Log: The curses we bring; Oliver & Felicia
Who: Felicia and Oliver
What: Fel visits Noll...briefly.
When: Saturday, May 3
Where: [Brussels] The Hol manor
The walk from Lena's inn to the Hol residence was actually not much of one; the two were surprisingly close in proximity, and, though Felicia had always possessed difficulties at following directions, she reached Noll's house with little trouble. Lena had probably been curious to see him as well, Felicia reflected. But this was something she wanted to accomplish by herself.
Late afternoon made the mansion look frighteningly old, and Felicia couldn't help but stare at its dilapidated exterior. Could Noll truly live here? she wondered, remembering what the boy had said about being "scary". This certainly seemed like a house for scary things, but considering Noll's pictures on the community cemented her resolve. Noll was not scary. The only thing she had to be afraid of was herself. If she said something weird or the pills didn't work or--the pills. No. She would not think about that. She would go up and knock on the door and smile like the normal person she so desperately wanted Noll to see. Lena thought Noll was her prince, but even if he wasn't, she wanted to be friends. If only for a day.
The Hol house may have been spooky looking, but today, Noll was only slightly out of the ordinary, that being for normal, everyday reasons like he was very tall, and had miscolored eyes. It was that rare one day of the month where his curse got to take a little vacation. Of course, that didn't mean that his hobbies had changed either, so he was sleeping for most of that afternoon. It would be his maid who finally woke him when the sound of a knock creaked through the old house.
Rubbing his eyes, he rolled out of his big chair and stood, wandering back to the door. That's right, Felicia was coming today. And he was normal so he wouldn't scare her. This was perhaps one of the luckiest timings he'd ever had in anything. He wondered if his other friend was still in town too. He should not sleep through his normal day. Finally reaching the door, he actually opened it himself for once, finding himself faced with the girl he recognized from those little pictures as Felicia. He was inwardly puzzled, because she certainly didn't look cursed to him. But on his face was a large grin. "Hello!" he greeted in a voice that was almost completely normal.
As the door opened, Felicia's eyes went up. And up. And up. If anything, Noll had understated his height when he said he was "tall", but Felicia wasn't concentrating on that. All she saw was Noll's smile, a thing which, if his pictures were any indication, came all too rarely. She was suddenly shy, but her responsive smile was genuine if not just as large. She did not notice his lip staple. "It is Noll, yes?" she said, her English hesitating with the sudden rush of adrenaline. "I am here! It is wonderful to see you!" Be normal, she reminded herself. Say normal things.
Noll was always awkward with visitors because he rarely got them, but it was more awkward for himself than anything. He reached his left hand up to scratch at his head a bit. "Yes, I'm Noll." he replied. His own English was pretty good, just accented, but it was interesting to meet someone from that community in person and put voices to their faces. It made him happy. "I'm normal today!" he said casually, as if that were actually a normal thing to say. "Do you want to come in?" He may be confused if she said no, but it was not so uncommon that someone wouldn't want to come in. His house was very nice in some aspects, but even as they stood there at the door, a shingle might have fallen off.
Nodding happily, Felicia took a small step into the Hol manor, practically skipping over the threshold in her eagerness to see the house's interior. It was as old as it looked. "So, the curse is getting better? Or do you have magic, too?" she asked. She was a bit curious about Noll's curse. He'd said it made him frightening, but since that wasn't the case now, she almost assumed it was something like hers. She pushed the thought of small white pills from her mind; for some reason, she couldn't see Noll taking them.
Seeing that she did want to enter, he'd turn and start leading her down the entry hall, immediately thinking to take her to the parlor, and not really imagining that she might want a tour. He was just glad that this house didn't try to trap guests inside of it, like the Hol House in Holland. "I don't have any magic." he said, with an inward sigh. He didn't even know much about his own curse, really. "But every month I can be like this for a day." he explained, glancing back at her. "Is your curse getting better? That would be good." He hoped she would get better, and perhaps without having to go find a dragon to slay. Simple as he was, he took everything that was said to him literally, and wouldn't know any better either way.
"Um." Noll's question unnerved Felicia, who saw her sparse medicine as clear as day in her mind's eye. She glanced at him. He was smiling; he was happy; he was cute, like a little boy. She couldn’t tell him, not yet. Forcing a grin to her face, she nodded. "I am well. Thank you. Your house is so big! Is it very old?" She gave a little twirl, her long skirt brushing her ankles.
