An Introduction to Fire Signs

[Adelaide d'Aquitaine]

Ada: Her new guest was fast asleep, and the shutters locked on her shop. It was a warm, practically balmy for this time of year, evening that required no cloak. Her shawl was left on a peg near her door, and a basket of her work came with her through the door of the Briar Rose. Today, the usually wild length of dark brown curls, wider than she was tall most days, had been lazily twisted up and out of the way, save a few rebellious spirals frizzy with the mild humidity that tumbled out of the knot and accidentally framed her face. Her sleeves were pushed up even before she walked in and took a seat near the window, and boots were additional proof to the darkening skin and sudden splash of freckles that she had spent most of the day out in the garden when she was not busy with her customers. But her apron had taken the brunt of the day's damage, leaving the dark linen gown she wore relatively free of hand prints and herbal smudges, though the hem was already going to tatters. It wouldn't have been noticeable if Ada ever sat in a chair like a normal person, but of course, "normal" was not a word that described the healer as she perched on her seat in the lotus position with her basket in her lap, and two small dishes containing, respectively, stems and flowers of the plants she was busy shredding for her next tea.

Ren: Today had proven to be another good day for hunting. He had already made one trip earlier this morning even before the sun had risen. Tracking down, game, waiting patiently for the right moment to strike and then of course bringing home the days first prize. Of course it had gone to Rose, an entire deer and a good sized one at that. The man had already taken the liberty of gutting it and carving it, leaving nothing but the pelt and bones for him to sell off as well. Rose was thankful as venison proved to be a favorite smong several of the customers here. He had washed up once before and napped, only to come down and enjoy the meal prepared by the cook. Afterward, it was another trip out into the wild once more and this time had brought back a few feathered friends. These of course were for the men whom he had promised the day before and after negotiation had reached it's end, the Greek male made his way in to the Briar Rose. Even before he could request it, Rose was already fixing him something good to drink, knowing the man's routine well by now. As he waited by the bar, he scanned the room and saw a familiar face that had him smirking. Rose delivered the drink and Ren removed both leather gloves, only to reveal one hand wrapped in a bandage. His way of seeing to an accidental self inflicted wound. Gloves were tucked into his belt, drink taken up and he moved closer to Ada's table. `` No boosom salve selling today?`` He asked with a crooked smile.

Ada: "Only on Wednesdays, I'm afraid. Or I run out of damiana oil." Ada's eyes were so guileless, it was impossible to think she was ever capable of sarcasm, yet there was a certain twinkling humor in them as they landed on the impressively tall Greek. Rose brought out Ada's usual boiling water, and for a moment, they chatted about the tea she was concocting now, with Rose reaching into the bowl of petals and taking a sniff of the contents before returning them to the dish. "Spicy, no? It is for courage!" With a little laugh, Rose then set down the tray of cheese, bread, and dish of preserves. Ada turned back to the Greek and grinned again. "But I sell all manners of herbals for men." Slight eyebrow waggle before she reached over and stacked a piece of cheese on the small slice of bread and popped both in her mouth. "Sit down, please," she added, forgetting how difficult talking with a mouthful of bread was, and in a tongue that was still strangely foreign to her.

Ren: The tall dark male chuckled a little at her reply, easily picking up on the sarcasm despite how little it might have been. It amused him really and his gaze drifted to the healer to Rose. He stepped aside, drinking his ale silently while the two women spoke. He shook his head to himself and sniffed as the comment of the herbs were made about them being spicy and for courage. When Rose set the items down and disappeared, Ada returned her attention back to Ren speaking on herbals for men. `` I am sure you do... but I am also positive I have little or no need for them. Especially if they are to have the same effects as the other we just spoke on.`` He said with a grin before lifting the mug of ale to his lips once more and taking a couple of hearty swallows. At her invitation, he debated a moment with himself and then moved to take up a chair across from her. The chair creaked under the weight of such a big man. Ren pulled another closer, propping his feet in it as his long legs crossed at the ankles. ``Thank you... today has been a long day. But a good day.``

