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Jul 31, 2013 11:44:21 GMT -5
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Post by Caitrin de Archer on Jun 30, 2011 7:50:47 GMT -5
Caitrin had become unnerved by how the dance had ended. It had been a wonderful mix of being in a half dream like state and knowing that she and Griflet were enjoying themselves. She was enjoying his company, which meant that the world was probably supposed to end or something. If she had been told by someone yesterday that she would be enjoying her time with Griflet as much as she currently was she’d have told the person they were completely mad. It felt as if there was only Griflet and Caitrin in the room for those few moments as the dance ended; the music was still there but no one else was occupying her thoughts; not the nobleman who tried to woo her, and not the brunette who had been interested in Griflet.
They probably caught each others eyes more than they had done previously as the dance ended. She could still see the firey personality he had but she was viewing it differently, she didn’t want to tease or argue with him anymore with the intent of trying to get him to dislike her and leave her alone. Caitrin gave him a smile, it was genuine and caressed her lips, but disappeared the moment the other nobleman interrupted her thoughts.
Caitrin wasn’t impressed with the noblemans offer and had no intention of dancing with him; the few moments they had danced previously had been enough for Caitrin and she hardly wanted to give him any cause to think she was remotely interested in him. She smiled curtly at his question and shook her head, going to decline but Griflet stopped her from answering. She was about to open her mouth but furrowed her brow at him, feeling her mouth open but no sound came out; what the hell was Griflet doing? She was sure he would have already been trying to chat up the brunette he had been occasionally dancing with. However he was here, almost in a protective stance.
Caitirn finally regained the situation and addressed Griflet first, “No, no, I’m fine really.” She wasn’t, her head was a mix of a couple of dozen feelings; she was dizzy, hot headed, confused and her stomach wouldn’t let up every time she caught a glance at Griflet; she needed some air desperately. She however had to obey to the rules of decorum and turned back to the nobleman and replied quickly, “I already have a partner for the evening my Lord, but I thank you for your offer.” She curtseyed lowly to dismiss him from her presence then turned her attentions back to Griflet, going to tease him, ask him why he wasn’t chatting up some other woman but she couldn’t; did she feel ill. “I need some air. Excuse me my Lord.” She said shortly, curtseying as she had done to the other nobleman and hitched up her skirts, quickly walking out of the hall and down the back stairs to where some nobles had gathered in the castle gardens. It was a welcomed retreat from the hustle and bustle of the hall anyway.
The evening was cool and she wished she’d picked up her cloak from her chair before she’d rushed out. However, it was dry and she could see the stars shining above her. She leant against a fence, half holding her stomach and looking in front of her intently; what the hell was going on. Her head was still spinning so she held her head again and was surprised to find she didn’t have a fever; what was wrong with her then. Her breathing had been short and rash so she managed to cool it, breathing slowly and wondering if she was going to retch.
She thought back to the dance, Griflet had been so soft in his touch with her; he hadn’t overstepped the mark as she expected him to do. The other nobleman had; he’d tried to woo her with his touch but Caitrin wasn’t that kind of woman. Griflet had been different tonight, and even with coming to at least try to defend her against the other nobleman had been uncharacteristic. Why had he even been like that?
Caitrin wasn’t expecting Griflet to come after her. He could occupy himself with whichever pretty noblewoman caught his fancy; she didn’t care, why would she? She’d stay out here all night if it meant she didn’t have to watch him caress another woman or flirt with anyone else. She hugged herself and breathed out slowly. Her Uncle would probably be annoyed she’d essentially run off but she’d excuse herself to him later; he’d probably be glad of the peace anyway.
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Nov 10, 2013 8:47:29 GMT -5
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Post by Griff Aubert on Jun 30, 2011 17:02:15 GMT -5
It would be a fair thing to say that Griff was more than used to young women running at, and several young men, but Griff was usually running away that didn’t really count. What he wasn’t used to, however, was, after gallantly rescuing Caitrin from the perilous clutches of Smug Git for her to run away. Above all it was ungracious.
Several moments later he was still staring at the space she had once occupied. He wanted to run after her, to make sure she was alright, and, if necessary, or perhaps just because she might say yes, he would ask if the ‘nobleman’ needed to be punched. Hard. In the face. The more he tried to assess the situation the more he realised how little they knew about each other. He had no idea what had caused her to leave and trying to work it out would probably give him a headache. Similarly, he had no idea what to do about it. He was convinced that whatever action he took it would be wrong. If he stayed where he was and waited she would likely be angry at him for not making sure she was alright, but if he went after her she would likely be angry at him for not leaving her alone. It was quite the conundrum. Never in his life had he given this much thought to a woman he hadn’t seen naked at least twice.
In the end he decided to follow his instincts – they very rarely let him down, and when they did he often found someone else to blame – so he followed her path outside and hoped she hadn’t left altogether.
Stepping outside he shivered, despite having taken his cloak with him, the temperature had certainly dropped a fair few degrees. It was awfully quiet too, a whole world away from the festivities inside. And, to make things even easier, it was dark and he couldn’t really see anything. His eyes took their time adjusting to the new level of light. When they eventually did he could see her, standing alone, arms wrapped around her – presumably because of the cold. Rather instinctively he removed his cloak and approached her, holding it out in front of him. When he was stood next to her he offered a rather pathetic “It’s cold.” He shook the cloak slightly, “Take this.”
Griff felt rather pathetic, standing in the cold and waiting anxiously for Caitrin to either accept his offer or tell him to go away. Ever since he’d met Caitrin he began feeling like his life was less and less in his control, it was a feeling that wasn’t helped by his current situation. He shouldn’t be so anxious, he shouldn’t be trying to rectify things and he certainly shouldn’t giving up his own comfort and warmth for someone else. He was selfish by nature. This wasn’t right. But he continued anyway because there was no reason to stop.
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Jul 31, 2013 11:44:21 GMT -5
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Post by Caitrin de Archer on Jul 1, 2011 1:16:28 GMT -5
Caitrin was still hugging herself, now starting to feel the cold seeping in through her dress. She didn’t want to go back inside though straight away, she’d either run into Griflet flirting with some other woman or that nobleman would try to woo her again. Neither particularly interested her so she decided to stay out here; alone with her thoughts. There was only two couples outside with her, but neither could see her as she had strayed too far into the gardens for the torches to light up her features. She was glad in a way, she couldn’t stand to answer any questions to why she was out here alone.
She leant back on the fence wondering how simplistic her life would be if her father or Uncle simply married her off to some random noble. Of course she would hate them both as she fully intended to marry who she wanted. She didn’t want to become an old maid however, and as Caitrin was still young she could play men off each other and enjoy flirting with them but the truth was she would have to find a serious suitor sooner or later, if she liked it or not.
She could hear someone coming down the stairs to the gardens and fully expected it to be her Uncle; no doubt the nobleman she had refused was the heir to some bloody estate and she had disgraced the entire family. Bracing herself for a lecture she winced slightly and then her features softened and her eyes widened; it wasn’t her Uncle, it was Griflet.
He couldn’t see her at first, and she wasn’t surprised. Both of the couples, now probably feeling the cold, went back into the hall as Griflet came out, leaving the gardens deathly silent. He did however finally spot her and Caitrin gave him a soft smile.
