• Closed • Winner Takes It All....

[Perdita Westcott]

Winner Takes It All

~~ 15th Ashan 720 ~~

"I need colour," Perdita explained to Eli as she pulled on her coat. They were getting ready to go out into Desnind. She'd said to Eli that she wanted to go out and buy some supplies and, after his reaction last time she'd spent the trial out and looking around, Perdita had decided to simply ask him directly. "Do you want to come?" She wanted him to, but she wasn't prepared to put pressure on him. When Eli had said that, yes, he did want to accompany her, Perdita's face had shown the pleasure she felt at that response; that, evidently, had been the correct answer. Of course, she also blushed furiously and turned away to get her coat. Even in that, they were different. She took the time to carefully button up her warm, knee-length coat. Each button was carefully fastened, then her cuffs were adjusted. She looked at Eli as he flung on his jacket and she grinned slightly before ducking her head once more.

Once they were out of the Inn, Perdita slipped her hand into Eli's and she looked around. "There's an insect farm," she said to him and smiled. She wanted to get more resources which she could use for her inks and paints. Eli had started working on helping her with the mortar and pestle, and Perdita was very keen on finding things. She had a satchel over her shoulder and she said, most seriously, "Any colour is good," and she really didn't mind what she used to create colour, what was important to her was that she had the variety of shades. Flowers, insects, bits of wood. Plants, leaves, berries, fruit, vegetables, Perdita really didn't mind. What mattered to her was the idea of colour. "It's a competition," she explained - for what provided the best colour for her purposes. "The winner becomes ink."

She was silent for a while as they made their way. Then, from apparently nowhere, "I like it here," she said quietly to him and she looked around as they walked. There were people around, and this being Desnind, quite a few of them said hello to the pair. Perdita always responded, even if it was with a mumbled muttered and stuttered reply around a deep blush. But, she was never rude and she she never let go of Eli's hand. As they walked, however, they passed one of the many notice boards scattered around Desnind and there was a Sev'ryn pinning a notice to it. There was a house and they were looking to sell it. Perdita looked at Eli and she allowed an excited smile to cross her face. "What do you think?" The house in question, of course, was in the trees. It was larger than a usual starter-home, but if they combined their resources, then they might be able to afford it.

Yet, just in case, she looked at Eli and spoke probably the longest sentence she had ever spoken in her life. "Only if you want to, Eli. Living together is a big step and I have no wish for you to feel beholden, or like I'm a duty or burden to you." Of course, her cheeks flushed a deep red as she spoke, but her eyes did not drop from his as she spoke. If he was happy to, though, Perdita was very happy to go and have a look at the place and, if they both liked it, they could actually consider settling down here.

[Elijah Lamoreaux]

Eli liked color too. Maybe not much as Perdie did and maybe not for the same reasons. But while he needed nuts and bolts and gadgets and gizmos in order to do his work, she needed colors for pigments and inks and such. It had surprised him, in an unexpected but welcomed way, how well each of their scholarly interests managed to align in such a way that could make them mutually beneficial. "We're a good team I think," he'd said to her, once before already while they were working on the drawings for what would some trial be a flying machine.

At any rate, of course he wanted to go. And Eli wasn't about to admit that maybe one of the reasons why, is that he'd already noticed that a number of the younger local men had been looking her way when she was out. Eli didn't like it a bit, and wouldn't admit that either. At least not now, and not out loud. And so he'd thrown on his coat like a cape and then shoved his gloved hands through the sleeves while she carefully donned her own and checked every button along the way.

"I thought you got colors from flowers and things like that," he said, frowning as they stepped into the outdoors and he wrapped his hand around her smaller one. Berries, plants, things like that maybe and not just flowers. But bugs? "How do you get it from insects? You squash 'em?" He thought about it for a split trill and then grinned a little and shook his head. "If that's the nature of the competition, I don't think I'd like to be the insect that won it."

