Cain and Rosa reunite
WHO: Cain Highwind & Rosa Farrell
WHAT: the two of them have a chat, it's been a while!
WHERE: Cain's room
WHEN: today
Rosa: It had been but a few days since the return of the former captives, and everyone was being either reunited or were recuperating. Rosa had, of yet, only done the latter. For the most part, she resigned herself to fitful and troubled bouts of sleep, punctuated by a rifling the journal pages. For news on how the other captives were doing, how Peter and the leader, Clark Kent she found out soon enough, were faring. And for any news on the town, the danger of being recaptured. For word of or from the man she knew would not come and for the one that didn't. There was a point when finally, Rosa had slept and thought enough. It was time to make do with all that she had, no matter how much or how little. And even though she could adapt to the world and new people around her, the single link to her original world still remained. It would be foolish to cut any bond, no matter how strange or unsure it might have been.
She had made it a point to call Cain down to the lobby for breakfast in the inn, each morning around the same hour, before going to tend to the patients who came into the clinic. Though there was clearly a lapse, she was just as punctual as ever as the knock sounded on his door. She had brought sandwiches and tea that morning. But instead of standing aside to wait for him to follow going down the steps, she remained directly before the threshold.
Cain: Cain hadn't been through what the captives had, he had only been keeping up with it through his diary, and although he knew that they had gone through hell... He didn't really feel particuarly good either. He felt like he had failed people, no, he'd failed Rosa. Part of him had wanted to join the fray, to go dashing to the rescue, but he was no Knight in white armour, he was no Paladin. He had no place in an epic rescue and some part of him suspected that if he had tried? He would have only gotten in the way.
He waited a couple of minutes before going to answer his door in the hope that she would have left by then. Rosa was the only person that called on him in the mornings, he had to be her... And... Cain could not bare to see her, if it was at all in his power, he was avid on avoiding her for as long as possible. He hap-hazzardly threw on a pair of leather trousers and a loose, cotton shirt and went to the door to open it. His eyes buldged when he saw who was still on the other side.
Rosa: For a moment she might have thought that he would not come at all. It was possible that he was out, of course, but at the same time the possibility seemed unlikely with the way things seemed to sound through his writing in the journals. She had not heard anymore from Nise about Cain in particular either. The most likely possibility was that he was avoiding her. It was an easy enough assumption to make as it had happened before. Though there were usually other circumstances surrounding that made it seem more logical or excusable. And altogether more avoidable when referring to Cecil in particular.
"Good morning, Cain," Rosa said pleasantly enough when he finally did come. He appeared no worse and no better than he had since she had last left. At least he wasn't wearing his armor day in and day out. As for the lady herself, no matter how much sleep, she still appeared somewhat tried and troubled. It was hidden somewhat beneath the bright curls of her golden hair and the functional outfit she wore. She didn't dare slip into another gown or dress so soon for the danger of being taken away again in a ball gown. "May I come in for a moment?" She asked, already taking a step forward to peek around his shoulder.
Cain: If it had been anyone else, he would've said no. But... There was something in Cain that meant he couldn't be rude to her, at least... not directly. "Of course." he murmured, stepping back and sitting on the edge of his bed. He didn't know what to expect from Rosa now, he thought she was probably angry, disappointed... hurt. A lot of things, he knew his guilt... and if he was honest with himself he didn't particularly want to hear Rosa remind him of all of his failings.
Cain did not know what to say, what could he say? He wanted to say that he was glad that she was back safe and sound, but that was no thanks to him... so he couldn't. He wanted to say he'd missed her, but that would seem inappropriate. So he settled for something mundane, something that he hoped wouldn't provoke her. "You're still staying here?"
Rosa: he stepped completely into the room only when he had given his consent, knowing that it might have been improper or inconveniencing him. But in a place like Rivelata, it didn't seem to matter so much anymore. She set the basket down the edge of the bed, pulling the cloth away from the tucked loaves so that the scent of the still warm focaccia bread filled the room. For a while she stood quietly, not directly before him but not sitting either, wondering what was going through his mind and what he would say. When he finally did speak, the expectancy that had swelled faltered in the center of her chest.