"It’s cold. Take this.” It took Caitrin a few moments to realise what he was going on about. She looked at the cloak then back at Griflet,
“But then you’re going to be cold my Lord.” She went to protest, and as another shiver crept up her arms she accepted the cloak with a small, “Thanks.” Griflet’s cloak was heavier than her dainty cloak, but she supposed mens cloak’s were more for practicalities, women’s were for show. Griflet was still stood quite awkwardly in front of her so she held out her hands, taking his hands in her own; his hands felt incredibly warm compared to her own, “Here.” She said softly, guiding him towards the fence she was leaning on so he could sit beside her, “It’s hard to see where the fence is in the dark.” She excused softly and finally removed her hands from his when he was leaning upon the fence. Caitrin smiled at him, her eyes were well adjusted to the light so she could make out his features and hers were intently watching him, slightly out of confusion to why he had followed her outside. Wasn’t there some other noblewoman to try to bother? Maybe the brunette had received a better offer, she couldn’t think of any other reason why Griflet was out here, freezing with her rather than in the Great Hall watching all the women dancing.
As already pointed out, it was incredibly cold and Caitrin took Griflet’s closest hand in her own and began, “If you are too cold my Lord you could always go and get my cloak from the Great Hall?” She suggested softly, then continued, “I think you would look very fetching in deep blue.” She gave a small laugh, shivering slightly and pulling Griflets cloak around her slender shoulders firmly with her free hand. The conversation felt more comfortable as she fell back on her gentle teasing and hoped Griflet would respond, she was actually enjoying his company and didn’t want to ruin it.
Caitrin looked sideward’s at him, still wondering why he’d come out, he was indeed much changed from the last time they had met, but she wasn’t sure if that was intentional or not. She could enjoy his kindness anyway without seeing too much into it, as long as she knew she couldn’t see his actions as a normal courter then she would be fine. Griflet was anything but an ordinary courter, he had been too forwards on their first meeting and now he was acting extremely courteous even when her Uncle’s eyes were not upon them which surprised her most of all. “Was it too warm in there for you as well?” Caitrin asked, only then realising her hand was still holding Griflet’s and looked down at their hands then back up to Griflet with a soft knowing smile.
OOC I think this is long enough :'] no idea how it got to that length
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Post by Griff Aubert on Jul 1, 2011 12:02:28 GMT -5
Caitrin appeared to be grateful to be offered his cloak. Griff simply smiled and replied that it was the least he could do, it was the gentlemanly thing to do and he was too hot with it on anyway. It was a lie, of course, but he would just ignore the cold if it meant she was keeping warm.
And then she was holding his hand. She was holding his hand. Through choice. Why was she holding his hand? There was no practical reason for her to be holding his hand and it made him feel rather suspicious. She must have an ulterior motive because, well, why else would she be holding his hand? When he was able to move on from the initial shock of what was going on, Griff was able to appreciate it and realised just how nice it was and how much he would like to continue. Caitrin’s hands were soft, and slightly cold. When she let go he felt slightly disappointed and his now empty hand was rather surplus.
They were both leaning on the fence he hadn’t actually realised was there. He realised he was staring at his young companion so quickly averted his gaze to his feet. Something was seriously wrong with him. This was not how he acted around women. He didn’t reply to her comment about the fence, mainly because his brain was repeatedly asking what the hell was wrong with him and if he tried to speak he’d just end up vocalising his thoughts. When he was finally going to speak without the feat of making a total idiot out of himself she was holding his hand again.
He laughed at her remark. It seemed like a good thing to do when his brain wasn’t behaving. “I’ll have you know it’s just my colour.” As he spoke he noticed her shiver, his instincts were to put an arm around her, hold her close and never let go. He didn’t follow them. Instead he just looked at her and tried to figure out what the hell he was doing, standing in the freezing cold (and without a cloak) all because of a woman. Yes, she was different. Yes, she hadn’t fallen for him in the space of five minutes so he was certainly confused and rather more determined that she would. But even so, this was new territory and he didn’t much care for it.
He should leave. He should just walk back into the hall, find the brunette woman – or someone else, it didn’t matter – and take them back to his small and disappointing rented inn room and not care about anything except himself. That’s what he should do, but it wasn’t what he wanted to do. Not that he was ever going to admit that if course. He was Griflet Aubert and he didn’t care about anyone and he did what he wanted, who he wanted, ignoring the consequences and having a laugh and just...not behaving as he was now. He needed to pull himself together.
Over the space of a couple of minutes he had quite made up his mind to do exactly that, and then found his feet reluctant to move. He looked ahead firmly. This was not happening. He was in control.
“Was it too warm in there for you as well?”
“No.” He replied bluntly. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath in, exhaled slowly, told himself that this was not who he was and opened his eyes again. “I was looking for you.”
...
Why the hell did he just say that?
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Jul 31, 2013 11:44:21 GMT -5
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Post by Caitrin de Archer on Jul 1, 2011 14:49:40 GMT -5
Caitrin kept looking consciously at the opening to the gardens. She knew no one could see them when they first entered the gardens but the last thing she wanted was her Uncle barging in and ruining a perfectly good evening. The cloak Griflet had given her was certainly keeping her warm and she felt slightly guilty for having it as Griflet would now be cold. Here she was, Caitrin de Archer, a stubborn, fiery and a complete tease of a woman becoming soft and sweet because of one man? No one, least of all Caitrin, would believe it.
The comment about the cloak seemed to break Griflet of whatever daydream he was being inflicted with and Caitrin was glad because it broke the silence. She could imagine him wearing her cloak in a feminine manner and laughed loudly at a mixture of her own thoughts and his response. Her laughter was perhaps a bit too loud and she put her hand over her mouth, “Sorry.” She excused herself, calming herself down slowly and looked up at Griflet, “I can imagine you looking wonderful in my cloak,” Caitrin voiced, “I of course look fetching in yours.” She lifted herself from the fence, doing a small spin in the cloak and then settling back down besides Griflet, flashing him a grin through the moonlight.
She shivered again; this was ridiculous. Why on earth was she putting herself through this? She didn’t even like Griflet in that way did she? They were mere acquaintances nothing more; it had to stay that way and she knew that. Griflet could never be anything more than a flirt in her eyes, but he was making it difficult for her to view him as just that. If he’d stayed in the castle then she’d be in more control, he’d live his life and she’d live hers. They’d have met occasionally but not frequently and perhaps in time become friends. Now, however, as they had been forced into such close proximity she was being forced into keeping the feelings she’d left the hall to escape; feelings she neither knew nor wanted to embrace.
Caitrin looked up at him as he’d given a resounding ‘no’ and furrowed her brow, “Well why did you come out here then?” She asked, and it sounded accusing without meaning to be. She’d expected him to try on the charm and woo her physically.
So she was shocked at what his answer was.
Caitrin struggled with her reply to him, physically as well as vocally. Did she believe him? The pause he’d given between his reply almost showed he was struggling with his words; but was he serious? It had been one of the first things he had really said to her which wasn’t meant to charm or tease her, he sounded sincere; and now the entire tone of the conversation felt changed.
Her features softened, she could deny he had any feelings for her, she could walk away from here denying everything and throw it all back in his face. It would be easy enough, she knew his character from their last meeting and he’d probably be used to it from other women she supposed. Griflet however intrigued her, she’d thought it many times but he wasn’t like other men at court; they bored her with their sweet talk and courtly ways. For years she’d longed for someone with a bit of fire to challenge her and now she had that; what on earth was the problem?
She’d been quiet for too long and she knew it. She looked down at where his hand was perched on the side of the fence and slipped her hand through his; his hands were now colder than his and she held it tightly, smiling down at the gesture then back up to Griflet. She lifted his hand up softly, bringing her lips to kiss the side of his hand. It wasn’t too forwards and she kept her hand there but drew her head away, “Are you glad you found me?” She asked, half teasing and half was genuine concern to whether he was glad to see her or not. After all, looking at it objectively she had drawn him away from the warmth of the Great Hall, possibly his dinner and had subjected him to the cold gardens with her. Caitrin was sure she would never believe Griflet’s replies to her, not for a long time anyway but she wanted someone to share these new feelings with her; and he was the nearest. The moment was ruined by her shivering again but she tried to disguise it, not wanting him to worry about her, and wanting to carry on exploring these feelings.