Without thinking and while they walked, he tugged Perdie a little closer to him as a younger group of men, maybe local hunters passed them by, nodding and smiling at her. Trying not to be too obvious about though. To her, at least, but obvious to the other men. "I like it here too," he decided after another bit or two. "I wasn't sure if I would at first. It doesn't have the hustle and bustle than Rharne has. All the same smells, noise. But it's funny. I'm getting more ideas here. It's easier to work without all the distractions. Plus, you're here," he admitted and squeezed her hand just as she caught sight of the notice.

"It sounds like it's big, from what they've written there," he said when she asked what he'd thought. "Probably costs more than a smaller one, but with us both together...I say we go have a look." And with that, he'd pulled the notice off the board so they could follow the directions to get there. He'd been thinking more and more lately, in fact, that if they were going to purchase a place together, they probably ought to get looking. The room they were sharing was a small one, and becoming harder for them to work in. Not that he minded the proximity to her at all. But he'd also worried that she might have changed her mind, and didn't want to hear her say it.

He stopped in his tracks when she began to talk more than he'd ever heard her do before, all in the same breath; and then as always even when the words were sparing, she blushed. He shook his head and took her other hand, so he had both of hers in his. "There's nothing beholden Perdie. No duties or burdens. I haven't mentioned it because I worried maybe after sharing quarters, that you might have had second thoughts. I didn't want to pressure you if you had. But I still want to and besides, we need a bigger place so I can organize my chaos without upending your order." Or something like that. He worried sometimes that she might try to tidy up some of his scattered work and he'd never find the bits and pieces again.

"Let's go. It's not far I don't think." He looked several times at the scrap of paper in his hand while trying to locate the house. And when finally it came into view and he looked up, Eli couldn't help but grin. It was a large thing, if large by virtue of it's several separate but also connected spaces occupying a great deal of space both up, down and between the branches of a very large tree. It was unique, compared to many of the other places he'd seen in Desnind, which made him wonder if the original builder might have come from somewhere else, but still given a respectful nod to Desnind's style. "Look Perdie....It's got whirligigs," he said, which shouldn't have surprised her a bit, given all his usual inclinations.

As it was, Eli was curious to know if the things were actually serving some sort of practical purpose, or if they were just ornamental things. He'd be disappointed if it turned out they were just for looks.

[Perdita Westcott]

Winner Takes It All

"Squished, yes," she said and decided that probably Eli didn't want to know that crushed up ants made for a very vivid red paint. However, it didn't occur to her that he'd be squeamish when she added, "Or plucked wings, dried and crushed into pigment." Eli had been peculiar about eating bugs, but Perdita really didn't know why. She was very pragmatic when it came to such things. But when he said that he wouldn't like to be the insect that won the competition, Perdita looked at him with serious, genuinely serious, consideration on her face. Then, she beamed at him and shrugged just slightly. "Fair point," she conceded. There was no point to argue that it was better to die in the cause of good art, she decided because - at this moment, her art really wasn't and she still had no compunction about squishing or wing-pulling.

As they walked, they crossed paths with a group of young hunters were approaching from the opposite direction. Perdita knew a few of them - they had chatted to her when she'd been out previously, albeit only in passing. She felt Eli's hand tighten and he tugged her closer. One of the sev'ryn boys called over a greeting and she smiled, blushing furiously as she did. Did Eli not like them? Perdita wondered if he thought, perhaps, that she was afraid of them - like the bandits in Rharne who had attacked them. That must be it and so she shook her head and said to him, quietly, "It's alright, Eli," she assured him. The last thing Perdita wanted was Eli worrying about things. She was quite safe and the young hunters had been very friendly. "They're nice people," she assured him. "I like them." She spoke quietly, not wanting to let the group who was passing them know that there was anything said about them. Her focus was on Eli, entirely.

Perdita's hand in Eli's tightened and, as she squeezed gently she felt the blush burning on her cheeks. The temptation, of course, was to say nothing but there were words which were important, Perdita knew. "I like you more," she said, quietly but with an edge of assertive in her voice. When Eli said he liked it here too, though, Perdita felt a wave of pleasure tingling in her stomach. What he described was exactly how she felt, about being more able to focus and think. But then, from nowhere, he said 'plus, you're here'. Perdita blushed furiously and she dipped her head so that her hair hid her face. She hadn't expected him to say that, but she returned the pressure on his hand.

