an_evening_star | (no subject)

The star isn't quite exactly certain what he is trying to accomplish - just that it is very likely pointless and that she has no plans of moving to help him anytime soon.

Her fingers scratch lightly at her wrist - where the chain still binds her neatly to the moron currently stumbling around nearby.

She's cold, her leg hurts (even though the makeshift cast holds it neatly in place) and she is completely certain that if she hears another word about Victoria Forester and 'grey eyes' and 'true love' she will scream.

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From:

tristranthorn

So it wouldn't be surprising that Tristran continues to go on about Victoria in such a fashion: "...And she is the prettiest, wisest, sweetest girl in the whole wide world."

He's on his hands and knees, during all of this, looking around bushes for berries, but having no such luck. He's sure he spotted some earlier. Or was that in his sleep?

He frowns.

"Anyway, this is honestly nothing personal. It was a promise I made."

From:

an_evening_star

Yvaine wonders what exactly he would do if she screamed. Perhaps he would lose balance and fall flat on his babbling face and she could finally have some silence.

She was in pain, but you didn't hear her whining about it.

A derisive snort, "And this wise, sweet creature sent you here to torture me?"

This Victoria Forester was nearing the top of her personal list of 'People I Hate' - right under Tristran and right above everyone else on this miserable world.

From:

tristranthorn

Oh yes, Tristran would do something similar of the sort.

"Well, not exactly. You see, she promised me anything I desired--be it her hand in marriage or her lips to kiss--if I brought her back the star we saw fall the night before last."

He straightens, rubbing his back for a brief moment before crawling behind another bush, tugging at the chain. The thinness of it presses against his skin a little painfully.

"I had thought that a fallen star would look more like a rock or...a diamond or something. I certainly hadn't expected to see a lady."

He tries to tug at the chain a little, hoping the star would understand and cooperate. But...nothing.

"If it's not too much trouble," he begins, "could you possibly come a couple of steps closer? I think I've found something for us to eat."

From:

an_evening_star

"So having found a lady you felt the need to drag her into your foolishness?" she rolls her eyes. "I am most certainly not a present for your wonderful girl."

The sharp pain from the chain and her lips curve into a dark scowl, catching it between her fingers and tugging back harder.

She crosses her arms over her chest, arcing one delicate eyebrow and gesturing vaguely at her leg. Yeah, not really planning on moving much of anywhere.

"I will have you know that it is too much trouble - or did you forget that as well?"

From:

tristranthorn

"I did it for love," Tristran reiterates. Realizing that she isn't about to move, he crawls back from behind the bush towards her. His palms have bits of leaves and twigs stuck to it, and he brushes them off.

"Are you all right?"

From:

an_evening_star

Her voice falls flat - love again, she refuses to scream - glaring mildly, "I hope you choke on it."

He has twigs in his hair and dirt smudged on his cheek and it most certainly isn't the slightest bit charming.

"My leg is broken," the scowl darkens - stupid boy. "Just because you strapped it up does not make it better."

From:

tristranthorn

He shakes his head. "I won't," he says with more good cheer than he actually feels at that very moment in time. With everything going wrong so far, it was hard to find any cheer.

He starts walking off a short distance away from the sullen star, and using his knife, begins to cut off a fallen tree branch into a Y-shaped crutch. As he begins to make a sort of covering for it from a green branch, he asks, "I don't suppose you've ever been in love before...?"

From:

an_evening_star

Yvaine cannot say that she is feeling particularly cheerful at the moment - the world is so dull during the day.

"I cannot say that I have," she scoffs. "Not that I want to wander about like a moron, tripping over myself and looking like a fool."

The chain tugs again and she turns her head to watch, blue eyes narrowed and curious.

"What are you doing?"

From:

tristranthorn

"It's really not about wandering around, and...looking like a fool," Tristran tries to explain. "Love is...about devotion. Promises."

He continues to wind the bark around the Y-shaped crutch. "It feels like...when you shine. When someone is in love, they shine too."

Tristran tightens the branch, then presents it to her. "Here. Try this."

From:

an_evening_star

Her eyes flash and she looks, for a moment, like she might cry - when you shine - she misses it, she wants to go home.

She blinks quickly when he reaches forward, almost presses herself back.

Sullenly, "I do not want to get up."

From:

tristranthorn

"Well, you'll have to move some time," Tristran says, reaching down to help her up. As his skin touches hers, it begins to tingle most unusually, though not entirely unpleasantly.

