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Post by Charles Eden on Sept 12, 2013 19:03:03 GMT -6
There was something about the atmosphere of a cafe that truly invigorated the muse. Perhaps it was the sound of idle chatter, or the homely -- yet classy -- architecture within, or the fragrant scents of beverages and baked goods...or even still it could have been the punch of the earl grey he now was sipping. It was a delicious brew, and for that reason he always returned to this beauty of a cafe. It was filled with freshness, and since he was a regular customer, everyone knew exactly what he wanted, and how he wanted it. Many many a year ago, he wouldn't have been able to enter any sort of service structure without stares of pity or annoyance, or even distaste...but, since he moved away from his despicable home, he found himself treated instead with respect and awe. A much more pleasant change, but not a change that would alter his opinions in the slightest. Opening a new page in his well-loved ring-bound book, the fae male began to write. Oh indeed how the muse flourished in such an establishment as this. It was this surge of creative inspiration that he now began to channel as he put pen to paper. His latest book featured a female protagonist, a woman at odds with her societal role as a housewife and a mother. With a husband making minimum wage, she feels the need to somehow earn her keep and support the family...but of course this is against her beloved's wishes. There inlay the moral crisis: do as is desired of others, or do what one knows is right? Though it was a work of fiction, there was -- as always -- a very important message to be told. Of course, he didn't always write fiction...he was responsible for many a text used as course materials in schools, mostly young English proteges and philosophy students. This particular piece, however, had come to him in his dreams...and he simply could not ignore it. With a relatable premise and characters carefully carved into true organic sentients, he simply could not pass up this tale. Here he could write in peace; the employees, at least...for the most part, knew not to disturb him while he held a pen in his hand and paper at his table. Oh, how engrossed in his writing he could become, quickly finding himself immersed in the world he created. Disruption of one's fantasy was such a waste, a tasteless and hollow feeling he rather wished not to experience often. Here he was relatively safe fro the imbecilles that might intrude upon his privacy. Here he could write, and write freely, weaving his tales in delicate slanted lettering and careful penmanship upon pristine off-white paper carefully bound and cased in leather. ★ Open~
★ Too bad he's going to get interrupted anyway.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 19, 2013 16:14:02 GMT -6
Caleb wasn't much for cafes, mostly it was due to the fact that he hardly had ever been in one. His father had often dragged him and his brothers to the taverns; course when his father considered Caleb old enough to go on land. He had been waiting for his mother for a good while now. If he knew he would be waiting this long, he would've brought a book with him to read. But nope, that was his mistake.
He sat there with his arms folded on top of the table and his head in the open space. Making his arms something of a wall closing off a tiny section of the table. The right side of his head almost at the forehead was leaning against his arms. He had fallen asleep or at least was in the process of falling asleep. Caleb wasn't a sleeper that snored though, so he was pretty silent. One could even mistake him for being dead if they just glanced at him. His sick like appearance and thin build had that effect on people. Which was why it surprised them so badly when he said he lived and worked on a ship; he doubted anyone believed him. Even though he was asleep, he still had his glasses on. He was always forgetting to take them off.
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Post by Charles Eden on Sept 19, 2013 18:03:42 GMT -6
It was ironic, really, that the quietest individual was he who caught the attention of the fae. Peering up from his writing, he could see the table across from him. The same man had been sitting there for quite some time now. Earlier he had at least moved..though now he was completely stationary. That wouldn't regularly bother him, in fact he would likely leave the man to his peace. It was simply...how long he was sitting that way. His breathing even seemed somewhat shallow. As much as he wanted to continue his writing, the man's health did have him somewhat worried now. Carefully closing his book and setting his tea aside, Charles stood from his seat and approached the other. Not even his movement seemed to stir the other. Ah, now that was somewhat troublesome...could he perhaps be seizing or experiencing another form of internal trauma? He did not appear to be in pain, there was no thrashing...it was difficult to tell. Even if nothing was wrong, it surely wasn't healthy to sit in that way for that long. Closer inspection revealed that in fact the man was not injured -- he would have noticed signs, such as faint twitching, grinding teeth, mumbling or paleness of the face...no, it was none of that, thankfully. Now that he was closer,he could see that his eyes, through those glasses, were closed. Relief swept over the fae and he smiled. "Asleep..." he murmured. He reached out his hand carefully, touching the man's arm. "Do forgive the intrusion..." he said softly, hoping to wake the male. "I hope you don't mind, it's simply that your present sleeping position is detrimental to your physical health. You might hurt your neck like that." He offered a pleasant smile to his current companion. "Pardon my rudenes. I suppose I should introduce myself, no? My name is Charles." He bowed cordially to the blonde before voicing his...curiosity. "I noticed you sitting there some time ago; I'm surprised you haven't left at all since then. Are you...waiting for someone, perhaps?" ★ Open~
★ ....