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Post by Griff Aubert on Jul 2, 2011 7:15:03 GMT -5
OOC - Firstly, I should like to make it clear that your post made my brain explode and I sat there with the biggest grin on my face and then had to, rather embarrassingly, explain to my sister just what was so amazing. Secondly, I do not approve of this line: “the last thing she wanted was her Uncle barging in and ruining a perfectly good evening.” Rouland is incapable of ruining anything. Thirdly, THEY’RE HOLDING HANDS AND BONDING AND CAIT KISSED GRIFF’S HAND AND I HAVE LOTS OF FEELINGS. Fourthly, please do not attack me when you read this. Griff is conflicted!
Griff was watching her, twirling about in his cloak, with a smile on his face, a genuine smile, one that hadn’t been used for quite some time. He was of the view that she would look fetching in anything, or nothing, but instead of voicing such opinion he nodded and said “It does suit you rather well.” The cloak was slightly to big for him, and against Caitrin it looked even larger, and made her look - if he didn’t know her better - fragile and delicate. He quickly dismissed the thought. She was not fragile and delicate, and should he have suggested such a thing he would have been swiftly shown just how fragile and delicate she wasn’t. So he kept his mouth shut.
When she returned to the fence he couldn’t help but feel slightly better, and confused as to why. Confused and angry, and feeling so for far long than he cared too. He was not developing feelings for this woman, because he didn’t have any feelings to develop in the first place. And even if he did, it wouldn’t happen so quickly and it wouldn’t happen outside in the cold where he was having to strain his eyes just to see her face. He stared firmly in front of him because if he wasn’t looking at her then he wasn’t thinking about her so he therefore wasn’t thinking[i/] about her. Irritatingly he noticed her shivering again and once more having to fight the urge to put his arm around her, and was considering shuffling a few centimetres away, but then that meant being further away from her, something he was loathe to do.
Before Griff was able to give the matter any more thought he became acutely aware of the fact that she was holding his hand again, and the very fact there was some consideration of moving away became increasingly absurd. She kissed his hand and it felt warm and electrifying and natural and exhilarating and he wanted to kiss her back. He wanted to kiss her and tell her everything that was going on in his head and hope she was feeling the same and everything would be better but he didn’t. He pulled his hand away, jumped up and stepped forward several paces. He faced ahead, he closed his eyes and hit his palms against his forehead. Repeatedly. It didn’t make him feel better, but at least he wasn’t about to do anything stupid.
His hands dropped to his side and he stood still, concentrating only on breathing in and out before trying to make sense of what was going on, and telling himself over and over again how frankly ridiculous he was being. After probably several minutes he realised that he was meant to say something to Caitrin. He didn’t turn around. “I am glad to find you well.”
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Post by Caitrin de Archer on Jul 2, 2011 18:52:16 GMT -5
OOC 1. I actually nearly cried at the ending, mainly because I was like NO THIS ISN’T MEANT TO HAPPEN, fortunately the only witness to this was the cat who left soon after 2. I’m going to attack you anyway because of the above statement 3. Caits upset again; thanks! 4. I wrote the rant first and that was over a page so I apologise for the length but your getting one massive RANT! Caitrin huddled in Griflet’s cloak as she spun around in it, quite content with being told she suited the large mens travelling cloak. She hoped that was a polite lie on Griflet’s part, she certainly appreciated the warmth the cloak gave her but it didn’t suit her as well as her deep blue cloak. Her Uncle spoilt her with clothes because they were an easy way of showing wealth and attracting suitors. Clothes, however, wouldn’t silence Caitrin’s tongue so suitors were hard to come by.
Matters of love and the heart had never much interested Caitrin. She was a realist more than a romantic. She had always accepted she would never marry for love because the ambitions of her family were so obvious. That only made it all the more confusing why she was having such feelings towards this man that she knew on so short an acquaintance. It didn’t make any sense to Caitrin why she should now smile when Griflet was smiling, or relish in his every touch. She was being silly and she needed to knock it off.
Caitrin’s instincts about men were usually sharp enough to know which buttons to press before he ran away, or at least backed off. With Griflet, she had expected the threshold to be somewhere around the marriage bed, of course she wouldn’t go that far, she just knew he was that type of man. She was shocked, overtly, as he pulled his hand away. On her part she jumped against the thread as he moved so quickly he took her by surprise. Then she was just confused. Men never confused Caitrin, they were so easy to figure out usually but Griflet was certainly presenting her with a challenge. She was angry for a moment he hadn’t taken her gesture well, then she felt upset because she had technically been rejected and refused to even look at him. In her defence she hadn’t been as forwards as he had at their last meeting; her gesture was to show him she wanted to go at this slow pace and not rush into things. Griflet had obviously read something into it or decided to reject her altogether which was hypocritical as he had followed her out here in the first place.
His tone was much changed from his previous words as he responded to her. She half went to laugh as she looked to the side; still not looking at him. She honestly couldn’t believe him. If he had wanted another woman so badly he rejected a small show of affection by her then he should have stayed in the Great Hall and had whatever woman took his bloody fancy in there. It felt just as Caitrin was starting to get to know Griflet he built his defences back up again and refused to let her in; if that was his game it was fine by her, but she would not confide in him again.
“I am, thank you my Lord.” He words sounded gritted against her teeth but she was wrestling between tears and anger. She’d never cried over a man before, and now wasn’t a good time to start; not for this one anyway. She felt embarrassed more than anything, she’d read too much into his charms and actions and this was Griflet’s way of showing it.
Now Caitrin was struggling with what to say, how on earth could she come back from that? If he didn’t want to court her, or if he did then he should make his bloody well mind up about it. Then at least he’d be saving messing her around and probably himself. “Have I done something to offend you?” She asked coldly, adding courteously, “My Lord.” At the end, she’d had it with informalities, they’d given Griflet too much power anyway. Her head was beginning to slow down and she could finally think straight. She only now looked straight ahead at Griflet; her arms folded across her body with the intent of showing her displeasure and of course keeping herself warm at the same time.
Funnily enough, the affliction she had been suffering from had all but vanished; magically. She knew she shouldn’t be so upset he’d rejected one of her gestures but she was. It had been the way he had done it; so obviously. “If you do not seek my attentions my Lord may I suggest you find someone else to irritate this evening,” Her words continued; the silly brunette dancing into her thoughts again, “I shall then seek the attentions of another as well.” (Probably the other nobleman, just to irritate Griflet).
Caitrin was being deadly serious, if Griflet didn’t want to woo her with words, or court her courteously then he had no business here unless he wanted them to be friends. In which case, why had he kissed her on their last meeting? It was all becoming slightly too much to comprehend so she silenced her thoughts, they were only making her more confused anyway and she cooly breathed out, her arms still tightly folded against her slender frame. Griflet wasn’t about to make a fool out of her, she would make sure of it.
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Post by Griff Aubert on Jul 3, 2011 15:59:31 GMT -5
Griff could sense the anger in Caitrin’s voice. He hadn’t expected anything else, but it still made him wince slightly to hear. He couldn’t be certain, and he definitely didn’t want to presume, but unless he was mistaken – and it most likely that he was – there was something in her voice, the sound someone makes when they’re trying not to cry, higher pitched and swallowing. He wiped a hand across his face because he was angry at himself and angry at the situation and angry at Caitrin for causing the situation, and then he was angry at himself all over again for being angry at Caitrin. Basically: he didn’t want to be there.