Ada: "Oh, not the same. And not all of my brews are for ... ahem." She laughed anyway, stirred her tea briefly and then set the spoon aside to pick up another handful of herbs. Sliding her thumb and index nails along the stem, she easily stripped the flower of leaves and petals alike, and dropped both into the dish on the right, paying brief attention to the motion so that she would not dump them on her dinner. "Courage is important in all things in life, from the quiet wife who must tell the butcher he has mistakenly given her a poor cut of meat for her coin, to the schoolboy facing his exams. Not everything I sell is related to the bedroom!" She was glad when he took his seat across from her, and between stripping her flowers, studied him occasionally, wondering if she could read the path of his life through facial expressions. She was a quick study in habits and movement, and Ren made an interesting subject. "A good day, indeed. What game did you take?"

Ren: `` Hmmm...perhaps not all of them... just most maybe?`` He asked with a tone that was obviously meant as a tease. He chuckled again, and commented back on her statement about courage. `` This is true...and until I see otherwise...I won't believe it.`` This of course said with a playful hint of his own sarcasm. His dark eyes fell to the work her hands and fingers did, watching as she stripped the flowers and the leaves from their stems. When she asked him of his game today, his eyes lifted once more to hers and he answered. `` I started out the morning with a nice buck... Rose has already made some use of it today. This afternoon, I managed to get myself a few feathered friends and sell them off as promised.`` Another hearty swallow of ale was taken, the mug held with the hand that wore the bandage.

Ada: "Oh, unfair!" She smiled anyway, though. "If I did not sell such potions, I would not be able to afford the ones that are useful, no? I rather like selling these charms and balms. I can talk to my customers and discover what drives them to put their money into such things. At the heart of all things, it is love. A desire to be loved, to be wanted, to be seen as the ideal for their partner. Feeling inadequate is a sickness, I think -- no, not as terrible as some illnesses, but a sickness all the same, with a not very easy cure. Sometimes, a balm cures more than one symptom." She took a sip of her tea, a much more milder blend that smelled faintly of honey and butter. Butter? Well, that was Ada's little secret -- the flowers she used had some very unique properties, and the palate did not always agree with the traditional European sensibility. "Quite a catch! I think I would starve before I was able to fell anything of worth. Terrible aim, you know."

Ren: Ren had to laugh this time around, not just chuckle. `` I suppose you are right... in your line of work of course.`` Ren said with a grin as he drank again. As Ada continued to talk on the more special items she sold, Ren just kind of kept quite. No facial expressions to show that this sort of talk was not something he was use to, not that it bohered him, not too terribly, but the way he would word things might be a bit blunt. So he thought it was just best for him to keep his comments to himself sometimes, especially around the more softer females. By softer, he of course means anyone that's not like his sister. His eyes drifted back to the cup she held in her hands, a brow arching, wondering if what it was he was smelling was the flowers she just stripped of her tea she was now drinking. `` I am sure if it came down to it, you along with several other would do better than you think with a little practice.``

Ada: She laughed and shook her head, depositing more petals in the dish and flicking a few stems in the other. "I never developed a taste for meat. Thankfully, I can scrounge like the best of them for wild vegetables and berries." She'd long ago learned, or perhaps she had been taught, that announcing she didn't eat meat because it interfered with whatever it was she did, would invite far more trouble than any could wish for. "Oh, I am sorry -- sometimes I lecture, and I do not mean to at all, it is just.... I like what I do! And I suppose you like what you do as well, and I see the attraction. You spend your days in the wild. The hunt is challenging, no? Enough to keep the mind active, but surely, you must think all kinds of philosophical thoughts out there! At least, I do. And then the mind quiets eventually, and even a twig snapping is like a shout in your ear, and the heart races." Ada was chatty, but honestly loved interruption. She flicked a few more petals in one dish before slathering a piece of bread with the preserves. "Does your hand bother you?"

