Dinner Party (Closed to Meg Giry, Faramir, Steerpike) [Forward Dated To Tomorrow]

[seeherwheniwake]

((OOC: Posting this now, since I'll be at work at six tomorrow. ;)))Fantine had been up since very early, cleaning the apartment ten times over, making sure everything was exactly as she wanted it to be. She and Meg had been working on the menu and the food for days, and the apartment smelled of cooking pies, and the rest of the dinner that they

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[faramir_hurin]

"It was not evil, certainly, and you'll never be able to change it. But you can see it differently in time and understand that what you did does not define you for the rest of your life. Except that you did it for a reason."

I know so little about women, but enough.

"You are very kind and giving, I can see that. You are also beautiful and, despite all you have seen and done, you are innocent in your heart. You are." No men with hard words can take that away, or they have not yet. "I can easily see a man having feelings for you. I can see my sister-by-law in you."

So that sort of feeling would not come from me.

"Father Sam is wise." He knows more of men from his work even if he denies himself the company of women, as his calling requires. "I will be pleased to watch over you as though you were the sister you resemble."

And in more ways than she can understand. I hope that Steerpike's intent is honourable because Fantine is only human.

"Does... does Meg know of your history?" It will help if she does so that Fantine might have someone more of her time to speak with. And a woman's eye might be better than a man's.

I wish Sophie were here.

[seeherwheniwake]

"Meg knows some of it," she answered. "Most of it. It is hard to talk about it. Frightening to remember, and horrifying to look in another's eyes when I do, especially if I want them to think well of me."

She clasped her hands, looking down at them.

"You are kind, sir. I am not used to people treating me like this; taking care of me. I am so used to being alone and fighting for myself. And I didn't do so very well at that."

She is quiet for a moment, then looks up at him with a smile, taking his hands and squeezing them.

"But today is not for these sad conversations, Monsieur. It is a party! And there is food and drink and good company, and I hope very much that we shall all end this evening as very good friends and with a deep desire to do this again soon. Come, sit down and let me get you a drink. What would you like? We have wine, beer, brandy?"

[faramir_hurin]

"You are not alone in having things that are hard to talk about and remember. Do not think you are weak for it, else I am as well." Perhaps we both are--or we're stronger from the experiences.

"You were not made to fight any more than I, but you did what you had to do and are now somewhere that all the good may come back to you." I would help that, as so many here have helped me.

"It is not so sad, not when it brings people together, though you are right that it's not for a party." Which this is, if an unexpected one.

"A glass of wine, please. The bottle I brought you can keep for later." I'm sure the writing on it will cause some confusion. "The village has been known to provide for me wine from home at times. Worry not that you cannot read where it came from, as most in Middle-earth do not know Elvish either."

[seeherwheniwake]

Fantime hurried into the kitchen to get his wine, pouring it into a lovely crystal glass, and brought it out on a tray with the bottle in case he wanted more. Then she sat on the chair across from him.

"Oh, I cannot read anyway," she said with only a slight blush. "I never learned."

[faramir_hurin]

I smile that she has brought so much wine.

"I would be ill company if I were to drink all that, but thank you. I will have more with food." I get tired if I drink too much and that would be very rude.

"Did you wish to learn? I have taught several people to read." Little wonder that she did not mention anything about recipes from the library. "It is a very useful skill, though I suppose that since I work in the library here you might have guessed that I would say such a thing."

[seeherwheniwake]

"It is something I have always wished to know, but there has never been time..." she said with a sigh and a shrug of her shoulders.

"Monsieur Steerpike was going to read to me in the park. I thought perhaps he could teach me? Not that I do not think you could do the job very well indeed..."

She blushed, hoping he would not take offense.

[faramir_hurin]

"Perhaps there will be time here."

I have to smile.

"Perhaps he will teach you to read and I'm not offended at all. But..." I hold up a finger in what I hopes she'll understand is a mock lesson. "When a young man has the chance to read to a pretty young lady and she is willing, why would he teach her to read when that would deprive him of the opportunity to spend time reading to her?"

[seeherwheniwake]

Fantine laughed, her whole face brightening with it, her eyes twinkling merrily.

"You flatter me terribly, sir. I do not know that he will do it, but if he does not it is because he is terribly busy, and I would not begrudge him his time. He will probably be more than willing to teach me, as he will not have to waste his time reading to an ignorant any more."