He was still staring out in front of him when she spoke again. Her question just made him feel even worse because now he knew, not only that he’d upset her, but that she was blaming herself. Guilt washed over him, possibly for the first time in his life. His behaviour wasn’t her fault all, but the fault of his own failings and inadequacies. It always came down to his own failings and inadequacies, but usually he did a rather good job of suppressing that side of himself, or at least pretending he was someone else. Yet here was, being reminded of just how bad at being a person he was and not knowing what to do about it and not knowing what to say because he was trying so hard to stop himself from caring, but at the same time not wanting to upset Caitrin, so his first plan wasn’t working well at all and God, he was tired. He closed his eyes because it was far too hard to keep them open. He was tired of the charade and tired of himself and tired of trying to be something he was never going to be.
It was after this revelation that he realised he needed to say something to Caitrin, but the words wouldn’t form in his head. He needed something to say, something good to say that would make her understand that he was trying so hard not to care about her but he couldn’t. And she wouldn’t like it, and some part of him hoped she wouldn’t like it, but at least then she would understand and would stop blaming herself and start blaming him.
“No.” He replied simply because it was all he could say. It wasn’t enough, he knew that, so he brushed his hands through his hair and pressed them into his temples and asked himself why the hell he was doing whatever the hell he was doing. Nothing was making any sense, least of all his thoughts.
His anger flared up at her next words and all he could think about now was the nobleman inside and his stupid bloody face and the way he was touching Caitrin and he felt the need to punch him again. But he didn’t, because there were more pressing matters at hand, like making Caitrin understand what he was doing, when he didn’t understand it himself.
It was at this point that he turned around, and folded his arms against his chest and pretended that it wasn’t some sort of psychological protection because he didn’t do that sort of thing. “Don’t go.” He said. His voice was desperate, more so than he could remember it ever being. “I-I don’t know what I’m doing.” He was walking backwards and forwards horizontally to where Caitrin stood, one arm having been released from his chest, palm pressed against his head as if trying to make his brain work properly. He stopped suddenly, and looked at her, and then after a moment’s pause said “I didn’t lie when I said I liked you. I do. Please, Cait, I don’t want you to go in there and find someone else. I want you to stay here. With me.” He sighed. “But I don’t want to want you to.” He wasn’t making sense anymore, but at least he was trying to be honest. “Because...I’ve never...whatever it is we’re doing, I’ve never wanted it. I don’t want it. But...I like you.” He bit his lip, looked at her and tried as hard as he could to will her to understand.
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Post by Caitrin de Archer on Jul 6, 2011 18:19:42 GMT -5
OOC it’s insane how long this actually took me to write, its also stupidly long! Also, I may have to revive you because of my new layout thing
Caitrin did not question Griflet further on her first question because she knew, from the answer he gave, that she either would not like the answer or that he would not yield it to her. She, instead, slumped against the fence, half watching he did not run back into the Great Hall, half watching the dark floor in front of her eyes, waiting for Griflet to break the silence he had created.
Caitrin didn’t leave, in fact she stayed absolutely still as Griflet spoke. If Griflet thought he was confused it was nothing on what Caitrin was currently feeling. She was taken aback as he called her Cait, even though the words which surrounded it troubled her, her nickname softened her features towards him. To her, it meant that they were now somewhere past acquaintances. She was confused to why he suddenly started to call her Cait rather than My Lady or Caitrin. Perhaps the formal charade he had put on in front of her Uncle was finally dispersing. She was glad in a way because it hadn’t felt ike she had been speaking to Griflet personally until quite recently.
“Do you think that I want to want to have feelings for you either ?” She asked him, her words were perhaps a bit too soft and she made sure she looked up at him as she spoke. Caitrin could not believe how selfish Griflet was being towards her. Did he think he was the only one with feelings to dislike or want to change? “I am not at liberty to pick and choose my lovers so freely.” She commented, a sense of raw bitterness seeping through and she blinked a small tear away from the corner of her eye. As soon as she’d spoken she wished she hadn’t. She was not completely bound to marry whoever her Uncle chose for her, but he expected her to choose well. At the moment, courting with a disowned second son of a Lord she’d never heard of wasn’t the best of starts. Caitrin had always been anguished by her duty to her family, she had never wanted to marry anyone if she did not love them but she suspected she had little choice in the matter. It was therefore harder for Caitrin to hear Griflet trying to dictate to his own feelings, showing he had the choice with who he wanted; Caitrin didn’t. She turned away from Griflet, refusing to look anymore at him for fear of her own feelings. She slipped her hands around her waist, hugging herself softly and concentrating on looking ahead; if she did that he couldn’t creep into her thoughts and bring back her tears. She was glad of her words now towards Griflet because she hadn’t told him she had any specific feelings for him, but instead she had made her statement as general as his had been.
“I already know I have no choice with who my feelings lie with my Lord.” Her words weren’t soft, or of a woman who was defeated, or ready to burst into tears. Caitrin was doing as Caitrin always did, falling back on her duties as soon as her feelings became too much. She was always scared of her feelings, as most people were scared of the dark. In her dreams she wanted to have them, but never wanted the consequences they came with. In Caitrin’s experience, love as had been described to her did not exist. Her sisters were romantics and they had been married off to rich warriors and noblemen to strengthen their fathers position. The only thing which had saved Caitrin from the same fate was that her betrothed died. There was an underlying section to her words of course. Although she believed little in love, she knew that it was always said you had little choice with who your heart set itself on loving. She would never go as far to say her feelings were that developed with Griflet, but she certainly had some form of feeling for him; she just wasn’t sure what it was yet.
Caitrin did not want to be here, but neither did she want to return to the Great Hall and either be taunted by her Uncle or molestered by that other nobleman. She realised she was still wearing Griflet’s cloak; it was still warm with the smell of him and it provided a delicate contrast to the anger she currently felt towards the man. She wanted to throw the cloak and the kindness that the offer had provided back in his face, but she didn’t. She carried on staring at him, almost lost for words which was a first. Griflet had stumbled over each word he had spoken to her, so either he was a fantastic actor or he was as conflicted as he was making out. She ran a hand through the bottom parts of her hair, avoiding her delicate circlet and spoke confidently, not with a voice of a woman who was about to burst into tears but with her voice, “Why do you not want to like me?” She asked stubbornly, “And I want an answer Griflet Aubert.” She stepped up to him, deciding the different was too long between them and drew up closely towards him, “Am I too ugly for you? Too poor? Too quick tongued?” Her voice had wobbled as she’d begun to finish the sentence but her stance remained strong. She didn’t want a half thought out answer, she wanted him to say whatever he actually meant. His babble of a speech had meant little to her, it was vague and invited questions.
....
Song: One Night: Ed Sheeran
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Post by Griff Aubert on Jul 10, 2011 13:31:54 GMT -5
There was an anger in her words, but even through this he couldn’t help but sense the promise in her words. She had just admitted she had feelings for him, despite the fact that she didn’t want them, which, although Griff was in a similar position really didn’t make sense to him because why wouldn’t anyone want to have feelings for him? But anyway, that wasn’t the point at all because she had just admitted that and given him hope that even though he was probably going to mess it all up again in the next ten minutes she had feelings for him.
And yet at the same time he was felt with that same self pity that he often felt around her because somehow she always managed to make him realise how awful he was when he was trying to be honest and open. She made him realise that he didn’t like himself and that he wanted to change, he wanted to be someone she would like. There was that nagging doubt inside his head, telling him that no matter what Caitrin said she couldn’t have feelings for him because she didn’t know him. He wouldn’t let her. She knew the charade not the person. And if she saw the person then she wouldn’t like him at all. “You don’t have feelings for me.” He said quietly. His head was turned slightly in her direction, but he was looking at the ground because he couldn’t look at her, not yet. “You don’t know me.”