Ren: Ren listened as she spoke, telling him how she didn't eat meat and how she thought she did just fine with the vegetables and berries. He thought it was odd for people to not like it or want it, but didn't think badly of them. They (people like her) had their likes and dislikes just like anyone else. That was how he saw it, at least. He himself could do without a few things just fine and he didn't think it made him all that much different than anyone else. Besides, being different was not always a bad thing, Ren had learned that early on in his life. People always stared and whispered when he came around, and he knew why. They spoke on his skin color, his height and his size... all things he was quite use to by now. He was about to ask her why it was she didn't like meat, but she would comment and then ask him a couple things herself. ``I do... very much. Out there I can be me.. do what I do best and enjoy it without having to be distracted or whatever by who ever and whatever else.`` He didn't mind living in the city, but it was out in the fields and the forest he felt most comfortable at. It was and always be a part of him, living off the land, surviving off what the earth provided and doing it with your own two hands. `` And yes, it's the thrill of the chase rather than the kill that makes it worth it to me.`` Another drink of ale was taken and at her question about his hand had his brow arching before he lowered and left his mug on the table top. He looked to his hand and shrugged. `` It itches, stings a little, but nothing I'm not use to.`` Of course, he got the feeling she would want to inspect it anyways, and he supposed if she insisted, he'd let her.

Ada: If he said it did not bother him, she would not insist. She was a healer, not his mother. She nodded quietly to his words. He spoke so few of them, it was important to listen to each one. He was far more straightforward than most she happened to encounter, and his honesty was refreshing. "Would you like to try some? It is for nothing, just tea. Odd taste, I think, but interesting." She nudged the cup closer to him, but it was up to him whether he took the invitation. She leaned back in her chair, both hands resting among the flowers now, enjoying the sensation of being nearly elbow deep in flora. "The hamlet I call home in France, it has no more than thirty or forty people there. Most made their living in the forests. My parents sold milk at market, and every day, we walked up and down the mountain with big pails of milk in hand. It is not like hunting at all, but I enjoyed those mornings -- it was just me, trying not to slop milk all over the path. My mother used to challenge me to find a common herb along the walk, and if I came home with the right herb, I felt so ... " she paused, lifting her eyes upward for a moment in contemplation. "Happy."

Ren: He was a little surprised when she didn't bother insisting on taking a look at his hand. He had found that most of the women here were real stubborn and set in their ways about things. Something he was only use to from his sister. Ren did tend to say little, but when he did say something, it was something worth saying. He had always been the type to be straight forward and to the point. He saw no use in doing otherwise as he had seen it usually just created more trouble or problems. At her invitation to the tea, his head titled, he eyes her and then the cup and looked to her once more. His face was expressionless at first as he spoke. `` It's not going to turn me into a frog is it?`` He asked with a flash of a grin. `` Because if so... I might be stuck like that for awhile. `` He went on to tease. `` And yes, I realize you've been drinking it also... but who's to say you're things are made not to affect the fairer sex and only us harsh men?`` He then asked as he leaned up, lifted his chin and eyed the tea. He picked up the cup, lifted it to his nose and took in a whiff. It smelled odd, yet.. nice. Kind of reminded him of the outdoors. Not medicinal like as he might have thought. A sip was taken, his eyes narrowed and he shrugged softly. `` It's different... but... nice.`` He said as he sat the cup back down and pushed it back toward her. The Greek male listened as she told him of her times past, nodded occasionally and then smiling to himself. ``I think the work we did when we were younger, makes us better people as adults.`` He said as he went back to drinking his ale.

Ada: "Hmm. I do not know." She studied him intensely for a few seconds, just long enough that she nowhere neared an uncomfortable silence, even squinting her eyes a bit. Then he took a sip, and her squint turned to genuine curiosity. "You do not yet resemble a toad much," she pronounced at last with a little chuckle. "But I suppose I could go back to work on the recipe." The little leaves she used were from a very specific valley in the French Alps, and when dried, looked like tiny fragments of rope. Their honey, grass, and butter smell always reminded her of home. It was a happy tea, one that made her smile, no matter where she was in the world at that moment. "Oh, I do too. And I could have probably lifted a small calf up and down that mountain if I really tried." At her height, the idea was comical at the very least, though she supposed he could carry one in each arm. "If it keeps itching, come by my shop. I promise, toad-free balm only. Otherwise, I am sure you know, it is a sign of the wound healing. You can soak it in warm water, if you like, before you re-bandage it." Ada wasn't stubborn; she operated in her own time.Life was better when it went with least resistance, like water. Or wind. "I hope you do not think me rude, but what lesson did you learn as a boy? Were you ever small?" She grinned.

