subject topic, but Mary really was curious. She always had to balance her curiosity with her care for others. She tried never to come off as aloof, but with such high goddess-given observation skills she could see when someone began to show discomfort. Not that Cedric was exactly subtle with his emotions thus far, but she would have noticed anyway. Tied into her thirst for knowledge, it also showed her where to press to get the biggest reaction, hopefully the most information. Speaking of such balances was a perfect coincidence; Mary struggled with these exact divisions.

"It's quite alright," Mary murmured, smiling wryly, "Happiness should be considered first and foremost in a marriage. And I understand; many of my own suitors were spectacularly boring or dull, ignorant or bitter. Though I can't imagine being in a sure arranged marriage." Pausing for a moment, Mary eyed the setting sun as well. "If you don't want to talk about it... It's entirely okay."

Mary did want to know more. He'd lived a much different life than she had. But they'd only just met; she didn't want to drive him off with incessant questioning.

Cedric nodded his head, agreeing with Mary. There was a thin line between knowlegde and mental sanity that could be break at any time. One step forward and everything could be lost. "But even if our methods are noble, there's a small chance of falling into that deep insanity that we, readers, can easily achive." he said, grabbing his glasses and starting to clean with a small piece of white cloth he had on his chest pocket. "Your sponsor? Who is it?" he asked in curiousity as he put his glasses back on its place.

Remaining silently as Mary talked, Cedric sighed lightly, knowing her words were true. Dull, ignorant, bitter. Those words described Annabelle perfectly, he thought, leaning his head on his right hand. He shook his head and smile a bit at Mary's last words "It's okay. She doesn't belong in my life, either way."

"I just wish that one could more clearly see this line; my own intrigue is almost entirely out of my hands." Mary chuckled, passing her hand over her face. She sometimes felt that she made it sound a bit dramatic; it was difficult, when her eyes saw everything and her mind had to keep up, but it was by no means a constant state or irritation.

She watched quietly as he cleaned his spectacles, adjusting her own. At his question, she blinked, successfully fighting off a blush as she responded. She was bad for staring. "My sponsor would be the goddess Athena." Bowing her head for a moment in respect, Mary again met his eyes. "And your sponsor? I believe, when you first introduced yourself, that you said you were a student of Hermes?"

At Cedric's sigh, his head on his hand, Mary wondered if she'd struck a nerve. When he smiled, though, Mary felt assured that she hadn't upset him entirely too much; he wasn't angry with her, at least.

"I'm sure you've made the right decision regarding this woman. " Mary carefully rested both elbows on the armrests, resting her chin on her folded hands. The setting sun brought out the red in her hair, and the orange glare on her lenses almost made her laugh. "You shouldn't feel terribly guilty about it; what could you have done?"



((I would have had a post up earlier, but I'd written it perfectly and then accidentally gone back a page; everything deleted! So this one isn't as good (or brief, sorry!) as the old one had been.))

"I agree. But the greed of man has no limits and there are men that can do anything and risk their lives for a single piece of gold. Or a valuable object like a rare books." he said with a sigh, knowing that curiosity had killed the cat many times and he had only been harmed.

"Athena?" he repeated with a soft smile. "I believe that goddess is wise and intelligent not to mention a great warrior, if I'm not mistaken." he said, remembering the many times he had read on books about Athena and how wise she was with her howl always by her side. At Mary's question, he nodded "Yes, Master Hermes is my sponsor. A very good one, I must say. I find him kind and not to mention a comprehensive one. I'm here only because of my foolish curiosity." he chuckled lightly before glancing over again at Mary.

"I believe I made. If I had marry her we would both have a miserable life and a very unhappy too." he sighed again with a shrug of his shoulders "I just don't feel right to leave her without any words. I find it rude, you understand?" his eyes were stuck on the setting sun and the green field as a sad glance appeared on his eyes.

"I suppose you're right," Mary agreed, "Some people lack a certain amount of... self control. But I don't think we're likely to run into such serious problems just yet here at the Athenaeum."

"Yes, she really was very kind when she offered me my place here. I was endlessly intrigued, and this even before I was granted my observation." At Cedric's comment, Mary tilted her head curiously, leaning slightly forward. "Hermes is quite a fine sponsor." She said offhandedly, though she did sincerely agree, "What do you mean, your foolish curiosity? How did you come to be at the Athenaeum? If you don't mind me asking."

"There was nothing more for you to do." Mary felt that she should offer some sort of comfort, but didn't know what she could say, and was hesitant to place her hand on him. "Of course I understand. Your sponsor is a symbol of communication, is he not? Perhaps one day you could leave her with a message."

"I don't know about that... there are some odd people at the athenaeum and I'm talking about their races." he clarified her with a small frown. "Their personalities are... strange, too strange sometimes."

Cedric tilted his head slightly at Mary's words. "Your... observation?" he repeated with a blink of his eyes "Oh, so Lady Athena granted you some extra power, just like Master Hermes." he said, nodding his head, to himself now that he has understood it. "As you already know, I was only a carriage man but soon found out because of some books at my house that I had ancestrals that were fire wizards, therefore I could control fire. I didn't know much until Master Hermes said that I could see the library at the Athenaeum to figure some more out." he explained with a small chuckled "Again, my curiosity lead me here."

