Forays into the Land of Fun - Bringing westfallcorndog to a Funfair

[heirtothedragonsfire]

Though she'd only been around a short time Runa had already made an impact on Viatorus' life. His office was filled with flowers and, more often than not, fresh baking. She'd fearlessly stepped into the Nexus and welcomed his friends, who had in turn welcomed her right back. It was as she was an unstoppable force of boundless optimism. So when she asked Viatorus to come with her to a fair ground it was impossible for him to give her an adequate excuse to get out of it. Not that he particularly wanted to. Even with his thoughts deep in his work the novelty of a fun fair piqued his curiosity. He'd relented and Isidor had stood firm on needing to come along to protect both of them. As with anything, Runa took the idea as if it were her own, continuing the thought that maybe they should invite someone else along to even out the numbers. 'In case there are any games with teams', she'd said.

They had agreed to meet with Harrowheart at Viatorus' office where the scholar then took his friend and his fiancée to his home on his own world. This time it wasn't a mansion, but an apartment, and Isidor was waiting for them. In contrast to Viatorus with his jumper over a shirt and his suit trousers, or Inigrun with her shirt and jumper harking back to older styles, Isidor is wearing the most contemporary clothes of them all. The all black ensemble includes fitted trousers, short heeled boots and a jacket that looks more sleek than warm.

"You look like a bodyguard," Viatorus says to his sister, not bothering to hide his amusement.

"It was only to make you feel better about having a babysitter," she teases as she passes him and he pouts. Walking up to Harrowheart, she looks him up and down and holds up a wooden, flat square box. "I managed to borrow this for the day. So you don't draw any unwanted attention." She tilts her head at him. "Can you grow back your hair?"

Comments

[westfallcorndog]

Is Harrowheart a little bit disappointed that Isidor won't take him up on his offer? A smidge. Just until he remembers that's more pizza for him. He smiles back and shrugs before he takes his first bite. And!... He laughs lightly and shakes his head. "It's kinda gross," he admits, though he's not at all bothered by it. "Tastes like that 'ketchup' stuff, and I ain't really into that. Probably for the best, I ain't supposed to eat too much bread anyways."

Still, the idea of wasting food is practically a mortal sin. He looks around, as if he might find someone to pawn it off on... But the strangers around them don't seem amenable to taking a bitten slice of pizza. With some remorse he sets it down on a nearby bench and assures Isidor, "Someone who's hungry'll appreciate it." On Azeroth, maybe. In an English carnival?... Well, let the man dream.

It's a good thing he ditches it, too, because Runa's got a plan! A ferris wheel. His eye moves immediately to the large spinning circle. He's never seen one before, but it's not hard to guess that's what she's talking about. After taking in the sight of it for a few seconds he nods eagerly.

"It looks fun! Real calm and slow. Let's go!"

[heirtothedragonsfire]

This time Isidor purposefully stays slow as they walk to the wheel, giving her time to finish off her chips without looking completely like a ravenous lunatic. Runa has already finished hers and Viatorus lazily peels off bits of candyfloss, only finishing right before they get into the line to pay.

The ride is in seats of two, to Harrowheart and Isidor find themselves sitting next to each other yet again. It looks even less sturdy than the rollercoaster, but it moves much slower. Even though Isidor keeps a hold of the protective bars, she's much more relaxed this time around.

"It's not a bad view," she says once they've gained a bit of height. They can hear Runa gasping about the lights in the next set of seats.

[westfallcorndog]

"It's not," Harrowheart agrees as he finds himself settling into his seat. It's not so much the view of the fairegrounds he's looking at, though. Now and then he glances across the carnival, of course, because it would be too obvious if he didn't, but just as often he spends his time watching the woman seated next to him. He tries to be casual as possible when he rests one arm on the back of her seat, but his slight smile gives his intentions away.

"But I think my view's a little better than everyone else's."

He sits in silence for a while after that, now more determined to watch the sights as their cart ascends. There's something thrilling about being in this seat and he's sure it's not just the height of the ride.

"Earlier..." he finally says, his voice quiet and uncertain as he begins. "When you put the locket on? I saw you go to the mirror. You touched your face. My face? My lips. And then you stopped, like you weren't allowed. But..." He presses his palms together to keep focused and forces himself to look at her with a hint of a hopeful smile despite his uncharacteristically red cheeks.