Ren: ``Are you sure?`` He asked as a chuckled followed. `` I get quite the looks, and often ...I'm fairly sure they are not expressions that suggest they like my looks.`` He said with a smirk. `` And when you do.. just a suggestion. Make it where it wears off after a certain amount of time?`` He teased as he sat back more comfortably in his chair. He looked toward the window, watching a few people pass by before looking back to Ada. He chuckled, the picture he was imagining was very humorous. She didn't look like she was the type to carry anything that weighed half her size, much less anything more. At her suggestions of coming by her place should his wound on his hand continue itching, he nodded silently and then grinned as she made a playful promise. `` Thank you, I'll keep that in mind.`` He said as he nodded again as she told him what he might could do later. He drank more of his ale and then looked to her as the butt if his mug was placed on his thigh while he held it still. His head tilted and he looked to her oddly. Ren didn;t think it rude, but no one had ever asked him such a question before. `` I hope you mean in height and weight my dear... and to answer your question... no. I've always been tall and of thick build.`` He answered with a huge grin on his face. Sure to see some red in her cheeks soon.

Ada: She didn't turn red, but she certainly laughed freely at his response! "Small...little...neither seems appropriate." Though if they were, she had a salve for that. Ahem. No, really. She coughed a bit and took a sip of her tea, trying to stop the giggles that were threatening to take over. "Um. Good! Tres bien! Mais oui, of course I meant when you were a boy. You see, I am always curious about people I meet. Too curious by half, I know. I mean to say, as adults, we learn all shades of complicated lessons, no? We learn about gray when, of course, as children, we knew only black and white! Strangers are dangerous why? Because mother says so. This plant is poisonous why? Because this book says so. Hard work leads to good rewards, and all the proverbs we know, which somehow ... shift as we get older." She took another sip of tea and sat back to contemplate him. She shoved her hands back in the herbs and stripped a few flowers, still feeling a little giggly at his response. She liked a man who gave as good as he got!

Ren: He too was of course chuckling now. His shoulders shifting, his chest rumbled and the wrinkles near his eyes deepened as his smile reached them. It wasn't an expression he got to wear to often, as days usually consisted of fights battles, wars, the things that plagued the world of good. ``I never thought so either.`` He said in response to her first reply, still chuckling a little. `` I guess I was like any other young boy... but of course having a father as I did, there was plenty to learn and it normally to up majority of the day. Danae can tell you that.`` He nodded softly at the rest of what she spoke on. The action didn't seem to fit a man like him. Black hair, braids, an ear ring, tattoos, furs, and leathers about his body. Tools with handles of bone. No wonder many thought him to be barbaric in nature. His eyes slowly cut to her and he watched her tend to the stripping of her flowers again. `` Do you suppose you could take a look at it now? Just to make sure that all is as it should be?`` He asked as he lifted his hand and looked to it before looking back to her while his other hand set the mug back on the table again.

Ada: She nodded, her eyes smiling while her mouth remained neutral, now having such a rhythm with the flowers that she barely looked down as she slid her nails along the stem. He really was something to look at! She had seen tattooed men before, and even treated a few of them, and had always admired the art, even if the healer knew how foolish it was! There was something uniquely foreign to skin intentionally darkened or colored, that made her want to touch, poke, and pry in a way that really was not fitting. But never had so many oddities conspired in one individual before she met Ren. Of course it made her want to ask curious questions! What made a man like him tick? When he rested his hand on the table, she smiled. "Of course, my friend." She set the basket aside and untucked her legs, resting her feet on the floor as she leaned forward and gently took his hand in both of hers and removed the bandages. "Ah, my! How did this happen?" The cut was deep, and must have hurt like hell! But the edges were already forming new, pink skin, which was probably the cause of all the itching. No funny scent and no green pus, which earned a nod of approval from the woman. "It looks to be healing well. I would soak it a bit, to keep it moist. It may make things more comfortable for you. But whatever you are doing, it seems to be working." She pulled fresh linen from her pocket, used one of her tools to slice off a good amount, and wrapped his hand again, even tying a little bow on top of a knot that would make a sailor envious.