"Yes." She offered simply, her gaze falling away. "I am." Her clasped hands tightened on one another as she struck away her hesitation, unable to avoid it any longer. "Cain, what's wrong? I can understand that staying in a kingdom, twisted as this, may not be motivating but… You've been behaving like a stranger to me, to everyone. Do you really expect to stay here like this until you're somehow sent back?"
Cain: Cain did not know how to respond, he felt that no matter how he explained it, she wouldn't understand. How could she? Rosa was the bright, hopeful and clever girl she was and what was he; a traitor and a double-crosser. Even if he had gone, he couldn't have helped, and what was the use in him seeing her... Rosa came to see him periodically, to check up on him, he felt like an awful obligation to her... But there was no way that he could say it.
"Nothing's wrong." he replied flatly "I... Just needed some time to myself." he was an unconvincing liar but he hoped she wouldn't pry. Why would she? He wasn't her business anymore, Cecil was. Even if he wasn't here.
Rosa: A frown marred her fair features as she looked to him, some amount of confusion creasing her brow. "How can you tell me that nothing's wrong?" She stated. "You have all the time in the world to yourself here, and that's all you've been taking." He was obviously not willing to speak with her on matters outside of common pleasantries for new acquaintances, but he couldn't even keep up certain courtesies she or anyone might have expected had they been friends. Maybe that was the main gap to where there was no bridge. Perhaps that was, in part, her fault as well. After a tense silence, while she tried to grasp and measure her words, "Am I expecting too much? I'm your friend. But is it too much to think of you as mine? Is that why you refuse to speak to me about anything?" She hadn't even mentioned in detail the ordeal after the ball. She was even beginning to believe that he didn't care from the way he was behaving.
Cain: He clenched his teeth as she talked, he knew.. He knew he was saying the wrong things, coming across as a heartless man with no concern for one of his only friends. He didn't know how to set right all the things he had done wrong, and in his self pity, he only made more mistakes. At times, Cain felt that every action he took only resulted in his loved ones being all the more disappointed in him.
"No." he sighed, looking down at his knees, weaving his fingers together loosely. "you don't ask too much Rosa... You never have. I just..." he couldn't explain it, he simply didn't know how to put these feelings of inferiority into words. "I.." he wanted to tell her, but he changed the subject. "I'm sorry I didn't come for you... Heh, I'm not Cecil." he said in a defeated tone.
Rosa: She listened to every word as closely as she possibly could, trying to understand or catch some deeper glimpse or meaning to his actions and thoughts, for anything that she might have been able to take and change or encourage. In the end it still hurt, she was still rather upset at his distance, but there was something. And she was beginning to understand. "Cain…" Rosa closed her eyes, turning to pace a few steps before coming back. "I know you're not Cecil. But you're still Cain." She tried to tell him, finally bringing herself to sit along the same edge. "I do wish you had come. I wanted to see you, too." Thinking back on her time in the cavern was still unpleasant, her vision tinged with red light, but everything she had hoped for was still very clear.
"He didn't come for me in the end, after all, you know. Cecil." Rosa told Cain as if he did not know already. Admitting it to herself was still an ever unpleasant fact to realize, though. "But… You didn't come, either. It was the first time I began to feel alone despite the people I've met. I was almost afraid that if I didn't find you this morning I might not have seen you again."
Cain: He sighed again, he knew he'd let her down and hearing it from Rosa's lips stung all the more. He felt like a reserve, like a spare, the thought: well, if Cecil doesn't come, at least Cain will echoed through his head and his forehead corrugated in a semi-frown. He mentally shook it away. He... couldn't let her know his true feelings of inadequacy.
"I'm sorry..." he muttered, and although it was genuine a part of him felt that saying it, at this point, had little meaning. "But... At least others came." maybe he was trying to distance himself from Rosa... "They helped you, didn't they? Your new friends." Seeing her hurt, and if she just made new friends then... she could spend time with them, maybe she'd forget about him altogether, in time... It's easier to feel rejected by someone you don't see... Cain blindly reasoned with himself.