He did eventually turn towards her because he should probably be facing her as he spoke, hard as it was. He was way out of his depth and didn’t like it one bit. This was completely new territory for him, as he suspected it was for her, and he was completely determined that his uncertainty and confusion and whatever the hell else was going on inside his head wasn’t going to show. He was Griflet Aubert and he was always, always in control of both himself and the situation. But as he looked at her – really looked at her and realised just how beautiful she was, and, he noticed, that her eyes were slightly red and wet – he realised that he had no idea what to say. Nothing he could think of could make the situation any better, and nothing could relieve the pain that was so obvious on her face, or the guilt he now felt as a result.
He wanted to explain everything and tell her how it was nothing to do with her, nothing at all. But it was all his fault, because he could never really work out how to be a person. He’d always messed it up and hid behind chauvinism. And now he was messing up all of this, and it really shouldn’t be a surprise and he couldn’t for the life of him make it all better. So he did what he did best. He hid behind his chauvinism. And hated himself for it. “None of those, my lady, but I rather fancy myself too much of a bachelor.” He grinned, flashing his teeth in that way he did when he was being cocky and arrogant only this time it was a complete and utter fake and something he shouldn’t be doing at all. “I find that I get all the fun and none of the responsibility.”
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Post by Caitrin de Archer on Jul 10, 2011 14:20:52 GMT -5
Griflet’s words brought Caitrin back down to earth in a way. He was right, she didn’t really know him. They had only met twice and really exchanged many words apart from teases and, on her part, shouts. However, instead of becoming more and more distressed at his words Caitrin pursed her lips together, hugging herself and giving him a small nod, “Your right, I don’t know you.” Of course she wasn’t going to let him off that lightly so she continued, “You puzzle me.” Now she began to walk towards him, as if making a study of his character. Griflet wasn’t just some courtier who she occasionally saw at court, his behaviour was peculiar and never seemed to match his words. She felt as if they were going back to square one again. Her anger and the situation was parallel to when he had kissed her in the woods, but this time she wasn’t running anywhere. If Griflet had a problem with her, or his feelings then he would have to be the one to turn on her heels; Caitrin’s stubborn nature meant she was staying put. “But how do you know you truly know me?” She asked carefully, licking her bottom lip, “You know nothing beyond our few exchanges.” Griflet may think that he had a hard life, but she too had been practically driven from her homeland and left in the company of strangers; Griflet didn’t know anything about her life, perhaps she didn’t even want him to know, she didn’t care for his pity. Then she sighed, looking up at him half longingly through the night air, drawing closer towards him, “Help me to get to know you.” She insisted softly, watching him as he finally turned around to face her.
Tears were pulling at the back of Caitrin’s throat as she waited for Griflet to reply to her. She wasn’t quite sure how she had wound up in this situation, men never got to her; she never let them that far in. She hadn’t been aware she had let Griflet anywhere near her intimate thoughts but apparently he had, and she didn’t like it. As he flashed a grin at her she felt her stomach turn and immediately hated herself for it. How was it possible to have feelings for Griflet at all? So far he had done nothing but annoy or upset her. He was completely unsuitable to even think about presenting to her Uncle as a suitor but there was still something there, in the pit of her stomach, which told her that she did have feelings for him no matter how much she wanted to deny any knowledge of it.
It was usually easy for Caitrin to do as Griff had done; show that raw emotion and then fall back on teasing or jests; this time however it was more difficult. She was disappointed in a way he didn’t really answer her, it felt as if he had put on the formal charade which he had donned in front of her Uncle again which irritated Caitrin intensely. Every time she felt like she was getting to know Griflet he built up his walls again, as if he didn’t trust her to go any further into his emotions than he allowed. Then again, she might be getting to know the real Griflet without wanting to. Did she really want to believe she had been right all along about Griflet? That he was that type of man as she had first suspected?
“Remember when we were in the woods?” She asked him, “And you asked why I didn’t like you? I wanted to say because you were 'that type of man', but you insisted I didn’t.” Her words were calm, not entwined with anger or hate, more a sense of knowing as she regained her stance, “Well now I am saying it, you’ve done little to prove your anything but that kind of man Griflet.” Her voice raised slightly with her last words but her cheeks didn’t flare up and she remained composed She was no longer hugging herself and let her hands drop aimlessly to her sides. The cold night was still surrounding them but she couldn’t feel the cold anymore, it was probably more to do with the cloak Griflet had given her rather than her own anger.
“Is that how you intend to live out your days? With all the fun and no responsibility?” She asked him cynically, the tears that had been threatening to show were finally dispersing but Caitrin’s eyes were still red and puffy. She wasn’t particularly impressed with his answer, it was hardly a safe philosophy to abide by in this day and age. Caitrin inhaled slowly, refusing to let her stomach turn every time he looked down at her and clenched one of her fists gently to keep her emotions in check, “But you will find I would rather remain independent and single than to shackle myself to marriage, especially to someone like you.” Her words were insistent, fiery and stubborn. Caitrin had never fancied herself as a married woman, she didn’t feel as if she could live under the will of her husband; she enjoyed her freedom too much for any of that nonsense.
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Post by Griff Aubert on Jul 10, 2011 15:59:48 GMT -5
Her words were said with such simplicity that Griff couldn’t work out what she meant by them. Obviously she meant what she said – they didn’t know each other, but he couldn’t work out if there was something else that she was trying to say, something underneath that he wasn’t seeing. He puzzled her. That was new. He’d always thought himself to be fairly obvious, well, not fairly obvious because he was always in the midst of a performance, but even so, he’d always thought that performance was fairly obvious. It was therefore troubling that Caitrin found him to be a puzzle; clearly he wasn’t doing as good a job of hiding himself as he thought he had and every so often the performance wavered.
He could hear her footsteps as she came closer so he closed his eyes and breathed as deeply and slowly as he could to try and focus on something other than her. She wasn’t helping the situation if she was going to be so damn close to him.
And then she made everything worse and told him to help her get to know him so he screwed his eyes shut and tried to stop thinking. And tried to stop himself from speaking. But, as he was learning he wasn’t good at doing what his brain was telling him to do. “You wouldn’t want to know me.” He replied with an almost laugh because the situation was absurd and his actions were absurd and he should be doing anything, anything in the world except what he was doing now and so reminded himself, rather firmly, that self-pity was not attractive and if he was going to stop being himself he needed to start caring about that sort of thing. “Besides, from experience I’ve learnt women love a mysterious man.” It was a rather weak reply but he was starting to feel less like his real self and more like his pretend self, so that could be a good thing.
In reply to her question he simply nodded. He could trust himself to nod without making anything worse. She was angry with him, that much would be obvious to the blindest of people, and he couldn’t really blame her. Even so, her words stung a little and he wanted to argue with her, to prove that he really wasn’t what she thought of him. “Is that why I followed you here to make sure you were alright?” He asked accusingly. “Is that why you’re wearing my cloak? If I really was that kind of man (which he was, but that was not the point) then surely I would be spending my time with the first woman that took my fancy rather than standing out here with you.”
It was safe to say that his words were not putting him in a better light but he wasn’t feeling sorry for himself anymore so he didn’t really care. He was irritating her, something he knew how to do. He shrugged and grinned, “What’s wrong with fun without responsibility? It’s far better than responsibility without the fun.” He cocked his head and simply because irritating her was making him feel better he added, “You do approve of fun, don’t you?”
Well that was charming. He wouldn’t be that bad to marry. And even if he was he hadn’t offered and she was jumping to conclusions. He folded his arms, feeling a lot more in his comfort zone now that they were arguing. “Who said I’d have you? And, between you and me, I don’t think staying single is going to be an issue.”