Ren: As he had offered his hand to her, he had leaned forward to where his legs were now bent and his feet planted on the wooden floor. If it was tattoos she liked, she'd see the first on the back of his injured hand. It was a intricate circle of tribal like designs and in the center, a tribal wolf. The other of course, she would not see unless she ever had to treat him with his shirt off, as it was located on his shoulderblade. At her question, he looked from his hand to her and then back. `` I'll leave out the details, but with the mess it create when harvesting meat, the blade in this hand slipped and slid across this one.`` He answered as he watched her inspect it. "I've done nothing to it other than wash it and wrapped it.`` He added a few seconds later. Ren then watched as she re wrapped his hand with a clean gauze and had tied the bow. `` Thank you.`` He said as his eyes lifted from his hand to her, to meet her gaze.

Ada: Of course she noticed the tattoo. And it nearly killed her not to play with it a bit. All right, well, she had to touch it, just once. Maybe he wouldn't notice. Oh, all right, even if he did, she didn't care. She was very amused. He couldn't precisely misconstrue it as holding his hand, though in retrospect, that would have been a fairly good idea. She eventually blinked and sat back, chuckling quietly, but not exactly apologetic. "Ooh, my, that probably stung a bit. I suppose it gets a little gory and ... ah ... slippery." Ada wasn't repulsed by the idea of meat. In fact, most of her salves were made with animal grease of one sort or another, usually goose. She simply did not eat them. Processing them, however, was something she gladly had nothing to do with. "You're welcome. Well, I have to ask now. Was it for a reason?" She had to think anyone who did that to themselves had a purpose. The tattoo, not the cut. She even pointed to make sure she didn't confuse him with jumping around in the conversation.

Ren: Oh, Ren had noticed and had a hard time holding back the smirk that wanted to spread across his lips. And where she thought he wouldn't misconstrue... wrong. He was thinking exactly that. Once she released his hand, he sat back and inspected her work again before nodding at her comment on the sting. `` It did, but nothing that a nice cool bucket of water couldn't soothe.`` He replied before he went on to add further. ``And yes it does, I use to wear gloves when I did it, but it only made it worse.`` At her question a single dark brow arched and he smiled. ``Of course there is. It is the symbol of my father's tribe. A people that separated themselves from the rest of the Greeks in Kalamata. They were people that didn't entirely like how
their politics worked along with a few other things.`` He paused a moment. ``The wolf is my father's symbol...the circle for which it is in, means I am my father's son. The bloodline continues through me.``

Ada: When men smirked, it was nearly a reflex reaction to kick them in the shins. He was lucky she was in a pleasant mood tonight, because he was certainly within range! She deserved the smirk, which was the more likely reason she kept her pointy-toed boots on this side of the table. "I suppose. Leather would just sop up the blood, and be good for absolutely nothing. I wonder...." Well, no, she didn't, really. Leather gloves did what she needed them to do in the garden. If she got them wet out in the rain, it was due to her own absent minded stupidity. Crackly gloves. Always a pleasant discovery. "You must have been very close to your father. And you are the eldest child?" Ada was an only child, and it sometimes showed. But when her father left, things had certainly changed for her little family.

