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?"

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[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."