"I believe I couldn't." he agreed and sighed with a small smile. "And you are right. I can promise myself that I will most certainly do that."

"I suppose that one never really knows about the wills of other people," Mary sighed, "There are always some. But I like to trust that our mentors have an eye on things, more efficiently than we could have ourselves."

"Ah, yes, my... 'owl eyes,' I sometimes call them," Mary chuckled to herself, covering her lips with the tips of her fingers. "I'm not quite sure how to explain it. It comes in a daze, and I see everything and store everything. I can turn it on and off, but sometimes it triggers itself. Sometimes when I see too much too quickly, it just gets stored. I don't consciously recall it, but I KNOW it." Mary adjusted her glasses, tucking her hair behind her ear. "What power has Master Hermes granted you?"

"They say that curiosity kills the cat, you know," Mary said, amused. "Then again, a cat has nine lives. Why not take a few risks? Curiosity can be a good thing."

"Perhaps it will give you some sort of closure," she supplied gently, leaning closer to him to make sure that he caught all of her words. "There is no use beating yourself up about it in the mean time. Guilt will do you no good, if you couldn't avoid it."

"Oh yes, I think the same. I feel like I can trust my mentor with my life... I don't know if it is naive but my mentor seems to be a very kind and humble creature." he nodded with a small smile.

"Owl... eyes?" Cedric blinked his eyes lightly, tilting his head. As Mary explained her power, Cedric let go a 'Ah', as if he had understood. It was quite an ability, he thought, rubbing his chin lightly as he looked to the ceiling. He snapped out of it with Mary's question "Oh, since Master Hermes is the one to deliver messages and I, for once, delivered people, he granted me with some speed. A little higher then the best human runner. I just use it when I'm late for class." he said with a small chuckle.

"Nine lives... well at the 2 of mine has gone away!" he said with a soft laugh before sighing lightly "Yes, a few risks are okay in my life but I think I've taken enough."

Cedric remained quiet for a bit, adjusting his glasses and sleeves "Yes. Maybe I should just concentrate on my classes and fighting skills. To get away with it."

"Of course it is not naive; our mentors are entrusted with the duty watching and teaching us."

"Hmm, I suppose it is a bit odd, calling them 'owl eyes'," Mary chuckled, "It proves very useful, in battle, for tests, in conversation. I see a lot. Like an owl, you see." She laughed, shaking her head at her silly nickname. She listened, greatly interested, as always, in another human student's power. "Ooh, I could see that coming in handy." She smiled in response to his little joke, wondering just how much speed could affect a battle.

"Ah, really, two already?" Mary laughed. As their conversation progressed, she found herself much more comfortable with Cedric. He was quite delightful, generally upbeat and amusing. "We're still so young; I know that there will be more risks in my future. I may loose a few 'lives' but I'll learn something."

Mary realized that Cedric was prone to fidgeting, especially, it seemed, if he was uncomfortable with the subject. His adjusting his glasses made Mary itch to push up her own, but she fought the urge. She sat quietly with him until he responded. "You've just got to take life one thing at a time."

Cedric nodded, agreeing with the female student.

"Why all the laugh? Owl eyes is an appropriatte name for your skill. Owl are extremely smart and can see very well in the dark to catch their prey. In this case, you can see everything and store it." he chuckled at an idea on his head "A bit like a library." he said with an easy smile on his face "It is... very useful indeed and I've tried using it on practice sessions."

"Oh yes, I need to stop wasting them!" he said, leaning his head over his right hand that was leaned over the couch arm. "Indeed.... some risks are needed and, now that we are in the Athenaeum, it's now or never."

"One thing at the time... yes. Good philosophy" he said, his eyes drifting again to the window, the sun no longer being visible as the first stars began to show up.

"I suppose you're quite right. I did feel quite clever when I came up with the name, myself." Mary fought off yet another chuckle, "I do see a great bit. Any comparison between myself and a library is very fine with me." Mary's eyes flicked over Cedric's form, moderately relaxed in his seat. She could assume that he was greatly capable on the battle field, even without extra speed. Muscle reflex and automatic memory could be outdone by wit and speed, and Mary took a mental note. "You must be quite formidable in combat, then, with such quickness to back your training."

"Now or never, indeed." Mary nodded, smiling and finally giving in to the nagging urge to adjust her lenses on her nose. "Frankly, I look forward to the intellectual challenge, and even the possible danger involved, when those living moments come along to coax you into risk."

"Sometimes one just has to keep the stress at bay. Worrying about everything at once is least likely to help, in any way."

As Cedric's eyes drifted, so, too, did Mary's. She watched the stars begin to emerge, and said quietly, almost to herself, "The transition time is always my favourite. When day turns to night, and when night turns to day. I used always to make a wish on the first star, but after the hard hit of the Industrialization, the stars were hard to see. There hardly seems time for it these days..." She turned back to Cedric, wondering, and tried to meet his eyes in the dimming light, "May I ask, what you would wish for?"

She had yet to formulate an answer for herself, and was narrowing it down, even as the suddenly awkward-seeming question hung in the air. Mary did not feel embarrassment; once a question was asked, the innocent want of an answer generally outweighed that.



((Sorry sorry SORRY once again for the delay on my post! The holidays, as it were. XD Also, that the writing is oddly awkward. My posts are too long.))