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Post by Caitrin de Archer on Jul 10, 2011 16:35:17 GMT -5
Caitrin was disappointed Griflet was still refusing to let her in. She was sure she was worth that much to him but obviously not. Caitrin’s lip twitched and she kept looking at Griflet, wondering what else was in his past that he didn’t want her to know. She already knew he had been disowned and what could be worse than that? “How do you know I wouldn’t want to know you?” She asked stubbornly, it was a weak question but she wasn’t happy with Griflet deciding what she would and wouldn’t like to do. She could make up her own mind without his input. “And I think you’ve mistaken me for most women,” Caitrin laughed, “But if you want to be all ‘mysterious’ then feel free. But at least be clearer than to say you like me one moment then say that you don’t want me to even get to know you the next.” She could still feel her anger rippling through her, Griflet shouldn’t be getting to her that much, he was just some guy she’d met at court; he meant nothing to her. But with every thought like that which Caitrin had she knew in a way she was fooling herself, Griflet seemed to mean something to her, something which made her stomach flip, or made her insanely jealous whenever she thought of him with that silly brunette woman.
Now she felt incredibly guilty, in all truth Griflet had given her his cloak and he was probably freezing in amongst all their squabbling. She put her head to the side, and jealousy burned through her as he spoke about the brunette he had been dancing with. It was worse in a way because he said the brunette had been the first woman to take his fancy. All she could think about was that stupid woman in the hall, Caitrin knew she shouldn’t have agreed to dance with Griflet, that was where it had all gone wrong. She knew she shouldn’t be bothered but it still tore at her jealousy and she looked up at him, then going to the lace which fastened the cloak. “Here,” She said softly as she took it from her shoulders, handing it back to him, “And I didn’t have to refuse the offer of a dance from another nobleman, but I did.” She felt pathetic still holding his cloak out for him to take it, “Just remember that.”
“What kind of a question is that?” Did she approve of fun? She stared hard at Griflet and then ran a hand through her hair, becoming increasingly aware she was becoming hot under the collar. He was winding her up, she knew she was letting him but in a way she couldn’t let him away with half of the things he was saying, “Perhaps it is just we don’t find the same things...” She bit her bottom lip, “Amusing.” She finished, giving him a small wink and grinning. Two could play at this game and she was determined to not let Griflet gain the upper hand this time and she was not going to let him get the better of her.
Caitrin threw her head back, opening her mouth; speechless. Griflet was getting under her skin again. She half laughed at him, his cheek took her by surprise. He was spilling his feelings out, telling her that he did like her one moment then proceeded to tease her, saying no man would have her. “And why exactly would no man have me?” She asked him, her hands going to her hips and her eye brows raised. She wasn’t letting him off that easily. “I doubt any woman would have you,” She said accusingly, “So it’s a good thing you want to remain a bachelor.”
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Post by Griff Aubert on Jul 10, 2011 17:33:02 GMT -5
Well. That was a question and a half. There was only one reason why Caitrin wouldn’t want to know him but it was something he would rather not mention. At all. So, at the risk of sounding like a horribly cliché he simply replied “You wouldn’t like what you found.” It wasn’t a satisfactory answer at all and Caitrin would only ask him more questions and demand more answers but it was the most she was going to get out of him no matter how hard she tried.
Griff raised an eyebrow at her next words because although she was laughing he couldn’t be certain whether she was joking or not. There was probably some element of anger in her voice; he’d learnt that there normally was with her. And of course there was truth because she appeared to be right about these sorts of things, irritatingly so. But he was telling the truth himself. He did like her and she wouldn’t want to know him, hence his problems. Without realising it he found himself shrugging and taking her hand because clearly she would understand everything going on in his head if he was holding her hand and looked at her in the eye, again, because that was clearly going to make everything alright and said, with a lot more sincerity than he knew was possibly at present: “This is me being clear: I like you. A lot.” His eyes dropped to the floor and he bit his lip. This was a lot harder than he expected and he felt like an idiot and God knows what Caitrin would say because it sounded ridiculous and self-indulgent but he couldn’t help it. “But you wouldn’t like me. I don’t like me.” He shrugged again, trying to make everything casual and probably failing. “Anyway. It doesn’t matter.” He looked up at her for a second time. “And I’m sorry...for everything. I really am.”
She was holding out his cloak to him. He wasn’t sure whether he should take it or not, it was clearly meant as some sort of statement but at the same time he would have preferred her to stay warm rather than righteous. “Keep it if your cold.” At her words about another nobleman he narrowed his eyes – was she trying to make him jealous? Or grateful? Both? Whether she wanted to or not she’d made him jealous. Back in the hall he had decided quite firmly that no one should be allowed to dance with her but him and now there was another man trying to sabotage that. “Why did you stay with me then?” He asked rather petulantly. If she was going to make a point of telling him of other offers then he was going to make a point of reminding her she stayed with him.
And now he was even more confused. She was becoming annoyed because he was apparently being misleading while she was being angry, accusing, hurt and then flirty all in the space of about five minutes. Well, he might as well just go along with it. “In that case,” he began and stepped towards her so their bodies were almost touching, “you must tell me,” he continued and looked her up and down, “what you find amusing.”
In response to her question concerning the likelihood of someone marrying her Griff replied thus: “Off the top of my head, three reasons:” he held up three fingers and counted each item off as he went, “you’re stubborn, you’re angry and,” he said the last with an almost pitying expression, “you can’t really dance.” He patted her shoulder with condolence. “Oh and you’re ginger. But,” he continued with an air of authority, “I think you’ll find I have women falling at my feet.”
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Post by Caitrin de Archer on Jul 10, 2011 18:18:44 GMT -5
OOC I know it really breaks conventions but to avoid it being completely sectiony I’ve put one bit before another, Just thought I’d tell you to save the confusion, I just swapped the bottom 2 paragraphs or else the post made no sense
Caitrin ran another hand through her hair out of frustration. She was tired of Griflet insisting she wouldn’t really want to know him. How did Griflet know he would really want to know Caitrin? She wasn’t exactly all that met the eye; she knew and appreciated that. She was a young woman, living away from her Mercian home, she had a sizable dowry but chased away all suitors to it and growing into an old maid frightened her. Being with Griflet made Caitrin feel incredibly vulnerable, like her life and her decisions were being passed over to another and she didn’t like or care for it one bit. She looked away from him as he spoke, but as he grabbed her hand she forced her eyes back to him, seeing the look of sincerity gleaming down at her. “Please don’t make that decision for me.” Caitrin said softly, half pleading with him and squeezing his hand, giving him a small smile. As much as she didn’t want to admit it, as he’d said he liked her, her stomach had tightened and a smile had crept onto her face. “I want to make a decision to whether I like you or not by myself, it isn’t your place to say who my feelings lie with Griflet.” Even though it was Griflet her feelings could be attaching themselves to it still wasn’t fair for him to think he could dictate her feelings to her and for that to be okay. How could she not want to discover if she did like the ‘real’ him after he had told her that he did like her? Her spare hand went up to his cheek, it was cold against her soft palm and she held it there for a moment, waiting to see he didn’t jump away from her before she continued, “Don’t be sorry, just let me get to know you.” Rubbing her thumb softly against his skin she let out an involuntary sigh at their intimacy, flashing him a small smile. Caitrin could more than match Griflet for stubbornness, and Caitrin had never once backed down yet and wasn’t going to allow this to be the first time that she did.