Like most things, the fact that her grin was forced unfortunately went right over Oliver's head. He nodded and smiled kindly, before stopping a moment to face her. "I'm very happy to hear that. I hope that nothing happens to you." his head tilted just slightly. "This house isn't as old as my other one." he said, looking around a moment. Perhaps it...really could use some work. "It was damaged a lot by the flood. I didn't want a big one again, but my maid said all the space might be healthy for me." his shoulders shrugged, and he turned around on those long spindly legs again and started walking. "Is there something you want to do while you visit here? It's a nice place I think."
Looking at him, Felicia was quite suddenly struck by the similarities between her and Noll. They both had grown up in big houses, both had no-nonsense nannies who thought big wide open spaces were good for you--"Ana used to say that, too," she mused aloud--both were cursed, and both were alone. But not quite alone, because they had each other, didn't they? And all the people on the community. But Noll's final remark sobered her.
"I really only wished to visit," she said softly, gazing at a watermark left over from the flood. "While I could. I wanted to say..." But she paused instinctively. Was now the time?
They managed to reach the doorway of Noll's intended stop, before he actually did stop and turn to his guest. "Maybe they were right. I don't really know." he smiled some. His maid, Gerda, was very good to him, even if he was a typical young man sometimes and just wanted to sleep in those few extra minutes.
He blinked a little bit then, looking across at Felicia. "Oh." he said simply, hanging his better hand down by his side. "You wanted to say what?" he'd asked curiously, before gesturing inside the room. "If you want to sit down."
Felicia did not sit down. She stood, her hands clasped in front of her, bangs falling over her eyes; tension crept up her body and she did not look at Noll. "I wanted to say...goodbye, Noll," she murmured, and found she could not stop speaking after those fateful words. "I will not be able to talk to anyone like this in a bit. I do not want to hurt Noll's feelings. It is just something I must do before the magic runs out for good and I become a monster." She gave a small smile. "I would like to make the people who have been kind to me happy. I would like to slay your dragon before I go. But I do not think I can, so..."
Swallowing, Felicia made her way over to him, eyes oddly determined and calm. She had worn high heels just for this occasion; standing on her tip toes made her just tall enough to place a gentle peck on Noll's cheek; her hair brushed his neck, and suddenly she was crying as she pulled away. "Vaarwel," she said...the one Dutch word she had learned for this occasion, and turned to walk down the hall. "I am sorry."
It was okay that she didn't sit down. He understood that since he didn't like to sit very often himself. But the rest was what he didn't understand. "What?" he couldn't help but blurt. "But you just got here..." he scratched at his head, the idea of 'farewell' not entirely sinking in yet. Even the Dutch version of the word was nearly lost on him. He purposely forgot the meaning a long time ago.
"But I don't think you can become a monster!" he said, poking his head out of the room as Felicia was walking away. His eyebrows furrowed together. "And it doesn't make me happy to see you leave!" His new friend's words made his chest so heavy for her that he fell into one of his coughing fits. Curse may have been on vacation, but he was still sick either way. And that would be what stopped him from further pursuing her down the hall. His awkward legs bent and sat his newly weighted body on the floor. "Not vaarwel!" he called to her quietly, brushing his good hand up in his hair to rest his head against his palm. "Tot ziens! We say 'See you later' in my house."
It was his coughing that stopped her, a terrible hacking rattle that made her heart stutter and stop. She whipped around mid-stride to find Oliver, all gangly limbs and sad faces, sitting on the ground with a look in his eyes that she understood all-too-well. Was he asking her not to leave? Why would he want her to stay? She must have hurt his feelings so terribly...Tears welled up in her hazel eyes at the thought, and she was suddenly running, flinging her arms around him in a scene reminiscent of when she had met Lena at the inn.
"I am so sorry, Noll," she whispered, her voice shaking and soft, feeling small and stupid as she hugged his neck. "So sorry. I must..." She drew back. "I must go..."
And then she was running again, out the door and down the street. Why had she come? The weight of the pills in her skirt pocket was unbearable; she lightened her load by shedding tear after tear for the heart she herself had broken.