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Post by Deleted on Sept 19, 2013 18:15:31 GMT -6
Caleb was indeed asleep, on board his father's ship in the dream. His father was just being himself and Caleb was trying to reason with the man. Course that wasn't working. Upon feeling a hand on his shoulder, Caleb's light brown eyes opened quickly and he sat up as well. He looked a bit surprised but snapped out of it when Charles continued to talk to him. He felt stupid for falling asleep though.
"Oh...no, no. It's okay. Perfectly fine. After all, this is a cafe table and not a bed nor pillow." Caleb said laughing a bit at his own foolishness.
My head hurts more than my neck. Caleb thought in his head; due to having to deal with his father's madness.
"I'm Caleb Vervain, but please just call Caleb. If anyone was rude it was me being asleep." Caleb said after Charles introduced himself. "Yeah...I'm waiting for my mother. My father finally decided to bring the ship into harbor and since she lives on dry land now, it's the only time I can see her now. Oh. I work on a ship, I know I don't look it but trust me I do. You can ask my father but....you might not get a straight answer right away. I think he was out at sea for too long before I was born and...well....I think it caused him to lose a few marbles."
Caleb fell silent. Perhaps telling Charles, all that once was a bad idea. The person might think he was rambling. A sigh left him.
"Sorry about that, I didn't mean to ramble. I was just..explaining." Caleb added after the sigh.
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Post by Charles Eden on Sept 22, 2013 16:29:06 GMT -6
Well, it was good fortune perhaps that Charles happened across someone with such manners as this gentleman's. It almost shocked him, when he did see such courtesy; really a sad thing, when he thought about it, but the fact that he was seeing it extended towards himself did bring hope. Not all of the world was lost then. This gentleman -- ah, rather, Caleb -- even held such humility so as to consider himself the rude one in this situation. It was almost amusing, and yet struck so close to home. He always took the blame after all. A kindred spirit, then, that was what Caleb could be considered. "Pay it no mind. When one is tired, what can they do but sleep?" He shrugged lightly, taking the opportunity to seat himself opposite Caleb. There was nothing wrong with relocating himself to this table, after all. The blonde did seem to lack company, something he was well able to give. A curious eye observed the other male as he continued to speak. He was waiting for his mother, was he? He certainly could appreciate that, his own mother being so very dear to him. That was not really what drew his curiosity though, more his compassion. No what he was curious of...well, the boy's profession. From his appearance, Charles would have guessed at teacher, businessman...something more scholarly. The sea did not seem like a place befitting of his physique. "It was exactly as you say -- an explanation. You don't need to apologize over it, my friend. ...You live at sea most of the time, then, I take it?" he asked, clasping his hands together. "It sounds like it could either be...a rather lonely lifestyle, being so far from your mother...or of course there is the alternative, that you enjoy the companionship of your shipmates. I know I wouldn't be able to do it, if I had to stay so far from someone I love." He laughed lightly at the comment about his father. "Well, working aboard a ship is more than a profession, after all. It becomes a way of life. Your father certainly may have forgotten the ways of the grounded." Oh, yes, Charles had his experience with that life. Being in his two hundreds...it was hard not to have seen the many aspects of the world. Of what he witnessed, seabound men were free of many of the rules that bound the 'land-lubbers'. It was quite a different existence, a family in its own way. But not something that he himself could do. He did have to admire Caleb for putting up with such a way of life -- though it was entirely possible he enjoyed it, in which case he was curious as to how one could enjoy being separated from most of society. It was quite a mystery. Returning his attention to the blonde, Charles fixed him with an attentive look. "How often do you get to visit your mother? Working on a ship and all...I would not assume your visits are frequent." Ah...perhaps he was prying too much. But, he did find himself quite fascinated. He did so love to drink in knowledge. But of course, manners came first. He waved a hand dismissively. "You need not answer of course, if I am getting too personal. I would understand." ★ Caleb Vervain
★ Sorry this took so long. Homework and whatnot.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 22, 2013 17:51:05 GMT -6
"True...in the end sleep wins over a person." Caleb said.
