Herb Search

[Eve]

Eve Sorrentio was of average height: five feet, six inches. Her body was thin and incredibly muscular, the only 'decoration,' so to speak, a tattoo on her right bicep of purple knives. She wore all black from her black spaghetti strap tank top to her black shorts. Her skin was neither pale nor tan, her face beautiful and delicate, yet not in a way that you would notice if passing her by. Her hair was past shoulder length, brown waves which were side-parted. Her eyes were very green with a touch of gold that most would not admit to seeing. In other words, while utterly beautiful, Eve was also easy to look over at a glance. The two knife sheaths on her arms were harder to look over.

Winding through the crowd while ignoring blank looks from many, Eve made her way to an Herb Shop. Her quiet, soothing voice was strangely easy to hear over the stomping of the masses. It was a voice that could sooth a man from suicide.

"I need two packages each of poppy seeds, chamomile, lavender, honey-suckle, water violet, and red dragon." The man, after staring at her for a few minutes, set to work. She paid him for the herbs, was on her way out when she felt someone following her. Fingering the knife blade on the edge of her arm, Eve sighed and turned around. "May I help you."

[Faust]

"Er..." Faust said to her, taken by surprise, though perhaps he shouldn't have been. He had known Eve for two months now, if known was the correct term. She was his bodygaurd and was distant to him, not wanting to get attachment, and this saddened the lord very much so, though he did his best to hide it. The only time since he ever met her that she showed any emotion, any caring, to him was when he was deathly ill with Gaia Sickness.

"I need help." He told her. "I'm looking for herbs and other ingrediants that may help the next timeI fall ill." He added a slight stress on the last three words, reminding her that his sickness was a great secret that almost nobody knew, nor should know about.

"I figured that since you had made me tea during my last bout of illness that you would know some herbs and roots that would make such a tea again."

[Eve]

Eve stared at her mark as if he were a ghost. He was following her. It didn't matter whether he had an excuse or not, her mark, the person she only got a few hours to avoid, was tagging her in the marketplace. Wonderful.

Giving a small smile, Eve nodded. "Of course, My Lord." Trailing her way back into the herb store, Eve smiled once more at the man who raised an eyebrow at her. "I'm sorry, I forgot a few ingredients. Will you give me five vials each of seeds of sunflowers, essense of violet, chamomile, red dragon, blue rose thorns, and the pods of lilac peas."

The man, looking a bit dumbstruck, did as Eve said, noticing her stunning beauty the second time around. He winked at her, lowering the catastrophic price down a few bits for being a 'pretty lady.' Eve smiled, payed the price entirely, and walked out, shoving the bag into Faust's chest with a bit more force than necessary.

"Next time, My Lord," Eve said, her words a bit clipped, "I can make a list for you. Now, how about we head back to your house and you can eat lunch?" Eve giving opinions and ideas was a bad sign. It meant she was angry enough to forget to withhold all information.

[Faust]

"Excuse me for actually having a life." He said to her, turning around and starting to walk to the large form of his castle. His castle was in the back of the town, though techniqually the castle should be called a town too, seeing that its so big.

"I wasn't following you either." He continued. "That tea you gave me helped so I figured I should go try to find some. Unfortunately I forgot that you prepared it, thus making it difficult for me to find it's ingrediants." He laughed slightly. "It was just a stroke of luck that I found you, or bad luck whichever way you look at it."

He paused, realizing he probably ruined Eve's day. "You can have double free time tomorrow, I apologize." He continued walking again, his boots hitting the ground with a thud each time.

[Eve]

Eve was pulsing displeasure at the whole scenario. Fine, he said he wasn't trailing her, but it was entirely odd that he found her right next to the herb shop. He also seemed kind of saddened by the whole thing, though. That softened the edge off Eve's temper.

"If you wish, my Lord, we may eat here today. I was trained for much busier streets than this, and it would give more time away from the castle," Eve's offer was sincere. Guarding was guarding, and if he wanted to not be so trapped, well, it was his choice. "Oh, and the free time-forget it. I got everything I needed to get anyways."