They saw the notice about the house for sale and Eli agreed that they should go and look at it and so Perdita felt it was important that they were clear. So, she spoke. It was .. no, that wasn't true - he was too significant to her for her to be unclear. So, she said what she needed to say. He turned to her and took her other hand, so that the two of them were standing together, her hands clasped in his. As Eli spoke, Perdita listened and she made sure that her gaze remained firmly on him. She didn't want him to think she wasn't listened. After he'd spoken, she was quiet for a little while, but she kept ahold of his hands and then replied. "No second thoughts," she said, as solemnly as she had ever said anything. It was important that he didn't think that. If she was entirely honest with herself, it was very important to her. "Just the opposite."

But they needed a place so he could put his chaos into place without disturbing her sense of order? Perdita smiled. "I like your chaos," she said as they made their way towards the house. "It's charming. Exciting." Her own tendency to order was, at least in her eyes, very much dull and boring. As they saw the house, though, Perdita gasped in amazement and then turned to him with a beaming smile on her face. Her expression was completely unguarded and entirely delighted. "Eli it's beautiful"

The House

As excited as she was, as she dashed forward Perdita kept hold of Eli's hand. They clambered up to the house and as they did she glanced at him. "Whirligigs? I love that word." As they approached it, the sounds from them could be heard, a clack-clack-clack and Perdita tugged his hand, obviously utterly entranced. The house itself, as it turned out, was two houses. Neither of them was huge but they had been put together in such a way that the pair would - if they chose to - have a place to live and a place to work. The house itself was quirky from the outside and Perdita looked at him with excitement shining in her eyes.

"Shall we?" Perdita asked, wanting to make sure that he liked it and wanted to go in.

[Elijah Lamoreaux]

Squished and plucked? Eli couldn't help but that his eyebrows knitted together when Perdita informed him of the fate that awaited her six, eight, whatever legged or winged prey. It wasn't so much that he was squeamish, although his palate wasn't quite ready for dining on things that crept or crawled close to the ground. It was more that, well maybe he just had an overdeveloped sense of empathy for the living creatures of Idalos. Better an inventor of things that relied on nuts, bolts, pulleys and whatnot, than to be another kind of scientist off in his lab. Surely even bugs knew fear and trepidation.

He wouldn't mention that however. Instead, he ventured. "Should I assume the squishing happens before the plucking?" As for the hunters, he'd smiled and nodded when they passed, in a sort of quiet but cordial way, while at the same time pulling Perdie closer to him. If she assumed that the gesture meant that he viewed them as a particular danger of a physical kind to her, that was alright. He wasn't ready to admit that there was a different sort of message he'd been sending.

"Oh, I'm sure they are," he offered in a noncommittal way when she said they were nice. Though he couldn't recall having spoken with the lot of them before. Which meant that she probably had. "You like them?" Eli couldn't help but add though, once they'd passed out of earshot. For reasons he wasn't nearly ready to admit to, that bothered him. Though he'd been sure to ask in a way, his tone and expression that was, that would make it seem like it was only curiosity that caused him to ask.

He walked on quietly though, thoughtfully until she announced that she liked him more, and then he grinned. "Good," he couldn't help but say. "I like you better too." He immediately felt foolish for putting it that way, but he'd responded straight off the cuff. So, no second thoughts. Not for her, not for him. And they were going to buy a house together to live in. Separate quarters, but still, together. He'd never have anticipated that. But then he'd never have guessed that he'd climb aboard a giant moth, alongside a girl that he'd known all of a break or two, and let it spirit them off to Desnind on a whim. And he didn't regret it for a bit.