"You can put your weight on me and the rest on the crutch. It'll be okay."

From:

an_evening_star

"Do not," she mutters petulantly, but the chain tugs again and she struggles - quite valiantly, she might add - to her feet.

His fingers feel strange against her arm and there is nowhere she'd rather be than anywhere where he is not. A thoroughly disgusted glare - he is still touching her - and she leans her weight heavily on the crutch.

A sharp inhale of air and oh, but it still hurts. She whimpers quietly and she doesn't want to lean on him but she has to and she's not crying and somehow this is all his fault.

From:

tristranthorn

"Are you all right? What's wrong?" Tristran asks, noticing the sharp intake of air, and the quiet whimpering--after all, they're in a quiet forest, not a village or anything of the sort.

From:

an_evening_star

"I am fine," she hisses with great dignity. Well, as much dignity as one can have when they are leaning rather pathetically on someone.

Her chin tilts imperiously - ignoring the pale cast to her skin, the sudden shiver.

"We are going, yes?"

From:

tristranthorn

He nods, helping her as much as he can. "Once we get to a village, I think we really ought to see a proper doctor," he says. "I wouldn't want your leg to get worse."

He peers down at it for a moment, at how it had become swollen, and it makes him feel awkward and guilty for forcing her to move. It takes Victoria Forester's grey eyes and the thought of her to keep him going.

From:

an_evening_star

She hobbles forward - very slowly, wincing with each step - teeth clenched and fingers tight on his arm.

She doesn't make a sound, frowning down at the ground and steadfastly ignoring him. She has the most horrible feeling that there is impending babbling.

From:

tristranthorn

Yes, she would be right in thinking that.

Ignoring the pain beginning to grow in his arm, Tristran leads her through a deer path through the hazel-wood--slowly, but surely.

He decides that the right thing to do in such a quiet situation is to start up a conversation; after all, they're travel-mates now, and it is always proper to get to know one another.

"So, if you don't mind me asking, how long have you been a star? Is it enjoyable to be one?"

From:

an_evening_star

His only response is a dark glare and a irritated snort as she takes another shaky step forward.

It's a stupid question - some part of her wants to ask if he enjoys being a human.

Stupid, moronic human.

From:

tristranthorn

"Well," he continues, using speech to mask the awkwardness, "it's just...my teacher, Mrs. Cherry, had told us that stars are...flaming balls of burning gas that burn hundreds of miles across; kind of like the sun, only further away."

He shrugs only slightly to avoid giving too much movement on the star's part. "So it's a little...surprising to see that the star I came for--you--turned out to be a...well...lady. Are all stars women?"

From:

an_evening_star

Her eyes slit in his direction - softening momentarily at the uncertain, stuttering of his voice. (It's that horrible, awkward charm again.)

A quick blink - almost irritated - and she tilts her chin once more, she's not listening anymore.

Not at all.

From:

tristranthorn

It feels odd not to have any responses to his questions; even with Victoria, at least he had recieved some sort of remark (though not always positive). It was more difficult to talk to the star who simply didn't seem interested in talking to him.

"So," Tristran tries again, "why did you fall? Did you happen to...trip over something?"

From:

an_evening_star

Yvaine comes to a dead stop - fingers around his arm curling tighter and eyes flashing with something dark.

Excuse me?

"I most certainly did not trip," she replies. "I was hit. By this."

A disapproving hiss, fingers reaching into her dress and pulling out a large yellowish stone, dangling from a silver chain (far thicker than the one that ties them together).

"There's a bruise on my side where it hit me and knocked me from the sky," did not trip. "And now I am obligated to carry it about with me."

From:

tristranthorn

He inspects the yellow stone, frowning all the while in confusion. It doesn't look particularly special in any way.

"Why?" he asks.

From:

an_evening_star

She opens her mouth - curt reply prepared - but she shakes her head instead, lips pursed.

He's already so pathetically confused and he really doesn't need to know anyway.

From:

tristranthorn

He watches her for a moment, while they continue walking through the woodland.

The path steadily becomes steeper, but Tristran is really only thinking about how very difficult it has been to get the star to speak.

He wants to say something, but he isn't sure whether it would garner any response, so he opts to stay silent.

From:

an_evening_star

She's too busy watching him pout that the sudden change in terrain takes her by surprise, drawing a sharp gasp and she leans a bit more.

