[Private for now] Nassii/Tran/Jay

[Transcendence]

Tran pattered up the stairs to her room, "I will be down in a minute I just want to change into some dry clothes."

She walked up and stood behind her dressing screen. She untied her laces and removed the outer part of her dress. Then she put on a dry shift and she removed her shoes. She felt many times better.


She picked another dress from the closet and pulled it over her and started to lace up the front.

[Afanassii]

Nassii's clothing was wet too, of course, though he was significantly less bothered by it. He did decide to take off his shirt and hang it across the back of a nearby kitchen chair.

He held his duster over one arm, meaning to put it on so that his bare chest might not offend Tran but first stood by the door and tried to shake the excess rain out of his long hair.

[Transcendence]

Tran walked softly down the stairs after dressing. She turned into the kitchen and was surprised to see Nassii without a shirt. At first she had seen only his shirt hanging on the chair, but when she glanced up her eyes fell on his bare chest. Nassii was shaking rain out of his hair. She felt herself blush suddenly, but trying to hide it she decided to speak.

Tran nervously stammered, "Well, I must seem quite rude, you are wet yourself."

She remained in the doorway unsure of what to do.

"If there is anything I can do for you, just say the word" Tran smiled and headed into the living room to sit down on the couch. She felt the sudden urge to sit, her heart was beating quite fast and she needed to relax a little.

(bed for me)

[Afanassii]

"No, I'm fine." Nassii said, smiling. He drew his coat about him quickly, but turned his body around so she would have to deal with his bare skin as little as possible.

"We have a series of regular seasons in my home." He walked over to Tran and took a seat near her. "A wet season, a dry season... et cetera. Of course, it is not like that throughout the lands, only in my country as far as I know. Do you have seasons of predictable weather as well?"

[Transcendence]

Tran took a deep breath, "Oh, yes we have regular seasons here as well. The Raining season, the growing season, and the resting season. During the raining it is very muddy it, of course, rains and the earth is readied for the growing period. During the growing period we normally plant things. I havent planted things in a long time however. Its difficult without help. The resting season snow falls and it is cold."

Tran settled comfortably into her seat.

((Starting Monday, I am going to be working at a local humane society. I will be off on Thursdays and Fridays otherwise I will be on after 5))

[Afanassii]

(I see.... Are you volunteering? Or an employee?)

"Ah...." Nassii replied, "I could see that."

The silence hung in the air like a drifting tendril of smoke, idly lying about, going nowhere like their conversation. "Well, Miss Transcendence. It seems that our friend Jay will be gone for some time. You had expressed some interest in coming to my home...." He cleared his throat. "Would you like me to leave now to speak to my family about bringing you? Or would you rather I stay and keep you company here until some time later?"

[Transcendence]

( I am volunteering. I need the hours to complete my Vet Tech course in college and no one will hire. ))

Tran bites her lip, "Well...I know very little. Perhaps... you could take me to your land, place in time, dimension...what ever you might call it and then we can go from there. Yes, I don't think Jay will be coming back for a while. I will have to leave a note for my neighbor of care for my animals. They will be alright. I pay him in apples. He is addicted to my apples." Tran giggles a little.

Tran straightens her skirt, turn to Nassii, "I think from there you could speak to your family about me going to your home specifically. Of course ultimately everything is up to you."

[Afanassii]

Nassii cocked an eyebrow at her mention of time and dimension travel; he couldn't remember when he had mentioned such a thing. Still, he let it go with a shrug and a sigh before responding. "I can't take you to my world without my family's endorsement. Things work a bit... odd... there." He didn't expect her to understand that many in his family were heads at the ministry of travel.

He frowned. "If I were to bring you anywhere near where I come from without my family's confidence, we could have trouble on our hands. Even with..." he indicated Tran's necklace, "this."

[Transcendence]

((Tran of course knows that Nassii isn't from where she is. She is well read on her own world's history, where else could he be from..))

"Alright whatever you think should be done, should be done of course. I know very little about what it takes to travel anywhere. I am not...from your land. I dont know what it takes. I am sorry if I appear pushy to get things on the way. It seems it must be really difficult to convince your family of letting me travel with you."

Tran fidgeted with her hands and sat suddenly uncomfortably straight, "I remember you telling me that you had some kind of device, but...that it isn't used often for someone like me to go to where ever you live. I can only assume it is some kind of device...similar to stories my father told me about when I was little. He told me they were real, but I never did really believe him until I met you."

