Time to play~ [Open]

[zack_thefairest]

Characters: Zack and anyone who'd like play with the puppy. [hopefully some of the characters who showed up on my call for CR would like to meet Zack here?]
Content: Zack is wandering all around town, finding the best bars, buying little things here and there, generally being friendly.
Setting: All around the makeshift town they're in.
Time: All day

Comments

Saaaaaaaaaaab. ♥

[onlyluminous]

Time off the Fiertia meant time away from her responsibilities: or at least, enough distance to pretend, if only for a little while, that the cages and ties that bound her were no more weighty than the ruffles of lace draped over her wrist. When she was on the ship Uni made an effort to wear nothing that would have made her stand out, but slipping away from its crew -- in particular, the loud quartermaster who insisted on "guarding" her (why?), the keen red eyes that belonged to a man who was surely more than a mere butler, and that ever-confusing conundrum known as the captain (he...) -- meant discouraging instant recognition, and so she had donned the rich satin and pristine silk she used to wear in Bellcius with an emotion akin to relief.

She steadfastly refused to think of what wearing that meant. Not a doll or plaything, she thought.

And so she wandered in the dust and air of the marketplace, a delicate parasol shielding her from the glare of the sunlight and a short, light velvet cape over her shoulders. She didn't quite know what she wanted -- nothing, something, him -- but she supposed it would do her no harm to look at what the people here were selling.

Miiiiiiiaaaaaaa ♥♥♥

[zack_thefairest]

Zack turned away from a stall, sighing a bit in disappointment. This shop didn't have it either and this was the 5th stall he'd stopped at. He still haven't found that sword polish he'd been looking for all this time. Maybe he'll have better luck at Boston, if the 4223 ever stop by there.

Then out of the corner of his eye, Zack spotted something that made him really smile. A pretty girl dressed in the style of the noblewoman in Bellcius that he used to see often whenever he was stationed in there back in the days when he was still part of Ivona's military.

Still something seemed to be missing...

Aha. A smile! A pretty girl like her should be smiling, especially in a festive environment like this. Thinking quickly, Zack quickly bought a bouquet of daisies from a nearby flowergirl and hopped in front of Uni.

"Flowers for your thoughts?" He offered, holding out the bunch of daisies towards Uni.

skdlfhsaf Why so cute, Zack? (also look, I have an icon exactly for this)

[onlyluminous]

Uni blinked and-- stopped walking, settling into stillness. To say she did not expect this was an understatement (she'd never seen the man before in her life) and the only thing that kept her from flinching was the painfully exquisite courtesy that had been drilled into her along with unnatural calm. It was this calm she drew around her now as she looked up at the man.

Her gaze, surprised as she was, did not seem cold. He did not seem like the sort who intended her harm, and the sight of the flowers warmed her. Daisies, for innocence, purity, the uncomplicated life.

Besides, Uni had long discarded the old warnings about never speaking to strangers. If one was to be entirely honest, almost everyone she knew was a stranger.

"I do not know if my thoughts are worth anything," she said simply. "But you are very kind, sir."

He comes by it naturally~

[zack_thefairest]

Zack had never seen Uni before either, but he really meant no harm. All he wanted to do was to get her to smile, even just for a few minutes instead of looking so morose. It was a beautiful day, and people should be happy! Besides, she brought back some of his old rare happy memories of Ivona.

She hasn't slapped him for startling her. That was a good thing, and so Zack continued. "I"m sure they're worth quite a lot, much more than mine at any rate! But I'll also take smiles too!"

Ahahahaha oh Zack OF COURSE SHE WOULD NEVER SLAP YOU lskdfhh so adorableee

[onlyluminous]

Uni paused and looked up at him. There were so many other things she could have said in response to that: I am sorry, but I do not understand or I am afraid I do not know you or even please excuse me, I am in a hurry -- but the formulas stilled on her lips when she looked into the young man's face. There was something there, an earnest, stubborn sort of sincerity, that reminded her painfully of what the men who had been her guardians had once looked like, long, long ago.

Another life, she thought, and blinked the thoughts away.

"I am sure you are a very thoughtful person," she said, choosing her words with care. Without meaning to, the hand that had been holding the ties of her cloak lifted and reached out to touch the flowers' petals with gentle fingertips. "If only for kindness to strangers. Are smiles so valuable, though? To be exchanged for such flowers."

I apologize for the Zack logic, Uni...

[zack_thefairest]

Zack could kind of guessed what was going through Uni's mind. It probably was a variation of what the politer girls used to say to him when he flirted with them. He was actually rather surprised that she said something else, though she still looked rather morose.

"Smiles are very important!" He responded enthusiastic as he watched her touch the flower petals carefully. "Smiles fight scowls away! And since scowls are minions of evil things and make people ugly we should all smile as much as possible!"

Uni has logic too. Here, have some <3

[onlyluminous]

Carefully, Uni slipped her fingers under one daisy to cup its crown in her small palm. The petals were soft, softer than silk or his touch, and at that she almost smiled. Almost: it was as if the thought of it hovered over her lips, imprinting a promise of lighter things on the corner on her mouth.

"Ah," she murmured, "I was not aware I was scowling, sir. But thank you for the reminder, even though," and she looked up, from the daisy, to meet his bright gaze, "I am not sure whether I should know you."

It makes more sense than what comes out of Zack's brain and mouth

[zack_thefairest]

Zack's eyes lit up when he saw the almost smile on Uni's face. He thought that made her just a bit more beautiful. But that wasn't enough. It was like offering a thirsty man just one tiny sip of water then withholding the rest; he wanted to see a real smile from her even more now.

"You aren't scowling miss, but you do look sad, and sad's like the first cousin of scowls." Zack cocked his head slightly to the side as he met her gaze. "I don't think we know each other, though what you're wearing is pretty familiar to me. I'm Zack Fair." With that, he gave a polite, formal bow of introduction to her.