It seemed that Caleb would be able to stay awake now. Considering he had something to do unlike for how long he had been waiting. Caleb couldn't help but laugh at the mention of shipmates.
"Actually, the ship is my home literally. I was born on it and it was were I was raised." Caleb began once more. "My shipmates are my older brothers and my father. My mother used to live on the ship with us all but for some reason when I turned fifteen she wanted to live on land. She never gave a reason and father seemed perfectly fine with it."
Caleb removed his glasses for a moment and rubbed his eyes. Course he closed them before doing so but everything was a bit blurry. He put them back on and his vision was clear.
"We hardly do ever come into any port though. It usually depends on my father. We could be at sea for a year before we come into any port. Or we could be out at sea for a minute and he'd ordered the ship turned around to port." Caleb said and he shrugged. "He's very....strange. Not you're average man of the seas.So sadly I can't give you the amount of times I can visit my mother. Finding her is a challenge all in itself. Considering the fact that only two or three out of all my visits have actually allowed me to find her. She told me if I was ever in port, come to the cafe and wait, she'd meet me here. Although....it's beginning to look like I might've missed her or she's just not coming today."
OOC: It's fine.)
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Post by Charles Eden on Sept 29, 2013 15:41:49 GMT -6
His ship is his family..... Charles leaned forward, locking his fingers together and resting his chin on the makeshift mesh. "Is that so? They are your family in blood, then?" Truly that was a fascinating concept. He heard tell of a ship and her crew being particularly close, almost like a second family, but this was the first case he could name in which a crew was solely ocmprised of a single related family. Ever more interesting was the mystery of his mother. Why it was she left so suddenly, without a word of explanation. He could venture a few guesses, but he dared not set his mind on any one, for who was he to judge on another's behalf? He did not know the woman. A slight sympathetic look crossed his face. "It sounds to me as though on those...longer voyages, you miss her." he commented, taking note of how quickly he passed over his familial relations with his father and brothers, so quickly returning to the topic of his mother. "I am sure that months on end with the same people each day must drive you near mad." Men of the tide spoke of the waters as freedom....but in truth they were trapped, locked in a floating tub with endless water around them. That was not freedom. At least, not to him, a lover of the land. "I am sure if you come back again, you will meet her tomorrow, or the day next." He paused, considering the lad's earlier statement of is father's reluctance to go to port. "...That is, assuming you have time to stay a few days before you head out again. But, even if you had to leave soon....could you not choose to stay? I'm sure it wouldn't be that much of a problem if, for once, you did not accompany the others in their seabound tour."Though again, what did he know? Perhaps Caleb had an important role on the ship that he needed to fulfill. He quickly brushed thethought aside and returned his attention to the other. "In the meantime....I'm sure if you can stay awake long enough, she might yet show herself today. Would you like me to get you something to keep the exhaustion at bay? Coffee perhaps, or tea?" It was the least he could do, given that any advice he gave till this point was mostly speculation, and could be entirely useless. At least something with caffeine would keep the boy open-eyed. ★ Caleb Vervain
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Post by Deleted on Sept 29, 2013 17:21:57 GMT -6
"Yeah, my brothers and my father are the only ones on the ship besides me. The ship is pretty much our house." Caleb said.