Ren: Had Ada followed through with her first instincts to kick him in his shins, that would have just given her something else to treat most likely. Which, at this point, just may have been the reason behind her thought to begin with! No, of course Ren wouldn't think such things. `` Indeed, and so I would have found myself having to replace them in any case. `` As she seem to readily say something else, she had stopped, which had Ren looking to her curiously. `` You wonder what?`` He asked, only to have Ada speak of his father and then ask her own question. ``I was... my father, he was a hard man, but not so hard he did not thank the Gods for his wife and children, while being strong enough of a man to show he loved them too.`` Ren was very
proud of his father, his father would always be his idol. He hoped to only become half the man he had been. It was tough love, but it was love and that was something many seem had to go without, no matter it's type. `` Yes, I'm the eldest... Danae is a few years younger than me. I was born under the sign of Aries, she under the sign of the scorpion.``

Ada: "Sign?" Oh, that was interesting! And Gods? That was even better! She had seen the heretic's fires light up the skies over Paris with a strange glow she would never forget, though. Such memories tended to make a woman cautious. It was a strange glow. Orange, an orange that turned the evening sky a deep, angry purple. Her face was usually so expressive, but when she thought about that night in Paris, something closed off, an abrupt change as if she'd literally slammed the window shut on a conversation she did not like leaking in from the streets. But she was quick to swing back to the present, listening now with her chin propped on her hand, elbow wedged on the table, having forgotten all about her little flower project. His admiration for his father was clear even without the explanation of the tattoo, which she liked. Having a not particularly admirable father of her own, it was gratifying to know some existed, somewhere in the world. "Oh, I was just wondering, there has to be a better material that wouldn't soak up all the blood. Something that would be resistant to water but still have the same grip as leather. It is not important, just a thought! "What sign would I be if I was born on Imbolc? The first of August."

Ren: `` Yes... signs... um, symbols found under the stars that are more prominent during certain times of the year.`` He answered and then nodded again. `` Yes, Gods... I know some believe in the Christian God, others here have their own Celtic Gods, and well.. we Greeks we have our own Gods.`` He added a few minutes later. His eyes narrowed however when he looked back up at her after taking the last swallow of his ale. He thought for a moment, she looked distant, as if lost elsewhere. Where some would have missed signals like hers, people like he and Danae who were trained to read the body language of both humans and animals, would easily pick up on it. Though, she seem to come back to the present time, and so he wouldn't point out anything and have her grow concerned or feel embarrassed. When she spoke on the leather idea, he nodded and had to agree. But when she asked what sign she would be given the day of her birth... he thought a moment and then looked back to her. `` A lion... a leo...`` He replied with a smile.

Ada: "A lion. I like that." She nodded, smiling. It wasn't possible to completely chase away ghosts once summoned, but Ada was glad to leave the past in the past. She did not often dredge it up. Not that was it was unpleasant -- no, many, many parts of it were quite pleasant indeed! It simply did not have a place here. She sipped at her tea, which had somehow grown tepid. It was a true tragedy, as far as she was concerned. Tea was meant to be consumed hot, or it tasted gritty. "What is Aries?" She wasn't familiar with the Greek gods, or much to do with astrology that went beyond the moon phases. Her faith was the quiet, earthy sort, best practiced in the garden or the kitchen, and ruled by pragmatism. She sought knowledge on a path that ran contrary to her identifying Moon, but only by what she had experienced through her Teacher. But that was how life was, and it was precisely why her Teacher had sent her elsewhere to continue learning. And her restlessness was driving him slowly toward madness.

Ren: `` You should, it is a good sign.`` He said with a grin. Ren of course didn't know the reason behind such a distant look, but he guess it was one of two things. One, something very nice, or two... something not so nice. It was that simple and common sense was something he thought quite a few people he knew, lacked. At her next question, he chuckled before answering. `` A ram... and before you ask, yes, I am just as stubborn as one. Or at least I am constantly told.`` He jested as his large arms folded over a broad chest. `` You know, there are also elements that are associated with these signs.`` Nodding matter of factly. `` ...and if my memory is right, yours is fire.`` added the Greek male. Ren may not look very smart, but there was an old saying, looks can be deceiving. Many just thought him to be all brawn and no brain, and he wondered, just how many people would he surprise if given the chance to know him more beyond his appearance.

