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Post by m!chelle--✗ on Jul 1, 2008 14:56:11 GMT -5
Jaclyn exchanged a few more words with the woman, who asked anxiously about her disappearance as soon as Varen and Nyra were out of earshot. Jaclyn assured her everything was fine, being rather evasive with her answers, and trying to ignore the nagging at the back of her mind that was screaming in agony at the lies. Finally Jaclyn made her way out of the store, trying to look cheerful until she was away from the bakery, and out of sight of prying eyes. She flopped down next to Varen, and opened up the package, passing each of them two of the pastries. She bit into hers, savoring the warm, sweet taste of cherry.
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Post by jenee on Jul 1, 2008 15:22:19 GMT -5
Nyra made quick work of the first one, then dug into the second one, amazed that something like this could be so good. She grinned when she was finished, the taste still lingering in her mouth. "How often did you get to eat this stuff?" she asked, still awed. "That's better than anything I've tasted in a while." Varen smirked, still finishing his second one as Nyra asked her question. He realized that Nyra hadn't visited Traveler's Meet before...or any other town like it. 'There's so much more out there...' Jaclyn's words suddenly repeated themselves in his head, and he allowed himself, this time, to face the truth behind what she said.
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Post by m!chelle--✗ on Jul 1, 2008 16:16:54 GMT -5
Jaclyn smiled, running her tongue around her lips after she swallowed, and replied, "Pretty much every day. The shop is just a few doors down." She finished up her second pie, and wrapped up the paper into a ball to dispose of.
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Post by jenee on Jul 1, 2008 16:21:12 GMT -5
Nyra looked a bit thoughtful, still savoring the lasting flavor of the pies in her mouth. Then, she stood up, Varen following suit. "Lead the way!" she said to Jaclyn, still smiling.
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Post by m!chelle--✗ on Jul 1, 2008 16:33:13 GMT -5
Jaclyn smiled, and stood as well, tossing their trash into a nearby waste bin before she headed off down toward the shop. She slowed when they neared the familiar building, and gazed uncertainly at the little door, wondering for the first time what she would do when she saw Jamison. She also hoped fervently that he was at home at the moment. A pang of guilt hit her when she realized how hard it must be for him, running the shop by himself and keeping down rumors about her and Jyrra, and being all alone... She put on a determined face and stepped up to the door, pushing it and letting it swing open before her. She took a few steps into the shop, glancing around. It all looked oddly... normal.
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Post by jenee on Jul 1, 2008 16:38:40 GMT -5
Nyra and Varen entered the shop, and while Varen remained by the door, Nyra found herself looking at the various things on display. This was anything but normal for her, to be in a shop with so many different things. She scanned the jars of herbs and medicines in one section, marveled at the structure and precision of the woodwork for sale, and finally paused to try on a bracelet. Varen, however, remained still. If the shop was open, that meant someone had to be there already.
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Post by m!chelle--✗ on Jul 1, 2008 16:56:53 GMT -5
Jaclyn glanced back, watching Nyra for a few moments, and giving a small smile. Then she headed back around the counter, into the workshop area. Her gaze swept over her work table, the clutter of beads and strings and ribbons and tools and needles and half-finished jewelry and scraps of fabric. She realized how much she missed her simple life, her artsy craft, this lovely town where everybody knew everybody... She also discovered how much she had changed over the past few days, how her mind had been occupied by everything except the things she actually liked. Her eyes welled at these thoughts, and she had to turn away, scolding herself for mustering up so much self-pity. Now her eyes fell on the table propped up against the opposite wall, and the piles and jars full of herbs and leaves and partly finished medicines. Most of it had been left out when Jaclyn had last seen it, as Jyrra had left in a hurry, and she expected to see that most of the fresh plants had shriveled up by now. But Jamison had put it all neatly away, properly storing what needed to be preserved, and organizing the jars and supplies. She couldn't help but smile, albeit a bittersweet one. Turning toward Jamison's work table, she saw it just the same as ever, with shavings and scraps and lumps of wood, and all sorts of odd tools scattered about. Jamison wasn't there at the moment, but she could heard the sound of a hammer from the backyard, and headed out to find him.