He laughed though when Perdie described his sometimes, or most times, disorderly process for chasing progress, in more positive terms that he'd ever have expected. "Charming? I've heard it called lots of things. That's a first," he joked. "Thanks though." Then of course the place they were looking for had come into sight. While fashioned into the trees like most or all of the other structures in Desnind, the differences between this house and many of them was the amount of quirk which set it aside. And of course the turning fins, the whirligigs were just about the first thing to get his attention.

He smiled when she looked his way, and he nodded. "It is. It's great. My grandmother used to call them that. Whirligigs," he said as Perdie held tight to his hand and pulled him towards the steps of the house. Or houses, as it was. "I wonder if they're running anything?" If they weren't, currently, it was a matter of time before they would. He'd make sure of it. If not useful, then they were nothing but turning decorations. And once they got to the first door, it was clear that whoever owned and was selling the place, wasn't currently residing there. And when Eli tried the door, it swung right open.

"You wouldn't see that in Rharne," he said, as he gestured for Perdie to go in before him. Unlocked doors, that was. The owners must not have been too worried about thieves, squatters or other ne'er do wells. No straight walls here though. Curved ones, domed ceilings, round windows and arched doorways, and tree limbs and trunks coming through the very floors and disappearing through the ceilings. All in all, it sparked all kinds of imagination and there'd be plenty of room for both her and him to live and work, separately or together.

"You know? If I was to install a pulley system on those whirligigs outside, I could install some smaller ones indoors so they'd turn during the hot season and cool things down inside. I could even figure a way to use them for running water inside. Would you like that?" he asked.

[Perdita Westcott]

Winner Takes It All

He liked her better, too?

Perdita considered this, as they walked. She considered it as they discussed living arrangements. It didn't truly leave her mind even as they saw the house. Liked her better than whom, she wondered? Were there girls - other girls - that he liked her better than? Who were they? Where were they? Why didn't she know about them? These thoughts bounced around in her mind and she considered them, very carefully. Was Eli .... well, was he seeing other girls? Did he want to? That led to many thoughts which she did not vocalise and instead, she ignored. Determinedly. Womanfully. Or... something.

The house, however, was charming. It was more than charming. "This is perfect," she said to him, and meant it. Perdita turned her gaze to him and she considered checking with him again -no second thoughts. But he'd only just said that and she believed him. So, the thing to do was to believe him and move forward in such a way. "Whirligig pulleys?" Her eyes showed her wonder at that and she nodded her head, a solemn expression on her face as she thought things through. "Running water?" That was something else, and she was pleased at it. But, more than that. "You're so clever."

Perdita, being who she was, made her way through every room. Both houses had a similar lay out and there was no doubt to her that they could do wonders here, by pooling their resources and making things theirs. It would be important, she considered, to make sure that they had space and privacy as well as communal areas. If Eli wanted to bring someone home, then he should be able to do that without concern. But this could work for that and, each room that they went into, she grew more and more delighted. "It is perfect," she said, aware that she was repeating herself. But equally, she was also aware that some things were worth saying twice. During the process of exploring, she'd moved away from Eli, going to look at this bookshelf, or to touch the drapes or look out of the window. Now, though, once they had explored thoroughly, she moved back to stand next to him, slipping her hand into his once more.

~~ A Break (Hour) Later ~~
The sale, such as it was, was easy. Desnind was far from a place filled with red tape and, with a final check with him that it was what they both wanted, they could complete the deal that trial. Perdita tried - she really tried - to hide her enthusiasm in order to make sure that he knew there was an exit if he wanted it, but she was an abysmal actress and she was far, far too excited to hide it at all. Once they had completed the purchase, they could start moving things in - not that it would take long. Perdita stepped in tandem with him, hand in his, as they walked back to the houses they now owned and she was close to bubbling over with excitement. Of course, for her that meant a slightly quicker pace as she walked and a permanent blush on her cheeks. They had just bought a house together, the two of them and she was more than delighted.