"Is - is there not an easier path?" her chin raises a bit higher - she is perfectly fine. "Some kind of road, or a level clearing?"

From:

tristranthorn

"Well," Tristran begins, suddenly knowing the answer as soon as the question is asked. "There is a road half a mile that way," he tells the star, pointing in the appropriate direction, "and a clearing over there, beyond that thicket." He turns, motioning to another direction.

From:

an_evening_star

She blinks - arcing an eyebrow curiously.

"You knew that?"

It seems somehow politer than asking why he didn't think of mentioning that before.

From:

tristranthorn

He gives her a curt nod. "Yes."

Frowns.

"Well, no. I only knew it once you asked me," he says.

From:

an_evening_star

She looks at him oddly before dismissing it with a roll of her eyes.

A confusing, stupid boy.

She nods decisively, "The clearing then."

From:

tristranthorn

He nods again, guiding her towards the direction of the clearing as best as he could.

A moment later, he lets out a breath. The trek remains difficult as they settle onto a path that leads to the clearing, but it's a great improvement to the twigs and grass with their uneven mounds of dirt.

"If you need to take a moment to rest, let me know," he says, about to address her, but then realizing he doesn't know her name.

He pauses.

"Do stars have names?"

From:

an_evening_star

"I am fine," she repeats, glaring down her nose at him - which doesn't quite have the desired effect, as he is a terribly gangly thing.

She rubs mildly at the skin of her wrist.

"I might inquire as to whether or not you have a name."

From:

tristranthorn

"I do," he replies. It doesn't really even faze him that he hasn't told her his name.

"I'm Tristran Thorn, from the village of Wall.

"And what, if I may, shall I call you?"

From:

an_evening_star

She pauses for another moment, before replying reluctantly, "My sisters called me Yvaine."

Called, she thinks and something in her wants to cry again.

A shaky swallow, fingers tightening unconsciously, "For I was an evening star."

From:

tristranthorn

It's true that Tristran can be rather dense at times, but for some reason, he picks up on the sadness in his companion's tone.

He gives her a sort of awkward reassuring half-smile. "Yvaine," he repeats. "It's...a very pretty name."

From:

an_evening_star

"Thank you."

She blinks back at him for a moment, before catching up with herself.

A glare, though she's not precisely certain who she's angry at, "I suppose."

From:

tristranthorn

He'll take what he can get.

As long as they can get along, then the journey back to Wall will be all the more pleasant, he thinks.

It takes them a good half-hour or so to finally get over the crest of the hill, and as they come over the side, Tristran notices a lone cottage sitting quite comfortably in a little cleared area of land.

He isn't sure about Yvaine, but he is beginning to feel a little tired and in need of a rest.

"Could we stop there for a moment?" he asks her, pointing to the cottage.

He's sure--or, he hopes--that whoever resides in the cottage will be hospitable.

From:

an_evening_star

If she was going to be entirely honest, she would have very much liked to be sitting down forever ago.

Not that it is in any way relevant.

"I would not object - if you are tired already."

The 'pathetic human' is rather neatly implied - just because he likes her name doesn't mean she has to like him.

From:

tristranthorn

He doesn't really pay any mind to her snide tone. Too much on his mind. Mostly things to do with rest.
Carrying a good chunk of the weight on his side, and hobbling around for hours can do numbers on anyone.

The chain connecting the two travellers glistens as they move jerkily, crutch and all, for the cottage.

"You must be tired, too," he says as they come to the door.

From:

an_evening_star

A light sigh - just give up - and she shifts her weight slightly. She is tired and everything is sore and, well, it is not as though he is going to tell anyone.

"Some rest would not hurt," she admits with a very prim tilt of her chin.

"It is not as though I am in any rush."

From:

tristranthorn

"No, I suppose not..." he says, though the fact of the matter is that he is in a bit of a rush.

He wants to go back to Wall as soon as he can. He wants to see Victoria. He wants to show her the star, and see her smile and fulfill their promise.

But...he is dreadfully tired, and as much as he wants to move, he doesn't want to over-work the star with her broken leg.

The door of the cottage is like any wooden one. There are holes, and some spiderwebs in the corners of the frame, but other than that, it's a normal sort of door.

But as Tristran knocks once, twice, three times, there comes no answer which is most un-door-like.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" he calls. He pushes it forward, for curiousity sake, and it gives way completely.