Caitrin was cold but she wasn’t about to admit it in a hurry. She had tried to make a statement with the cloak but it hadn’t gone quite to plan; instead of feeding her anger Griflet seemed to be repelling it. She looked at the cloak then back to him and answered feebly, “I’m not cold.” It was a complete lie and even now she could feel the muscles on her back give an involuntary twitch in the cold air. She ignored it however as he spoke to her again, and now Caitrin felt incredibly vulnerable. She hadn’t expected him to question why she had refused the nobleman, she had thought it obvious but she knew he wasn’t going to back down from this one. Biting her bottom lip again she looked up at him, weaving one of her hands through his, “Because I didn’t want to dance with him, I wanted to dance with you, because I like you.” She didn’t want Griflet to launch into another argument about how she didn’t like the real him because all that Caitirn knew at the moment was that she wanted the freedom to explore her feelings with Griflet, even if he didn’t want her to.
At Griflet’s later words about marriage Caitrin’s cheeks flared up for a moment, she accepted she was stubborn, angry and of course the colour of her hair was ginger, but her dancing was one thing Caitrin prided herself upon. It was like her looks, she had been brought up by her sisters to always look and act the part at court; she had been taught sensual dancing before she even knew what effect it had on men. “The other nobleman did not think I could not dance.” She knew she was pushing Griflet’s buttons but if he was going to argue with her then the least she could do was to return the favour. Caitrin believed his words, that he could have women falling at his feet; it confirmed her view that he was that kind of man, well, if the brunette was anything to go by. “At least the partner I had came to ask me for another dance once the music had finished.” Her teasing was soft but harsh at the same time, he wasn’t going to make comments like that without expecting her to bite back at him. “And you have so far failed in making me fall at your feet because,” She looked downwards to where they were standing on the soft ground then back up to Griflet, holding her hands out towards him, “I am still standing.” She raised her eye brows mockingly towards him and a smug grin erupted through her lips as she spoke. Here she was, falling back on her teases and flirts as usual; only this time she was more equipped to deal with the consequences of her actions.
“Riding,” She said cheekily in answer to his question to what she found amusing, biting her lip and winking at him. As inappropriate as Caitrin believed Griflet would take it she pressed her lips together, smiling and fixing her eyes on him. They were in such close proximity she could feel his warm breath against her cheeks; warming them against the cold night air. She closed her eyes for a moment then opened them softly, fixing them on Griflet’s features. Despite everything in their conversation she couldn’t bring herself to completely loathe him, it was asif something was stopping her totally hating him. “And what about you Griflet?” She asked quietly, drawing herself up towards him, her lips mere centimetres from Griflet’s. She watched his lips for a few seconds; something within her ached but she ignored it, blinking away the sensation to continue her speech, “What do you find amusing?” There was something deep within her telling her to stop, that she was going too far, like she had in the woods. She wasn’t listening to that voice however, she wanted this moment; Caitrin wasn’t sure about a lot of things at the moment but one thing was for sure, she did want him. [/blockquote]
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Post by Griff Aubert on Jul 11, 2011 15:05:20 GMT -5
Griff found himself matching her smile at her words despite himself. He was still convinced that it was far better not to be himself and he was feeling slightly awkward and unsure because he’d let anyone this close before, let them see even a glimpse of his insecurities, but somehow Caitrin was making that seem all right. He found himself mirroring her earlier action and kissed her hand; it seemed like the best thing to do and hopefully it would further cement his apology. She could be telling the truth, or she could be being really stubborn but Griff would rather not take the risk so he just took the cloak from her. It seemed the best option as far as self-preservation was concerned. Although he himself was quite cold he didn’t put it on but slung it over one arm casually. It occurred to him that it would probably smell like her now; clothes had a tendency to do that no matter how little time they had actually been worn by a new person. It seemed rather useless now that it wasn’t being worn by her but by now he had far more important things to occupy himself like Caitrin telling him that she wanted to dance with him and that she liked him. Progress was being made! He managed to suppress a smile, because that was not the sort of thing that he allowed himself to do. “Well it’s only natural.” He shrugged nonchalantly, finally being able to fall back on his arrogance properly rather than force it to surface. She could hardly say something as obvious as ‘I like you’ and not expect him to take it as an opportunity to be a narcissist. Of course it wasn’t helping that she was biting her lip yet again, but thankfully he had enough self-control to remain aloof rather than jump on her. Besides, the ground would probably hurt.
He didn’t reply to her words about the other noble because he decided if he didn’t reply or acknowledge him that he didn’t exist, so all would be well. He did, however, feel a tad smug due to her reference about his own partner. It was true that she hadn’t asked him for another dance but Griff hadn’t been bothered, rather uncharacteristically, as he had been far too occupied with trying to dance with Caitrin. And anyway, women didn’t ask to dance with me! Cuh!
Instead of pointing this out to her as he had thought that much was obvious he just shrugged, and then smirked because sometimes it was far too easy to be inappropriate around her and she should probably choose her words more carefully. “Oh don’t worry, I’ll have you on your back soon enough.” He winked at her and waited to be amused by her no doubt humorous and over dramatic reaction.
He managed not to laugh when she said riding amused her. Really, she was just asking for him to be inappropriate now. And then she was stupidly close to him and he could feel her breathing and he was sure she was looking at him in a way she had never looked at him before. He put an arm around her waist, pulling her even closer so they were actually touching now. “You, I find you amusing. I find you,” he paused to brush a hair behind her ear, “fantastic.”
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Post by Caitrin de Archer on Jul 11, 2011 15:34:35 GMT -5
As Griflet kissed her hand Caitrin smiled at him, hopefully it was meant as a friendly gesture and they would take their relationship from here. Caitrin refused to be dictated to by Griflet in anything, lest of all her feelings for him. He hadn’t enquired into knowing her and that was probably for the best. As she thought on it, there was little Griflet truly knew about her; little she would want him to know in the current context. After all, bringing up her less than normal childhood was hardly suited to a courtiers scene was it?
She was glad that he took the cloak. Even though she was already feeling the cold night air because of its absence it had the desired effect and asserted her independence; sort of. It hadn’t had the angered effect she had set out with it, she had expected Griflet to argue with her more about it, but he had just accepted it after a few exchanged. Caitrin couldn’t remain angry with a man who wasn’t feeding her anger. He had been intent on winding her up, yes, but now he just seemed to be falling back on his personality and jesting with her. She felt her cheeks redden as he told her it was only natural she should like him; she wasn’t so sure. It shouldn’t be natural she should have feelings for a man she barely knew, she had been warned of enough courtiers tricks and charms to know better, but everything about what she was doing with Griflet felt right. She had run away from those feelings last time but this time she was more stubborn and she was determined to examine and explore her feelings instead of ignoring them.
Caitrin felt a small laugh bubble from her lips as Griflet told her she would soon be on her back. She was sure if Griflet had his way she would have been on her back at their last meeting. She put one hand on her hip and raised a single eye brow at him, “I doubt I will be.” It wasn’t one of her best replies but she was confident she had more self control than that, “What makes you so sure I will be on my back soon anyway?” Caitrin was sure she wouldn’t let herself be in that situation with any man anytime soon, she was a respectable woman after all and she wasn’t going to let all that go in a moments lustful passion. This wasn’t exactly ladylike conversation but Caitrin wasn’t particularly ladylike and she enjoyed being able to walk away from that charade in front of Griflet.