Ada: Ada tried not to make assumptions about people she'd just met. For Ren, that was a little difficult, but in all honesty, she had no idea where to even begin assuming. He was so strange, she wasn't sure what to make of him. But almost the same could be said of Ada at times. She grinned. "I can imagine you as stubborn. I bet you're terrible to fight with. Your sister deserves a medal." She wanted to quiz him about this zodiac business. It could become a new obsession, though she was not easily dragged into such things. Maybe there was a book at the library, so she could leave this poor man alone and stop pestering him about animals and elements. "And fire! I'd never imagined myself having anything to do with fire." It was a masculine element, and nothing about Ada was confrontational, stubborn, or prideful. Or at least, not to her knowledge. She'd been a bit of each in the past. "Oh, that's food for thought, no? I may not sleep tonight just thinking about it." She was fond of double-entendres and terrible puns, so she winced immediately at having just set herself up, even if eyes twinkled.

Ren: He laughed and nodded. ``So I am told often... and I suppose she does, though, same could be said about me when it comes to her. She's no push over... that's for sure.`` He said with a chuckle. Ren nodded again as if to reconfirm his comment earlier. `` I think a lot of people can't see themselves linked to it. I think many focus on what a fire can take instead of what it offers. Like for instance... light, or warmth. It doesn't plan it's next move... it simply exists and goes where it is drawn to.`` He shrugged a little and he moistened his lips. `` It can be very interesting, but when my sister and I had to learn these things, we would have said otherwise.`` said with a chuckle. `` If you find yourself unable to sleep... I'm sure one of your teas can help you there.`` He teased as he turned his head and dipped his chin with a little grin playing across his lips.

Ada: "Your sister sounds fascinating." Ada grinned. She would have to be fascinating, she supposed, to counter such a strong personality as Ren. He was intimidating to look at, she supposed he could be just as intimidating when angry. Which it sounded like he was ... just often enough to earn him a reputation for stubbornness. She had to bite back a laugh at that conclusion. "That is a good point. Where I come from, fire is seen as a consuming force. When it passes, it leaves fresh and fertile earth, ready to be seeded again. But that is a good point, I think. Warmth. Can you think of nothing better than a camp fire after a long day of travel? Or one in your hearth during winter?" It wasn't so easy to romanticize winter just yet. She'd been on the road for the end of it, and there was something about those wet, unyielding English winters that made her want to pack up and return to the French Alps post haste. "Oh, right, teas." She was almost disappointed he didn't take the opportunity, but she suppose that spoke volumes for him as a gentleman. She smiled anyway.

Ren: `` My sister fascinating?`` He laughed. `` Hmm, well... I'm sure she could be but I'm thinking you and I are on two separate tracks of thought here.`` The man nodded when she agreed he made a good point, and smiled a little more. `` Most people do... there is a good side and a bad side to everything and everyone. Man, beast, element or plant. All can be used for one thing or another and even sometimes both, which is strange I think.`` He said as his head sort of tilted back and his chin lifted, possibly taking a moment longer to ponder on that very thought. He looked back to her then and nodded. `` I agree.. fires, outside or in are something I can easily see myself with every day and I have something else in mind that is better at time... like a hot bath...`` See, this is where she probably thought he would have said something a bit... well.. risque. But that didn't mean he wasn't thinking it! His next comment would prove just such a thing. `` Well, if your teas don't work... you could always come looking for me.`` She could take that however way she wanted, whether it was the more innocent line of thought as in keeping her company like now... of the not so innocent thought and keep her company in other ways.

Ada: "You are a philosopher!" Did he spend too much time in the woods and fields alone? A person amidst nature tended to think big thoughts and dream big dreams. It was no wonder they could agree on the purpose of those building blocks of life that seemed to be taken for granted, and forgotten about, by those living in cities and towns. "The duality of nature is ...." He had already admitted such things that would put him to the stake as a heretic. Why the hesitation? Certainly, he was not baiting her to reveal incriminating information. Still, the slight pause, pulling her legs beneath her, back into lotus position. "It is primary to many schools of thought. Even the duality of deities tends to reflect this much. It is not contradiction, so much as two possibilities exist at once. Fa--" she's already used that adjective. "Interesting." An amused little smile as she gazed back at him. "A hot bath? And you? Is not a remedy for insomnia."