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Post by jenee on Jul 1, 2008 17:04:22 GMT -5
Nyra put the bracelet back, and was examining a necklace when Jaclyn left for the back room. She paused, then stepped to follow her. Varen reached out to gently grab her arm and keep her back. "Let's wait here." Nyra shrugged his arm away, and watched as Jaclyn went with a concerned expression. Then, to distract herself, she turned and picked up a skirt that was set out among others. Smiling again, she held it up to her waist, trying to imagine herself wearing it.
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Post by m!chelle--✗ on Jul 1, 2008 20:28:00 GMT -5
The door swung shut behind her, enclosing Jaclyn in the little clearing behind their house. As she took a few steps forward, the hammering stopped. Apparently he had heard her come out. She walked hesitantly around toward the door of the small shed where Jamison worked, and peeked in the open door. Her brother stood there, covered in wood shavings and grime, staring back at her. "Jaclyn!" he cried, taking a pace toward her. She met him with open arms, and the siblings had a tight embrace. When they finally pulled away, he asked anxiously, "Are you okay? Did you find Jyrra? Where is she? Is she with you?" Jaclyn held up her hands to stop the bombardment of questions. "It's fine, everything's fine." Yeah, right! an annoying little voice protested in the back of her head. "I'll explain later," she added quickly, cringing infinitesimally. "But come on," she continued, grabbing his hand and leading him out of the shed and back toward the house. "I want to introduce you to some people first." Jamison willingly followed after, looking confused and a little uncertain and wary, but trust of his sister kept him quiet.
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Post by jenee on Jul 1, 2008 20:40:55 GMT -5
Nyra was still browsing through the various merchandise, occasionally stopping to examine another bracelet or skirt, or whatever happened to catch her eye. She was busy trying on a scarf when Jaclyn reappeared. "Hey! What do you think?" she asked her, posing with the scarf on. Then she glanced over the triplet's shoulder to find that Jaclyn wasn't alone. "Oh, hi!" Varen offered a friendly smile. "Is this Jamison?"
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Post by m!chelle--✗ on Jul 1, 2008 20:51:14 GMT -5
Jamison peered curiously out from behind Jaclyn, who moved into the center of the room to let him past. Jaclyn smiled at Nyra, and nodded to Varen. "Yes. This is my brother Jamison. Jamison, this is Varen, and Nyra." She gestured toward each in turn.
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Post by jenee on Jul 1, 2008 20:55:48 GMT -5
"Nice to meet you," Varen said, taking a step toward Jamison and extending his arm for a shake. "Jaclyn's told me a bit about this place...it's nice to see it in person." Nyra grinned, the scarf still around her neck. Though, for once, she remained where she was, feeling a bit shy.
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Post by m!chelle--✗ on Jul 1, 2008 21:07:27 GMT -5
Jamison raised a worn, callused hand and shook Varen's, smiling widely. "It's a great place to live, huh?" Jaclyn cast an inquisitive glance toward Nyra, raising an eyebrow.
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Post by jenee on Jul 1, 2008 21:18:44 GMT -5
When Varen drew his hand back, he nodded. He was about to reply, but instead found his thoughts being reflected by Nyra. The sorceress had seemed to regain a bit of her usual self as she walked over to stand next to Varen, her eyes dancing with enthusiasm and excitement. "It's great! I mean, there's so many people..." she glanced out the window. "I mean, to have crowds that large in one place...with so many different faces...And so many stores..." she trailed off with a small sigh. "It probably never gets old around here, does it?"
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Post by m!chelle--✗ on Jul 1, 2008 21:20:24 GMT -5
Jamison grinned. "Nope! There's always new and interesting- and sometimes weird- people coming and going around here."
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