[Faust]

"Ah, I see." He replied. "Well, then you will assume your duties tomorrow as usual." He nodded and continued walking.

"We can eat here." He said, turning into a small resturant. Everybody inside flustered when he came in, offering him the best seat, telling him to there would be no charge to his meals, informing him that it was 'such an honor to have thy lord in'.

Faust hated this reaction from people, even though he didn't show it. He asked for the corner booth, away from everybody, reassured that he will pay for his meal, and replied that everyone should be honored that they have been granted such a wonderful day outside.

He sat in the booth, still fuming inside, and looked the menu. He saw Eve sit down and he wondered if she was going to order anything. "There are a few things which I need to talk to you about, Eve." He told her, still looking at his menu. Then he added. "Are you going to have anything?"

[Eve]

Eve followed Faust silently, face entirely passive, arms folded in front of her. They came to a restaurant, which, by Faust's words would be the place for his meal. She glared at the servants as she was supposed to, giving everyone a good reason to think twice about anything-anything at all. One look at Faust, however, and Eve knew he was in one of his 'low status' moods, and quite angry as it was. That alone let her sit rather than stand at attention by his table.

Eve looked at Faust and muttered under her breath. "I wish to hell he hadn't sat there." Their positioning with him facing the room put them at a disadvantage. If Faust wanted to lay low so bad, he was going to have to learn how to stop doing that and be a good mark. Eve nearly snorted. She wished.

At the mention of food, Eve paled. "Forgive me, My Lord, but I eat only a strict diet. I cannot eat here or it will throw me off." In her mind, she was repeating, "Please don't let him know anything about nutrition." Hasitly changing the subject, hoping to take him off the food, Eve said, "Speak to me, My Lord? Please, I am at your service. Converse with me at your wish."

[Faust]

Faust smirked at her words about her diet, if that was the way she was going to be, so be it. He put down his menu and glanced at Eve for a sencond for taking a drink of water. "In about three weeks time I will be holding the kingdom's annual spring ball." He took a moment to take another drink and put his glass down. "You are invited, both as my gaurd and a guest."

He reopened the menu and looked again at what was being offered. "I will be bringing a date along, just so you know. Kalindria, the vampire queen." He added, his voice indifferent, almost bored.

[Eve]

Eve nodded, it was exactly what she had come to expect from Faust. A double invitation, what fun. The date threw her off and she sat for a few moments, trying to remember a guard's rules on dates. Think of the whole thing as one big guarding convention and it didn't seem so...horrible. It didn't seem like so many people running around in evening clothes making fools of themselves. Who was Eve kidding. It was exactly what it sounded like to her.

Smiling at Faust, Eve prepared herself for saying either what he was used to hearing by now, or something that he wasn't going to like. Either way, it was her response. "My Lord, I would be more than happy to attend as a guard. As a guest, however, I must and will decline." She scrunched her nose slightly. "Am I to guard your date as well?"

[Faust]

Faust nodded and sighed. "Of course, I figured you'd decline going as a guest, though I had to be polite and ask." He shrugged and took another drink. "I can usually predict your answers before I ask the question, though I still ask to see if I'm right." He put down his glass and continued. "So I guess that if you are going as a gaurd at least wear something nice, you don't have to wear a dress, just maybe something presentable."

"And no you don't have to gaurd my date, she can protect herself, even if she could I would be with her." He replied. "Though I do have a request. I ask you not to sleep across from my room that night, for obvious reasons I hope."

[Eve]

Eve nodded once to Faust. "A guard does not question their orders," she paled slightly at the slip up she had made. Faust had not ordered her to really do anything as of yet, but if he had bid her eat at the meal, rather than asked, she would have eaten without a single word of protest. She had found it both amusing and wonderful that he did not know of that particular rule. And now he knew it. Smooth move, Eve.