Rosa: Rosa shook her head, turning on the bed to face him directly. It was so hard to catch his eyes even when they were sitting on the same level. "No, you don't understand." She pressed, her voice emphasizing, "I value you, Cain. Others came, and I've met many new people, yes. But you are you. I can't and would never want to replace you." There was an abrupt stop to the flow of her words at the last note she had uttered. But she didn't want it to seem awkward. It shouldn't have been. Before the silence could stretch too long, other conclusions drawn, she reiterated and clarified. "I value you as my dear friend Cain. And I do not want to neither lose you nor replace you." Clasping her hands, she leaned forward to rest her forehead upon them, elbow to knee. Her head was beginning to spin as surely as their waltz. It felt like forever ago. "But if that's not what you want… I don't know what to do. I love both of you, very much. I thought you understood that."
Cain: How could she say that, part of him almost felt like she was toying with him, and if he didn't know Rosa better than that, he would've thought of this as revenge for him abandoning her. He almost wished it was, anger was so much easier to deal with then kindness.
Cain felt that no matter what he said, he was saying the wrong thing, Rosa was so eloquent and Cain, in comparison, felt akward and clumsy with his words. "It is what I want, it's just..." at a loss for how to express himself he gave in somewhat and just settled on agreeing with her. He couldn't win this, he felt that no matter what he said he was in the wrong. "You're right... I should have come for you."
Rosa: It felt different. Even though she had wanted him to come, and had wanted to hear him say he would… Maybe what she had thought was practical was actually her own selfishness. Either way, it was done and gone and he hadn't come. And now she couldn't help but to feel as if she was in the wrong for pushing him to do things he might have said or done one way and then felt or believed in another. If he had really cared for her, as a friend or anything else, she was the one that didn't understand why he would leave her without having been there to begin with. She wasn't perfect. Even if she was willing to forgive him, already had, she was frustrated and upset with the state they had both somehow come to. "I don't want to be alone," she began with a quiet sigh out of the thoughtful pause. "But even if I don't see you, I don't want you to be alone, either. If you feel like you can't talk to me, I don't know what to do anymore. I can't help or do anything like this." Her hands dropped to her side as she stood, facing the door. "So, until you feel you can come to me, I'll still be waiting for you."
WHAT: the two of them have a chat, it's been a while!
WHERE: Cain's room
WHEN: today
Rosa: It had been but a few days since the return of the former captives, and everyone was being either reunited or were recuperating. Rosa had, of yet, only done the latter. For the most part, she resigned herself to fitful and troubled bouts of sleep, punctuated by a rifling the journal pages. For news on how the other captives were doing, how Peter and the leader, Clark Kent she found out soon enough, were faring. And for any news on the town, the danger of being recaptured. For word of or from the man she knew would not come and for the one that didn't. There was a point when finally, Rosa had slept and thought enough. It was time to make do with all that she had, no matter how much or how little. And even though she could adapt to the world and new people around her, the single link to her original world still remained. It would be foolish to cut any bond, no matter how strange or unsure it might have been.
She had made it a point to call Cain down to the lobby for breakfast in the inn, each morning around the same hour, before going to tend to the patients who came into the clinic. Though there was clearly a lapse, she was just as punctual as ever as the knock sounded on his door. She had brought sandwiches and tea that morning. But instead of standing aside to wait for him to follow going down the steps, she remained directly before the threshold.
Cain: Cain hadn't been through what the captives had, he had only been keeping up with it through his diary, and although he knew that they had gone through hell... He didn't really feel particuarly good either. He felt like he had failed people, no, he'd failed Rosa. Part of him had wanted to join the fray, to go dashing to the rescue, but he was no Knight in white armour, he was no Paladin. He had no place in an epic rescue and some part of him suspected that if he had tried? He would have only gotten in the way.
He waited a couple of minutes before going to answer his door in the hope that she would have left by then. Rosa was the only person that called on him in the mornings, he had to be her... And... Cain could not bare to see her, if it was at all in his power, he was avid on avoiding her for as long as possible. He hap-hazzardly threw on a pair of leather trousers and a loose, cotton shirt and went to the door to open it. His eyes buldged when he saw who was still on the other side.