Caleb went silent when his mother was brought back up. Yeah, he missed her greatly. And it made him think that her sudden disappearance was somehow his doing. He was the youngest of her kids. The last one born.
"Yeah, I do miss her." Caleb answered, however he quickly laughed about the driving mad part. "My father's the one that will drive ya mad. He's not bad in personality and all, it's just....I think he lost all of his marbles by staying out at sea for too long before he met my mother and all."
His father was truly the strangest man of all the seas. His father was random with everything. When to port, when to remain at sea, etc. Everything was always sudden.
"I'm not sure how long I will be at port, nor when I would be back the next time I do leave." Caleb said. "My father decides things rather quickly and usually it's so sudden, my brothers and I have no time to prepare for it. We just have to go along with it. Cause usually when I tell my dad something it ends up ignored and when we go back to the ship he really doesn't listen to a soul then."
The offer of a beverage surprised him. Caleb shook his head.
"No thanks, I'm not really a coffee or tea person. I should be okay for a while." Caleb answered. "Well if she doesn't show, there's always next time."
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Post by Charles Eden on Oct 5, 2013 17:40:41 GMT -6
Ah, the sudden type. No wonder the lad seemed to speak of his father as a madman. Charles too considered such people, who acted on sponteniety and the sudden thoughts and whims that carried on the wind, to be quite unusual and eccentric folk. He did however come to befriend some such individuals; they held some of the most intense dreams among the people he knew, and for that he did give them respect...but, never could he understand action without careful planning. It seemed relatively similar for Caleb, based on the direction of their conversation. He cracked a smile at the comments made by the other -- ah yes, he didn't doubt that the losing of one's marbles at sea was possible...he had to wonder what the lad's mother felt about it all. Was she perhaps just as crazy as he, or perhaps did he drive her a bit mad, and that was why she left to live on solid ground? "I have met many folks like that, myself...acting with the changing winds. I personally can't stand it. To plan in advance is the only way I can survive. I imagine in your father's eyes, his lifestyle is completely normal...but then, being detached from other people for so long...it's not surprising at all if he did succumb to madness. I'm surprised you and your brothers didn't." Charles considered aloud, then paused, a light smirk touching the corners of his mouth. "...That is, assuming your brothers aren't as mad as he is."He chuckled when his offer was rebuked, amused by how frequently he heard that response. It seemed like many a person he met did not share his tastes for excellent beverages. To be a man born hundreds of years ago...the changing of times was a common sight for him now, but still -- some of his antics were quite stuck in the past. All of this....processed stuff they called food...and sugar-filled juices with many ingredients he couldn't pronounce....goodness, he wouldn't dare indulge in those grotesque mockeries of cusine. But he supposed to those born in such an era it was simply the norm. He did have to smile at the boy's last remark though; despite his seemingly almost sad reaction to not seeing his mother, he still had hope that he might see her "next time". He almost wondered if perhaps she passed away over the time he was gone -- he said the time they landed at port varied quite a bit, he could have been gone and she passed on during that time....and perhaps he too considered that thought, but pushed such demotivational ideas aside. Optimism...it truly could be a thing of beauty. Charles relaxed in the chair, making himself comfortable. "You are quite right...." he murmured quietly, that smile still there. "There is always a next time." ★ Caleb Vervain
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Post by Caleb Vervain on Oct 8, 2013 21:32:39 GMT -6
Caleb couldn't help but laugh at Charles's words. True, his father most likely had lost all of his marbles but his brothers? They seemed to have supported their father's strange ways. Although, they never seemed to have brains to begin with. All muscle. Pure and simple.
"I'm not sure about those two. They have some marbles but...they were always more brawn than brains." Caleb said as he shrugged.
The thought of his mother passing while he was out at sea had crossed his mind a few times. After all, time goes slowly out on the water when it's calm. On land, it usually goes faster. Plus there were other things to put into it. His mother was most likely used to the ship life and she might've not been able to really like living here. Who knows.
(OOC: I'm so sorry that this is late. I lost track of time and I didn't see the activity check, so I had to remake the account)
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