Ren: Ren had to laughed, this woman, she was funny. He never saw himself as a philosepher, but he guessed that if talking about the things they had in the manner they had, well... maybe he was one, secretly. As far as spending to much time in the fields and he woods, that was a given. It seemed as if the man spent every waking moment out there and hated leaving it just to return back to society. If he could, he'd drag his sister out there with him and make her stay with him. Danae would go for awhile of course, but her duty was with the military, and so she wouldn't give that up so easily. He had to nod again, agreeing with her, that it was interesting. These were things he could think on for hours and never really get bored doing it. However, with her next comment, he looked to her, arched both brows in an amused look and chuckled. `` I didn't suggest both at once... but keep it up and it might just happen.`` He teased.

Ada: It wasn't easy to put aside one's calling, even for the splendors of living a simpler life. But he would know that. His passion was living life outside the city walls. His time within was merely time away from what he loved. It was amazing what one could pick up from a few shifts of expression, a thoughtful pause after the mention of a name or place. Ada was victim herself to such minor betrayals, but she was never any good at keeping secrets, much less hiding anything about herself that would do no harm when facing a bit of sunlight. She picked up a few of the petals in her dish and flicked them in his direction. "Is that a promise?" Her brows shifted skyward, though dropped immediately with her laugh. "It's been a while since I've had a decent ... bath. With a nice, foaming soap. And scented oils." It was her turn to smirk a bit as she waited for his reaction.

Ren: It was never easy parting with anything you loved. Whether it was a lifestyle, a lover, a family, a duty or anything that could be held as something dear to a person. Ren watched her for a moment and his grin only grew. ``We can remedy that. The way I see it, we can cut to the chase as my room is here in the Inn. Or, just for the sake of thrills, go back to yours and continue building up the anticipation, because I don't make promises I can't keep.`` He said as he turned to face her fully. His arms cross over one another and he leaned in as the weight of his upper body rested on his arms and the table beneath them. `` Keep paint a picture like that and you won't have a choice.`` He added a few seconds later, still holding to that huge grin of his.

Ada: She had to laugh, though she would like to have merely rolled her eyes at such statements. "Oh, I'm certain we can remedy most anything we put our ... minds to. But will you still respect me in the morning?" Grinning back, she decided to fold her cards first and stood up, grabbing her basket and gently nestling the two dishes within. It was pretty damned difficult not giving his arm or thigh a little squeeze.... All right, so she gave his leg a little nudge with hers, it didn't count as a squeeze! "That is something I have to remember about promises. But let's say you don't break your promise, just not tonight. I am sure we will have plenty of time to keep company and take baths in the future." The near future. Oh, damn. And her cheeks just turned red. She felt it creep across her skin, which of course, made it even worse now that she was aware of it. "Although, I rather like the idea of you throwing me over your shoulder and marching me upstairs. Good night, now, sweet dreams!"

Ren: `` I am most certain to...`` He replied back. `` and of course I would... why would I not?`` Ren wasn't the type to think less of a woman if she acted out on impulse. It seemed she would fold, he had called her bluff and as she stood to gather her things, he felt the nudge of his leg with her own. His head turned and lifted as he gazed up at her, he grinned of course. ``I'm sure we will.`` He simply replied back and crossed his arms over his chest again. He saw the heat in her cheeks, and that of course only made him smile, but he looked away, not wanting to add to it should she have seen it. Once he thought it was safe, he looked back to her then. Both brows arched, and he shifted his weight in his chair. Oh the thoughts she just planted in this mans head. ``I'm sure my dreams will be good, but I don't know about sweet...`` He said. `` Besides, I'm surprised you would even consider an old ugly toad like me.`` He paused. `` Good night, Ada...`` He said as kept his seat, though his eyes woudl of course follow her until she was gone. A roll back of his head as he called out for Rose. `` Rosie?... `` Again, it was all about know the man's routine as he would enjoy himself one more drink before turning in for the night.