"If you wanna touch my lips, you can. If you wanna hold my hand, you should. If you think you'd like to try somethin', then try it. There's nothin' wrong with bein' curious," he says. "And there's no one here who's gonna tell you otherwise."

[heirtothedragonsfire]

Isidor doesn't say anything to acknowledge Harrowheart's compliments, but her blush says she knows he wasn't talking about the scenery below. All of sudden she's very aware of his presence and she struggles with deciding whether she finds the fluttering in her chest pleasant or annoying.

They're both so good at innuendos and dancing around the topic that she doesn't quite expect him to be so forward, despite all his fumbling throughout the day. She looks at him in surprise and then her blush deepens and she looks at her hands.

For the longest time she says nothing. Not because she doesn't have anything to say, but because she's not sure what should be given a voice. Finally she says, "You say it like it's so easy. It's not."

"If I..." She hesitates, looking at his eyes and then his hands and away again. "If I hold your hand, I have to be able to justify it if someone sees and asks me about it. I have to weigh the consequences..." It sounds worse out loud than it did in her head. She huffs, annoyed with herself for not being more eloquent.

As if it's a better explanation, she tilts her head at him and says, "My uncle would tear me apart if I told him I did something 'because I wanted to'."

[westfallcorndog]

Watching her think, watching her riddle all of this out and come to the conclusion she does... It's painful. Not pain for himself, not pain for missing out on something that he wanted, but pain for her. Something that should be so free, so simple, so natural... For her it isn't. If she were anyone else he'd reach out and hold her, try to comfort her in some physical way. But that's the problem, isn't it?

His eyes follow her as she looks at him, at his hands, and off. Only when she looks away do his lips twitch in a guilty frown. He's putting her in this position. He's causing this. It's him, his fault, his actions...

"Then let it be secret 'til it can't be," he says in a hushed voice. "And when it can't be secret, let it be my fault. Let your father and your uncle hate me, and let me protect you from it all. Let me be the villain who came into your perfect life and left just as soon as your folks got wind of my bad intentions."

With a newfound determination he leans in, and though his voice is still quiet there's more confidence and life to it. "Let's share our private moments together, Isidor. Happy and free so long as no one's watchin', 'til the day someone is... And then let me be the bastard who had the gall to reach for Isidor Durant's hand." He says it, and he does just that. He finds her hand and laces his fingers with hers, palm to cold palm as much as she'll allow. "Let me be the sad and lonely monster who... Who thought it had the right to try and steal a kiss from you."

His far from monstrous eyes linger on Isidor's lips for the briefest moment until he looks away to the view ahead of them. The ride will only last so long. He can't hesitate forever... But he can't bring himself to force something like that on her in a moment like this. Instead he lifts her hand and places a gentle kiss against it with cold lips and chilly breath. He presses her hand, still held in his, to his cheek and watches her in silence for as long as he feels he can allow. And then he lets her go.

"Let your family save you from me, a-and not a minute too late. And when it's all over, you'll still be the perfect, pristine, untouched Isidor who'll tell me 'no' when they catch us and banish me away... But you'll also be the Isidor who knows what it feels like to hold hands with someone who thinks the world of her and kiss someone who only wants to make her happy. Let someone else protect you for once so you can finally feel what it's like to live your own life. Isidor... Don't give up on yourself. Say you'll try..."

[heirtothedragonsfire]

Harrowheart's impassioned speech is met with wary, worried eyes as Isidor watches him, but she doesn't move away when he leans closer. Not even when he takes her hand and she finds herself staring at the cold and the warm clasped together. Watching him, feeling him kiss the back of her hand is surreal. It's something that can't happen, but just did. Her head is swimming. She can't focus.

Everything he says is so kind, so considerate, but there's something wrong with it. She frowns and shakes her head. "But I don't want them to hate you. I don't want them to think you're a monster, or someone they need to banish. I would rather..." Her jaw tenses and she looks away. It takes her a minute to choose her words. "I don't want you to go. I want you to stay more than I want anything else."

She goes quiet again, touching her hand where her palm met his, and then she looks out at the scenery. "I won't be the one to make you into a monster. I won't let anyone else, either... I just... haven't figured out how to make sure of that yet."