What: Fel visits Noll...briefly.
When: Saturday, May 3
Where: [Brussels] The Hol manor
The walk from Lena's inn to the Hol residence was actually not much of one; the two were surprisingly close in proximity, and, though Felicia had always possessed difficulties at following directions, she reached Noll's house with little trouble. Lena had probably been curious to see him as well, Felicia reflected. But this was something she wanted to accomplish by herself.
Late afternoon made the mansion look frighteningly old, and Felicia couldn't help but stare at its dilapidated exterior. Could Noll truly live here? she wondered, remembering what the boy had said about being "scary". This certainly seemed like a house for scary things, but considering Noll's pictures on the community cemented her resolve. Noll was not scary. The only thing she had to be afraid of was herself. If she said something weird or the pills didn't work or--the pills. No. She would not think about that. She would go up and knock on the door and smile like the normal person she so desperately wanted Noll to see. Lena thought Noll was her prince, but even if he wasn't, she wanted to be friends. If only for a day.
The Hol house may have been spooky looking, but today, Noll was only slightly out of the ordinary, that being for normal, everyday reasons like he was very tall, and had miscolored eyes. It was that rare one day of the month where his curse got to take a little vacation. Of course, that didn't mean that his hobbies had changed either, so he was sleeping for most of that afternoon. It would be his maid who finally woke him when the sound of a knock creaked through the old house.
Rubbing his eyes, he rolled out of his big chair and stood, wandering back to the door. That's right, Felicia was coming today. And he was normal so he wouldn't scare her. This was perhaps one of the luckiest timings he'd ever had in anything. He wondered if his other friend was still in town too. He should not sleep through his normal day. Finally reaching the door, he actually opened it himself for once, finding himself faced with the girl he recognized from those little pictures as Felicia. He was inwardly puzzled, because she certainly didn't look cursed to him. But on his face was a large grin. "Hello!" he greeted in a voice that was almost completely normal.
As the door opened, Felicia's eyes went up. And up. And up. If anything, Noll had understated his height when he said he was "tall", but Felicia wasn't concentrating on that. All she saw was Noll's smile, a thing which, if his pictures were any indication, came all too rarely. She was suddenly shy, but her responsive smile was genuine if not just as large. She did not notice his lip staple. "It is Noll, yes?" she said, her English hesitating with the sudden rush of adrenaline. "I am here! It is wonderful to see you!" Be normal, she reminded herself. Say normal things.
Noll was always awkward with visitors because he rarely got them, but it was more awkward for himself than anything. He reached his left hand up to scratch at his head a bit. "Yes, I'm Noll." he replied. His own English was pretty good, just accented, but it was interesting to meet someone from that community in person and put voices to their faces. It made him happy. "I'm normal today!" he said casually, as if that were actually a normal thing to say. "Do you want to come in?" He may be confused if she said no, but it was not so uncommon that someone wouldn't want to come in. His house was very nice in some aspects, but even as they stood there at the door, a shingle might have fallen off.
Nodding happily, Felicia took a small step into the Hol manor, practically skipping over the threshold in her eagerness to see the house's interior. It was as old as it looked. "So, the curse is getting better? Or do you have magic, too?" she asked. She was a bit curious about Noll's curse. He'd said it made him frightening, but since that wasn't the case now, she almost assumed it was something like hers. She pushed the thought of small white pills from her mind; for some reason, she couldn't see Noll taking them.
Seeing that she did want to enter, he'd turn and start leading her down the entry hall, immediately thinking to take her to the parlor, and not really imagining that she might want a tour. He was just glad that this house didn't try to trap guests inside of it, like the Hol House in Holland. "I don't have any magic." he said, with an inward sigh. He didn't even know much about his own curse, really. "But every month I can be like this for a day." he explained, glancing back at her. "Is your curse getting better? That would be good." He hoped she would get better, and perhaps without having to go find a dragon to slay. Simple as he was, he took everything that was said to him literally, and wouldn't know any better either way.
"Um." Noll's question unnerved Felicia, who saw her sparse medicine as clear as day in her mind's eye. She glanced at him. He was smiling; he was happy; he was cute, like a little boy. She couldn’t tell him, not yet. Forcing a grin to her face, she nodded. "I am well. Thank you. Your house is so big! Is it very old?" She gave a little twirl, her long skirt brushing her ankles.