Rosa: For a moment she might have thought that he would not come at all. It was possible that he was out, of course, but at the same time the possibility seemed unlikely with the way things seemed to sound through his writing in the journals. She had not heard anymore from Nise about Cain in particular either. The most likely possibility was that he was avoiding her. It was an easy enough assumption to make as it had happened before. Though there were usually other circumstances surrounding that made it seem more logical or excusable. And altogether more avoidable when referring to Cecil in particular.
"Good morning, Cain," Rosa said pleasantly enough when he finally did come. He appeared no worse and no better than he had since she had last left. At least he wasn't wearing his armor day in and day out. As for the lady herself, no matter how much sleep, she still appeared somewhat tried and troubled. It was hidden somewhat beneath the bright curls of her golden hair and the functional outfit she wore. She didn't dare slip into another gown or dress so soon for the danger of being taken away again in a ball gown. "May I come in for a moment?" She asked, already taking a step forward to peek around his shoulder.
Cain: If it had been anyone else, he would've said no. But... There was something in Cain that meant he couldn't be rude to her, at least... not directly. "Of course." he murmured, stepping back and sitting on the edge of his bed. He didn't know what to expect from Rosa now, he thought she was probably angry, disappointed... hurt. A lot of things, he knew his guilt... and if he was honest with himself he didn't particularly want to hear Rosa remind him of all of his failings.
Cain did not know what to say, what could he say? He wanted to say that he was glad that she was back safe and sound, but that was no thanks to him... so he couldn't. He wanted to say he'd missed her, but that would seem inappropriate. So he settled for something mundane, something that he hoped wouldn't provoke her. "You're still staying here?"
Rosa: he stepped completely into the room only when he had given his consent, knowing that it might have been improper or inconveniencing him. But in a place like Rivelata, it didn't seem to matter so much anymore. She set the basket down the edge of the bed, pulling the cloth away from the tucked loaves so that the scent of the still warm focaccia bread filled the room. For a while she stood quietly, not directly before him but not sitting either, wondering what was going through his mind and what he would say. When he finally did speak, the expectancy that had swelled faltered in the center of her chest.
"Yes." She offered simply, her gaze falling away. "I am." Her clasped hands tightened on one another as she struck away her hesitation, unable to avoid it any longer. "Cain, what's wrong? I can understand that staying in a kingdom, twisted as this, may not be motivating but… You've been behaving like a stranger to me, to everyone. Do you really expect to stay here like this until you're somehow sent back?"
Cain: Cain did not know how to respond, he felt that no matter how he explained it, she wouldn't understand. How could she? Rosa was the bright, hopeful and clever girl she was and what was he; a traitor and a double-crosser. Even if he had gone, he couldn't have helped, and what was the use in him seeing her... Rosa came to see him periodically, to check up on him, he felt like an awful obligation to her... But there was no way that he could say it.
"Nothing's wrong." he replied flatly "I... Just needed some time to myself." he was an unconvincing liar but he hoped she wouldn't pry. Why would she? He wasn't her business anymore, Cecil was. Even if he wasn't here.
Rosa: A frown marred her fair features as she looked to him, some amount of confusion creasing her brow. "How can you tell me that nothing's wrong?" She stated. "You have all the time in the world to yourself here, and that's all you've been taking." He was obviously not willing to speak with her on matters outside of common pleasantries for new acquaintances, but he couldn't even keep up certain courtesies she or anyone might have expected had they been friends. Maybe that was the main gap to where there was no bridge. Perhaps that was, in part, her fault as well. After a tense silence, while she tried to grasp and measure her words, "Am I expecting too much? I'm your friend. But is it too much to think of you as mine? Is that why you refuse to speak to me about anything?" She hadn't even mentioned in detail the ordeal after the ball. She was even beginning to believe that he didn't care from the way he was behaving.
Cain: He clenched his teeth as she talked, he knew.. He knew he was saying the wrong things, coming across as a heartless man with no concern for one of his only friends. He didn't know how to set right all the things he had done wrong, and in his self pity, he only made more mistakes. At times, Cain felt that every action he took only resulted in his loved ones being all the more disappointed in him.