Smiling as if nothing had passed, Eve responded in words, basically reading her order back to Faust. "I will wear something nice, which I will show for your approval before the ball, I will sleep in my old quarters for the night, and..." A small frown appeared between Eve's brows. "Wait, I'm not going to be guarding anything, and you're not going to be hiding your powers or whatever. In other words, I am 'guarding,' 'wearing something presentable,' and yet 'not going as a guest.'"

Eve was furious as she laid it all out, giving her the opportunity to say what she had said and more. "Okay, I can understand your feeling you have to eat with me. I understand your feeling that you must get me to stop calling you mark and being so much of a bodyguard. Going to a festival, where you will be guarding yourself, however, is going to damn far." Eve took a deep breath, let it out, and found that the main thoughts running through her head were of quitting. He could take care of himself. All he needed her for was when he got sick, and he could easily get a servant maid to treat him. Eve put her head in her hands, letting out another shaking breath. She could at least wait and see if Faust explained himself, then quit.

[Faust]

"I merely meant that if something too big was to happen I'd use my power. You forget that I hate to use my power because it brings on longer sickness spells." He frowned slightly. "You make it sound like I am going to force you to dance or something. I am asking you to show up and possibly patrol the perimiter a few time in the evening."

He didn't care for her tone at the moment, seeing as that he was still in a bit of a bad mood. "I must reassure you that I have all but given up trying to make you more than just a bodygaurd. You can do what you like now, call me your mark, be distant, it makes little difference to me."

He lifted the menu so that it was covering his face and reread the articles. He saw a few things he like but didn't know what to order.

[Eve]

Eve listened and looked up at Faust, her brown eyes holding a touch more gold than usual. "Whatever, listen, Faust," Eve did not even notice using Faust's name. "I'm quitting. I'll go teach fighting...do something where I'm actually needed." Tears threatened to flow and Eve realized finally, that that was what was wrong. He didn't need a bodyguard. She was useless. Without any purpose. And it tore her heart in a way nothing else could. It was proof that she had failed in someway.

"You've been kind to me, and I appreciate it, but I just can't keep pretending to do things when I don't. I spare you from using your powers too much, big deal. I can't live like this." Tears were really going to start going down her cheeks now, so Eve began turning to leave. "Thank you for being a good, if troublesome mark."

[Faust]

Faust nodded. "Is there some other reason for this?" He asked. He put down his menu and felt like the bottom of his stomach had fallen out. This seemingly pulled at his heartstrings and he felt tears burn the back of his eyes.
"Eve, I guess I understand." He said, his voice wavering. "But- but please listen first to what I have to say."

He looked at her gently. "I know that you feel useless to me, but you're not, you've helped me many times. You've caught assassins that I never noticed, thats my problem, I don't notice things until something happens."

"I also know that you feel like you've failed, that is something I can't help with, unless you want me to completely withdraw from you, which I can do." He sighed. "If you do leave, please do not throw me from your life. You are welcome at my castle always, you will always be remembered there, and I hope you and I could meet up again."

He got up and moved to Eve. "If you think its best you can leave, but please, could we be friends now that I am no longer your mark?"

[Eve]

Eve laughed indulgently, tears flowing down her cheeks. "Stay friends? Be friends? You don't know anything at all about me! The one time you saw my room you were dilarious. You've heard me sing, so what. You don't even know my name." She wiped away the tears, still laughing.

Shaking her head as she stood, Eve smiled slightly at Faust. "Its like setting a pet tiger free, but wishing to still visit it. All you know of the tiger is its life days. You don't know its favorite food, color, or place on the grounds. You only know the name by which you called it. Why then, would you visit your pet tiger?"

Eve bowed to Faust, drawing herself back as soon as she saw ground. "I at least owe you my name. The name I was born with is Anabelle, or Anita. All my life, however, they have called me Eve, Evelyn." She turned away easily, swiftly. "Oh, and I might still go to the ball. I'm not sure yet," she tossed over her shoulder nonchalantly as she strode out the door.