Like most things, the fact that her grin was forced unfortunately went right over Oliver's head. He nodded and smiled kindly, before stopping a moment to face her. "I'm very happy to hear that. I hope that nothing happens to you." his head tilted just slightly. "This house isn't as old as my other one." he said, looking around a moment. Perhaps it...really could use some work. "It was damaged a lot by the flood. I didn't want a big one again, but my maid said all the space might be healthy for me." his shoulders shrugged, and he turned around on those long spindly legs again and started walking. "Is there something you want to do while you visit here? It's a nice place I think."
Looking at him, Felicia was quite suddenly struck by the similarities between her and Noll. They both had grown up in big houses, both had no-nonsense nannies who thought big wide open spaces were good for you--"Ana used to say that, too," she mused aloud--both were cursed, and both were alone. But not quite alone, because they had each other, didn't they? And all the people on the community. But Noll's final remark sobered her.
"I really only wished to visit," she said softly, gazing at a watermark left over from the flood. "While I could. I wanted to say..." But she paused instinctively. Was now the time?
They managed to reach the doorway of Noll's intended stop, before he actually did stop and turn to his guest. "Maybe they were right. I don't really know." he smiled some. His maid, Gerda, was very good to him, even if he was a typical young man sometimes and just wanted to sleep in those few extra minutes.
He blinked a little bit then, looking across at Felicia. "Oh." he said simply, hanging his better hand down by his side. "You wanted to say what?" he'd asked curiously, before gesturing inside the room. "If you want to sit down."
Felicia did not sit down. She stood, her hands clasped in front of her, bangs falling over her eyes; tension crept up her body and she did not look at Noll. "I wanted to say...goodbye, Noll," she murmured, and found she could not stop speaking after those fateful words. "I will not be able to talk to anyone like this in a bit. I do not want to hurt Noll's feelings. It is just something I must do before the magic runs out for good and I become a monster." She gave a small smile. "I would like to make the people who have been kind to me happy. I would like to slay your dragon before I go. But I do not think I can, so..."
Swallowing, Felicia made her way over to him, eyes oddly determined and calm. She had worn high heels just for this occasion; standing on her tip toes made her just tall enough to place a gentle peck on Noll's cheek; her hair brushed his neck, and suddenly she was crying as she pulled away. "Vaarwel," she said...the one Dutch word she had learned for this occasion, and turned to walk down the hall. "I am sorry."
It was okay that she didn't sit down. He understood that since he didn't like to sit very often himself. But the rest was what he didn't understand. "What?" he couldn't help but blurt. "But you just got here..." he scratched at his head, the idea of 'farewell' not entirely sinking in yet. Even the Dutch version of the word was nearly lost on him. He purposely forgot the meaning a long time ago.
"But I don't think you can become a monster!" he said, poking his head out of the room as Felicia was walking away. His eyebrows furrowed together. "And it doesn't make me happy to see you leave!" His new friend's words made his chest so heavy for her that he fell into one of his coughing fits. Curse may have been on vacation, but he was still sick either way. And that would be what stopped him from further pursuing her down the hall. His awkward legs bent and sat his newly weighted body on the floor. "Not vaarwel!" he called to her quietly, brushing his good hand up in his hair to rest his head against his palm. "Tot ziens! We say 'See you later' in my house."
It was his coughing that stopped her, a terrible hacking rattle that made her heart stutter and stop. She whipped around mid-stride to find Oliver, all gangly limbs and sad faces, sitting on the ground with a look in his eyes that she understood all-too-well. Was he asking her not to leave? Why would he want her to stay? She must have hurt his feelings so terribly...Tears welled up in her hazel eyes at the thought, and she was suddenly running, flinging her arms around him in a scene reminiscent of when she had met Lena at the inn.
"I am so sorry, Noll," she whispered, her voice shaking and soft, feeling small and stupid as she hugged his neck. "So sorry. I must..." She drew back. "I must go..."
And then she was running again, out the door and down the street. Why had she come? The weight of the pills in her skirt pocket was unbearable; she lightened her load by shedding tear after tear for the heart she herself had broken.