[westfallcorndog]

As soon as Isidor speaks she breaks a tension he didn't realize he was holding. His shoulders go slack and his eyebrows upturn worriedly as he listens... But the mannerly rebuke he expected never comes. It's the opposite, in fact. She wants him to stay...

How can good news be so overwhelming? How could he have been so confident, so determined just a moment ago, where now he feels at sea? It's one thing to have hoped she felt the same, to hope she wasn't only humoring his advances, but it's another thing to hear, to know...

His heart wants to take him out of the moment, but Isidor has so much more to say in so few words, and he hangs on every one of them. It's instinctual to reach out to her for the few remaining moments that nobody is looking. He rests his palm on her knee and squeezes to encourage her, to remind her that he's there.

"If you think it can be that way – if you want it to be that way – then I got faith we'll figure it out. Together. You and me. We'll make it work on the terms you got to work with. And 'til then I'll be secret when I gotta be, and patient all the time. I'll be smart as much as I can be, and I'll do everything I can to make your folks see me as a person. A good person."

He gives her her space then but offers her a small, hopeful smile in return. "Maybe it ain't perfect, but it's a start? It's somethin'."

His attention drifts toward the scenery before them, but soon he turns back to see her again, and this time his smile reaches his eyes. "But before we get outta this ride? I want you to know that everything you said just now... really meant a lot to hear. When things get tough, I'll remember it."

[heirtothedragonsfire]

It feels strange for Harrowheart to stay quiet instead of blurting out the first thing that comes to his mind. Maybe she just expected that because of how certain he was a moment ago. Instead he speaks with a touch before he says anything at all. She hesitates, but then she tentatively rests her hand over his until he pulls away.

She looks at him while he talks, and there's worry weighing down her brow. He's making all these promises, but it's all a gamble, it's all a risk, and she can't promise anything. It's a poor investment for him, she thinks, but maybe that's what people do when they're looking for happiness. After all, he's so willing to make the effort, maybe it's normal.

But when he tells her how much it means, she can't help but feel the weight of what she's said. The thought of making a commitment, a promise, and breaking it is such a dreadful thought. She pushes her fears to one side and tries to smile back. "It's good to know writing Viatorus' 'inspiring speeches' was good for something."

When the ride stops to let them out, Viatorus and Runa are waiting for them at the exit. As soon as they're within range, Runa bursts into conversation. "Wasn't the view wonderful? All the lights and the people! Ah, I love a beautiful view!" She bounces on the spot. "Shall we do another ride?"

"It's getting a little late," Isidor points out quickly, before anyone has the chance to suggest another roller coaster ride.

[westfallcorndog]

She made a joke? Isidor made a joke! Harrowheart doesn't laugh out loud but his mouth twists into the sort of smile one makes when hearing a disastrous pun, an expression that lives somewhere between pride and the disappointment of a man betrayed. He elbows her lightly and shakes his head and finally scoffs a quiet little laugh. "I'm glad you made a joke out of it, 'cause I didn't wanna be the first one to say I was relieved that my big words paid off."

When the ride is through and he's back on his feet he can't help but feel that something is different. He isn't privy to Isidor's anxieties over promises not yet broken. Far from it, in fact, he's still smiling distantly, lost in his own pleasant thoughts. Runa's excited rambling brings him out of his haze but only fortifies his good mood. He beams at her happiness and quietly agrees, "It was a real good ride, but I think we got a long one ahead of us, too."

He motions between Viatorus and Runa and says, "Why don't you two ride home together? After all, Isidor and I still gotta plot on how we're gonna pay you back for what you did in the haunted house." He puts a hand on Viatorus' shoulder then and assures him, "I promise we'll only fight enough to almost cause a wreck, don't worry."

Viatorus gets a gentle little push to encourage him to follow Runa back to the cars, while Harrowheart slows his pace so that he remains a few yards off from them. When he thinks they can't hear he lowers his voice and tells Isidor under his breath, "It was a real good day. For so many reasons. I didn't have any shade thoughts at all. Maybe Earth's safe for me? Like the Nexus? Maybe we won't have to do that exorcism after all." With his attention back on her brother and his fiancée he raises his voice to a conversational level again and as they return to the cars casually says, "We'll see. We'll see."