"No." he sighed, looking down at his knees, weaving his fingers together loosely. "you don't ask too much Rosa... You never have. I just..." he couldn't explain it, he simply didn't know how to put these feelings of inferiority into words. "I.." he wanted to tell her, but he changed the subject. "I'm sorry I didn't come for you... Heh, I'm not Cecil." he said in a defeated tone.
Rosa: She listened to every word as closely as she possibly could, trying to understand or catch some deeper glimpse or meaning to his actions and thoughts, for anything that she might have been able to take and change or encourage. In the end it still hurt, she was still rather upset at his distance, but there was something. And she was beginning to understand. "Cain…" Rosa closed her eyes, turning to pace a few steps before coming back. "I know you're not Cecil. But you're still Cain." She tried to tell him, finally bringing herself to sit along the same edge. "I do wish you had come. I wanted to see you, too." Thinking back on her time in the cavern was still unpleasant, her vision tinged with red light, but everything she had hoped for was still very clear.
"He didn't come for me in the end, after all, you know. Cecil." Rosa told Cain as if he did not know already. Admitting it to herself was still an ever unpleasant fact to realize, though. "But… You didn't come, either. It was the first time I began to feel alone despite the people I've met. I was almost afraid that if I didn't find you this morning I might not have seen you again."
Cain: He sighed again, he knew he'd let her down and hearing it from Rosa's lips stung all the more. He felt like a reserve, like a spare, the thought: well, if Cecil doesn't come, at least Cain will echoed through his head and his forehead corrugated in a semi-frown. He mentally shook it away. He... couldn't let her know his true feelings of inadequacy.
"I'm sorry..." he muttered, and although it was genuine a part of him felt that saying it, at this point, had little meaning. "But... At least others came." maybe he was trying to distance himself from Rosa... "They helped you, didn't they? Your new friends." Seeing her hurt, and if she just made new friends then... she could spend time with them, maybe she'd forget about him altogether, in time... It's easier to feel rejected by someone you don't see... Cain blindly reasoned with himself.
Rosa: Rosa shook her head, turning on the bed to face him directly. It was so hard to catch his eyes even when they were sitting on the same level. "No, you don't understand." She pressed, her voice emphasizing, "I value you, Cain. Others came, and I've met many new people, yes. But you are you. I can't and would never want to replace you." There was an abrupt stop to the flow of her words at the last note she had uttered. But she didn't want it to seem awkward. It shouldn't have been. Before the silence could stretch too long, other conclusions drawn, she reiterated and clarified. "I value you as my dear friend Cain. And I do not want to neither lose you nor replace you." Clasping her hands, she leaned forward to rest her forehead upon them, elbow to knee. Her head was beginning to spin as surely as their waltz. It felt like forever ago. "But if that's not what you want… I don't know what to do. I love both of you, very much. I thought you understood that."
Cain: How could she say that, part of him almost felt like she was toying with him, and if he didn't know Rosa better than that, he would've thought of this as revenge for him abandoning her. He almost wished it was, anger was so much easier to deal with then kindness.
Cain felt that no matter what he said, he was saying the wrong thing, Rosa was so eloquent and Cain, in comparison, felt akward and clumsy with his words. "It is what I want, it's just..." at a loss for how to express himself he gave in somewhat and just settled on agreeing with her. He couldn't win this, he felt that no matter what he said he was in the wrong. "You're right... I should have come for you."
Rosa: It felt different. Even though she had wanted him to come, and had wanted to hear him say he would… Maybe what she had thought was practical was actually her own selfishness. Either way, it was done and gone and he hadn't come. And now she couldn't help but to feel as if she was in the wrong for pushing him to do things he might have said or done one way and then felt or believed in another. If he had really cared for her, as a friend or anything else, she was the one that didn't understand why he would leave her without having been there to begin with. She wasn't perfect. Even if she was willing to forgive him, already had, she was frustrated and upset with the state they had both somehow come to. "I don't want to be alone," she began with a quiet sigh out of the thoughtful pause. "But even if I don't see you, I don't want you to be alone, either. If you feel like you can't talk to me, I don't know what to do anymore. I can't help or do anything like this." Her hands dropped to her side as she stood, facing the door. "So, until you feel you can come to me, I'll still be waiting for you."