But, there was that question in her mind and she couldn't contain it any more. "Eli?" Perdita asked as the pair of them arrived at their new house. But then, she wondered if she dared. Were there girls, she wondered? Probably. Her head was in her books, her mind wandering. He'd probably met all sorts of people and she was quite sure that most of them were of the female variety. After all, he was a handsome, clever, kind, lovely man and he was being sweet and looking after her. If she asked, then he'd answer and maybe, just maybe, she was happier not knowing. So, she smiled and, instead of asking what she wanted to, she changed course.

"Which rooms should be what?"

for clarity

So. We've got two of these - A Tier 5 building includes one small room, three average rooms, and one large room with average-quality furnishings. Tier 5 buildings are medium in size and are more complex in their design. They have a comfortable amount of room to live in for the average family. They are usually located within the middle-class districts of a city.
That makes:
2 x large rooms
6 x average rooms
2 x small rooms split across both houses.

[Elijah Lamoreaux]

Eli watched Perdie a lot. Maybe much more than she was aware of. It wasn't so much that he wasn't aware of it, but more that he thought he was being subtle. Judging by the amount of time she spent blushing though, maybe she did know. But it seemed to him that she spent a lot of time thinking about something or other. And when she lapsed into silences, he tended to wonder just what it was. But he drifted off himself into another place and time as often as not. She could turn tables on him just as quickly. So instead of asking what this most recent lapse meant, he merely grinned and glanced away briefly.

"Whirligig pulleys," he said when she asked. "See, if I was to rig up pulleys, ropes onto the whirligigs, when the breeze blows and turns them, they turn the ropes. And when the ropes turn, they can work anything I've looped them up with indoors." And running water of a sort, yes, he figured. It would be a trick to, but Eli believed that he knew how he'd do it. On the other hand, he grinned and shrugged. "Sometimes I have ideas that I think are clever," he admitted. "But other times, maybe they're disasters in waiting. The trick is knowing the difference before things go upside down and inside out on you."

It was just as well that the process of buying their new home, or homes, wasn't wrapped up in strings, conditionals and the like. Eli would have been lost and got tangled up in it all, if that was the case. And he wouldn't have liked for Perdie to see that happen. But no second thoughts on his part either way. As they walked back afterwards, hand in hand, he could tell that there was still something on Perdie's mind that she'd yet to have said out loud. If she ever did. But to fill the gap, he said, "You know, I've never had a place of my own before. Back in Rharne, my rooms were Domnall's."

"Before that, heck, I never even had a bed of my own till all my siblings were gone." This was the best of both worlds, he figured. It was his, it was Perdie's, and it was theirs together. "Perfect," he said, recalling the many times, between them, that they'd said it already. What she said at the last, he wasn't sure if what she said was the thing she'd been thinking during that long last pregnant pause. The build up had seemed of much larger proportions than such a simple question implied. Nonetheless, "Lady's choice," he said. "The only thing I'd suggest is that my workshop is farthest from the quieter areas. So if you're doing quiet work, the noise won't disturb you."

[Saint]

Winner Takes It All....

Perdita

Points awarded: 15
Knowledge:
Art - 3
Bookbinding - 3
Design - 2

Renown: -
Loot: A house with Eli in Desnind.
Injuries: -
Consequences: -
Skill Usage: Appropriate to level.

Eli

Points awarded: 15
Knowledge:
Engineering - 3
Physics - 3
Design - 2

Renown: -
Loot: A house with Perdita in Desnind.
Injuries: -
Consequences: -
Skill Usage: Appropriate to level.

Word count: 4,449
Notes:

This was a cute way to play out the purchase of Eli and Perdita's housing! I thought it was good to include the setup in the first post, of heading out into town to look for things to make paints, as it provided a nice way to show the differences (and similarities) between your characters. For as different as Eli and Perdita are in terms of chaos vs. order, they seem alike in being very innovative and creative individuals.

The house itself is a great idea, combining both of your Tier 5 housing into something fun and workable for this duo. I do wonder if Perdita will ever find the courage to come right out and ask Eli about any other girls - but the chemistry and bond between these two makes me think that it might not matter either way. It's obvious how much they care for one another.

Enjoy the rewards (and your new house!), and feel free to send me a PM with any questions or concerns.