[Afanassii]

He ignored her imploring about his traveling device, knowing full well the repercussions if he indulged her curiosity in detail. Instead, he decided to focus on her annoyance at the delay in their departure.

He sighed and turned to fully face her. He laid his head upon his right hand and crossed his legs casually. "You are right to think that where I come from is a very different place, Miss Transcendence. So, with hopes that I will have you accompany me some day, allow me to answer any questions you might have."

[Transcendence]

Tran rose suddenly and paced back and forth, "Well, I would hardly no where to begin! Maybe you should just tell me what you think I should know. I don't know what sorts of questions I am not allowed to ask."

Tran grabbed a piece of paper and pen from a small wooden desk in the corner for her note to her neighbor. She would bring it to him with directions and a promise to pay him. She put it on the small table in front of the couch with ink and sat back down. She felt so anxious, and she wasn't sure why.

"Well, I do recall...my father telling me story of strange beings called Elves. And people bigger than a house and ....strange devices powered by...water. It all seems so strange to me. What triggered my memory was the idea that in your land the women are head of the family. You said that you have to ask your grandmother for permission? This is so backwards from anything I have ever thought possible that it stuck out in my memory."

[Afanassii]

Nassii was impressed an a bit suspicious at the same time; for a young country girl, Transcendence seemed to know a lot.

"Funny you should mention elves..." he said, laughing a little. "Though it shouldn't surprise me too much, they either exist many places or are talked about as if they did exist. There are, indeed, elves in my homeland as well as many other peoples. For instance, there are also people bigger than houses where I'm from, as well as those small enough to almost step upon." he chuckled.

His tone grew more serious then. He put both feet on the floor and leaned in closer to Tran, interweaving and locking his hands, resting his chin upon them. "Not everyone acknowledges authority the same where I am from. With some its simply the eldest family member who is the important figure, with many it is the men..." he said the last with a look of disgust, wrinkling his nose but not pausing long before he went on. "In my family, our mothers are our foundation. The oldest mother, therefore, holds the most sway in important matters." He sat back up and stretched. "It all seems to make sense to me, but others always seem to find it strange."

He placed his hands together before him again, this time twiddling his thumbs. "The boys in my family are encouraged to travel and I must admit, it is one of my passions. Though, in my travels I have witnessed some terrible crimes." He looked Tran in the eyes again. "Evil can be represented equally within the sexes, Miss Transcendence. Though, I find it more often than not that men abuse whatever power is given to them far more often than any women do."

[Transcendence]

"My goodness, these people are the people of fairy tales. Fairy tales my father told me my whole childhood. The small people, I haven't heard of..."

Tran folded her hands and continued, "As for seeing evil, I don't think I could hurt anyone."

Tran suddenly felt emotional and began to cry, "Oh, I am sorry, it is just that I miss my father so much. He never told me about my mother who died giving birth to me. You see, the woman that raised me was my step mother."

Tran let large tears fall down her face, she was not able to control them.

"I wish that I could have met my mother, now I will never know who she was. When ever I would ask questions about my birth mother, my dad would just tell me these tales of far away and made up places, or so I thought, to make me forget. At first I kept trying, but in time I gave up. When my father married my step mom everything that was my mother's was removed from the house completely."

[Afanassii]

Nassii placed his hand on his chin and listened to what she said with a furrowed brow. A thought came to him, "Maybe.... her mother was... from.. home? Maybe that is why and how these things seem to come to her easily?" He shook his head, "That could not be..."

He felt guilty; he had allowed his random thoughts to take his attention away from Tran's feelings. Silently scolding himself, he came to her side and gave her a loose hug. "I know there is nothing I can do to give you the mother you never had. You have lost a lot, Miss Transcendence, that you have. I can only hope that your step mother was at least some comfort for you while she was here and that, perhaps, I can be of some comfort now." He laughed as soon as the words left his mouth. "OH, what am I saying?! I could never be anything even remotely like a mother... Forgive my silliness, I beg of you!" he smacked his forehead.

[Transcendence]

Tran suddenly burst out laughing. She put her arms around Nassii, "Oh you cant picture yourself with a pink apron with hearts and kids all around. Nassii the little mother. In all honesty though, you are a comfort to me."

Tran tried to push way her tears, "I suppose I will never know who my mom really was. My step mother was a very good mom to me, but very ...strict. I never seemed to do anything right. She spoiled her daughter, but disciplined me for the same thing. However, I like to think that I came out better."