[faramir_hurin]

"I do not. I might say that I flatter you very well except that it is not flattery to speak the simple truth. You are a pretty young lady and spending time with you would not be a waste." What lies have people been telling her? "Ignorance can be remedied. I have learned so many new things here in the village a person could wonder why I ever bothered to study before. There is always more to learn, no matter how much you know."

Reading is a beginning.

"If you wish to learn to read, there will be someone to teach you. Please, do not speak so lowly of yourself." There is so much hurt in her past that it saddens me. "To read to someone is a pleasure. When I first learned how I read to my mother, who was ill. She could certainly have read on her own but I know she liked to listen to me."

She was proud, as Boromir was proud. Back then, even though he was so worried about mother, father was proud too.

[seeherwheniwake]

"Sometimes it is much easier to speak badly of yourself than to allow others to do it. Hearing others say the bad things you know to be true hurts so much more..."

She sighed, pouring herself a small glass of wine.

"Years ago, when I was younger, I suppose I thought I was pretty enough. But everything that has happened since...I'm not that girl any more. And I never was very smart. There was never time for school, either. After Father died, mother needed me. Life was never easy, but there was always love to keep me going. Love for mother, love for Félix, love for Cosette. Because love, real love, it's all that really matters, isn't it?"

She looked a tiny bit confused, worrying her bottom lip. It was af if she knew what she wanted to say, but couldn't find the perfect words.

[faramir_hurin]

"I'm not certain about knowing them to be true--believing them to be true perhaps." It did hurt when my father called me a whore... but it was nothing that I had not thought myself. Perhaps it was even true, considering, but I spent much time considering it and the price was worth it. He even thought the price was worth it. At any rate, how many prostitutes have I known and they are good people, so why can I not also join them?

"My mother died when I was five and father was lost without her. He lived for Gondor alone then." Love can hurt, too.

"There are things that matter besides love, yet love does seem to be at their core. My duty would be a terrible thing if I did not so much love my country and her people. Love, it may be, is the thing that makes everything else worthwhile." Duty with no love behind it would be a cold thing.

"I cannot judge your level of intelligence. It is likely that you are smarter than you believe, as there are different ways to be smart. You are wise enough to love, which also takes courage." Which many people forget. "It is like battle, because you risk harm yourself when you love."

I shake my head a little.

"We are never what we were because time changes us. It is love for yourself that can help you change in beneficial ways--or turn the hurts into lessons and help others because of them." Of course. "There is a place here in the village called The Ribbon. You might wish to go there for aid. Kerai is young herself but wise. She has... a gifted wisdom."

Of all her people, if I understand what little she's said of the Weave.

[seeherwheniwake]

"Maybe I shall go speak to Mlle Kerai. I do not know her, but if she is kind like you say, I should like to talk to her.

She shrugged.

"It doesn't upset me that I'm not smart. I never have been, and while I know that being smart is important, there are other things that are important, too. Like being kind to others, making people smile, loving people. Maybe that's who I am."

She smiled and looked towards the kitchen, then back towards him.

"Tell me of the place you are from?"

It was clear that he liked it, and it was much better conversation for a party.

[faramir_hurin]

I can only smile.

"Kerai is not kind in the traditional sense any more than people would call her physically beautiful: to me she is both." Her kindness is tempered with... temper. "You can be those things but in knowing what you are there is a certain wisdom."

Better than those who think they know all when that isn't possible.

"Oh dear, do not ask me to speak of my home as I will do so happily all evening and bore everyone dreadfully." I don't mean to. "It seems strange to me but it might be because of our simpler ways than most have--I am more attached to my home than most seem to be."

Faramir is more attached to Gondor, not as much as someone like Galadriel is to her lands, but Tolkien's ruling families do tend to have a symbiotic relationship with their lands. So Faramir does have a physical connection to Gondor that he really doesn't know about. Galadriel is so attuned to the Golden Wood that she knows when people enter it.

[seeherwheniwake]

"There is nothing wrong with being attached to your home," she smiled. "Paris never held any special call to me, nor did Montreuil sur Mer, but that is likely because I experienced such hardship living there. I should love to hear about the things that attracted you most to your home."

[faramir_hurin]

"There are many things. It is not only the appearance of the White City, as Minas Tirith is called, but the history there. It is a mixture of the old city, build three thousand years ago, and the new places of wood that have the life of the people in them."

Should fade, because he can talk about it a long time. He'll describe the city, the seven levels and gates, the view of the Pelennor beyond, history... The contrast of the grand size of the old with the friendly comfort of the new.

[seeherwheniwake]

Yes, fade is good. :) She'll sit and listen in rapt attention. ;)