Caitrin sighed out slowly as Griflet pulled her closer towards him, the feel of his arm around her was comforting but sensual at the same time. Their bodies now touching Caitrin felt dizzy again as she looked up at Griflet. She closed her eyes as he brushed her hair behind her ear, enjoying every moment of his touch; her chest swelling with his words and she gave him a confident smile. One of her hands went to his waist to steady herself, as she worried her legs felt like jelly as she was not able to stand by herself. Her other hand however went to his hair, her fingers weaving through it before coming to rest behind his neck, keeping them in such close proximity she couldn’t think of anything beyond this moment with him. She inclined her head towards him and questioned softly, “Do you really mean that?” She just wanted to hear that he did, that it wasn’t just something he was saying to her to fill the silence. Her hand was still on his neck and she softly rubbed two fingers from the bottom of his hairline to the top of his collar, watching him closely and embracing his touch. The night air was still cold but their bodies, entwined radiated heat against it and she settled within Griflet’s embrace, relaxing more than she had done with any man before. “And what exactly is it that you find so.” She paused, as he had done and kissed him once, softly upon his lips and drew away, staring up at him in a haze of dizzy passion, “Fantastic?” [/blockquote]
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Nov 10, 2013 8:47:29 GMT -5
Tag me @griflet
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Post by Griff Aubert on Jul 11, 2011 16:36:38 GMT -5
At Caitrin’s reply he raised an eyebrow and smirked and couldn’t help but asking, with more than a hint of flirtation, “Oh so it would be me on my back then? I should have suspected as much.”
He was sure he could feel the hairs on the back of his neck stand up and a strange tingle as her fingers touched his skin. Of course he’d been in situations such as this thousands of times before, never giving it a second thought and simply behaving as he wanted, but this was different. He liked Caitrin and was sure he had some sort of feelings for her – he must do, why else would he be showing such incredible self restraint? – so although he had spent however long it was charming and yes, alright, seducing her, he was finding himself reluctant to actually do anything. He wanted the situation, them, to advance because Caitrin wanted him, not because he’d managed to charm her. It was all new territory and horribly confusing and the only possible conclusion he could come to was that he must be developing genuine feelings for the young woman.
It was as much a surprise to Griff as it must be for Caitrin that he was being completely sincere with his words. He did think she was fantastic and beautiful and funny and charming, even if she was stubborn and appeared to spend most of their time together angry with him. But then he didn’t really mind that because if she was angry then all of her attentions were on him, and he rather liked that. He put a hand to her face, caressing her cheek softly with his thumb and while looking her straight in the eye replied simply, “Of course I do.”
He shivered slightly, though whether that was Caitrin’s doing or simply the cold was a mystery to him. He didn’t really care though; he was far too occupied by Caitrin’s lips against his so he closed his eyes and kept them closed longer than necessary. His lips still tingled, so he kissed her back before answering her question. “I would answer that, but then your ego would be as big as mine, and where would that leave us?”
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Jul 31, 2013 11:44:21 GMT -5
Tag me @caitrin
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Post by Caitrin de Archer on Jul 11, 2011 17:52:19 GMT -5
OOC: No idea how it got to that length! Just don't thud too much :']
Caitrin grinned at Griflet’s reply to her, enjoying the gentle flirtation he was presenting her with. She cocked her hip out at him, confidently spinning her words and winking at him, “Well, I think it would be you before me.” She laughed lightly and Caitrin moved closer towards Griflet. She was sure that he was probably more eager to fulfil lustful thoughts than she was. She had more self restraint than that.
As Griflet held her cheek she felt her cheek tingle and fell into his embrace. She wasn’t really sure what was happening with Griflet. Her feelings were spinning all over the place and making her feel quite woozy and dizzy. She couldn’t recall feeling this way about any man ever before, but it was absurd that she should have such intense feelings for Griflet, after all, she hardly knew the man and had only met him twice. However she couldn’t stop her stomach flipping, and her cheeks turning the colour of her hair every time he looked at her in a different way. She felt a bit useless just smiling up at him but in a way she felt like that was all that was needed, she was content with it as a reply, it let Griflet know she was happy in his embrace and would probably encourage him. Her eyes had been closed, she could just focus on his touch and block out everything that was going on around her and just focus on Griflet. “Good.” Was all she could reply to Griflet’s words, and pressed herself up against him, feeling his warmth and breathing him in. She believed his words, she had no real reason not to as decided that this once she would fight against her gut instinct to put up her barriers. Lord knows she was trying as hard as she could to tear down Griflet’s barriers without creating her own. All her senses were filled with just him and she had no problem with that. She hadn’t really noticed his smell before but now it occurred to her she felt weak at the knees and sighed outwardly at him, moving her hand to hold his at her cheek for a while longer, not wanting his touch to end.
As he kissed her back Caitrin found herself following his lips, not particularly wanting the embrace to end. She felt half drunk with her feelings and it took her a few moments to register he was speaking. Once she had focussed she replied to him quickly, “I doubt my ego could ever be as big as yours,” She teased softly, licking her bottom lip, “Especially when I do this.” Caitrin moved the hand which had been on his neck to caress his cheek, then moved it down his body gently to rest at his hip, drawing them so their hips were touching. Her lips found his again but this time it wasn’t a simple peck, she sunk her lips into his, exploring these new feelings she was having with him; for him. Her lips moved over his gently, but as he moved with her, the intensity of the moment changed and she pushed against his lips harder, not quite sure what she was doing anymore or why she was doing it; the only thing that she could think of was that she was enjoying it, and that was all that mattered at the moment.
Her hands began to move from his waist so that one was wrapped around his back, pulling their bodies together as much as was humanely possible, and the other rested around his shoulders, keeping him there, with her. She drew her lips from his, still hungry for his lips and trying to put the burning sensation her lips were feeling out of her mind. She planted her lips at the bottom of his neck, raising and dropping them a few times before stopping and gently breathing against his skin. She closed her eyes, sighing softly with the intensity of her new feelings and breathed her words against his neck, “Oh Griff.” Caitrin’s words were little more than a whisper but her head was spinning so much she couldn’t comprehend putting together a full articulate sentence so that would have to do for now. Kissing his neck once more, she finally raised her eyes so she was looking at him, and felt as if she was really looking at him for those few moments. “I’m glad you followed me out here.” She said softly, her head was still in the clouds but she was focussing on his face and rather liked what she saw. Caitrin was being serious now, she was glad she’d run out here in a way because it had created this situation with Griflet. She was glad he had sought her out in the Great Hall, and she was really glad he liked her too because at the moment he was all she could see or think about. [/blockquote]
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Nov 10, 2013 8:47:29 GMT -5
Tag me @griflet
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Post by Griff Aubert on Jul 14, 2011 15:31:39 GMT -5
Of course Griff had kissed hundred of women and most of them had been enjoyable. None of them however had made his head spin quite as much as Caitrin. He had on many many occasions told himself that the whole thing was quite ridiculous and no sane person could develop such feelings in so short a space of time, let alone someone like him. But here he was, getting goosebumps when she touched him. And it occurred to him that it probably didn’t matter how long he’d known her, whether it was five minutes or thirty years the only thing that mattered was how she was making him feel.
It was probably going to ruin the romantic atmosphere, such as it was, but Caitrin was teasing him and giving him an excuse to be cocky at the same time so it would be a crime to ignore it. “Well clearly you’re not as amazing a person as I am.” He smirked. And then she licked her lip and kissed him again and his brain stopped working. His hands started exploring her body, feeling her curves and warmth and trying to pull her as close to him as possible. His head was filled entirely with thoughts of her, how she felt pressed against him, how she made him want to be a better person, just for her. It was an entirely new experience for him and something he never wanted to lose. Because he was beginning to feel...something, something indescribable, something that seemed to make everything better, simply because she was there. He would have voiced such opinions, or at least attempted to, but she started kissing his neck so being attempting to be romantic really wasn’t his major priority anymore.
He looked down at her before speaking. She looked so small and delicate, which amused him as she was probably the least delicate woman he knew and would probably slap him for suggesting just a thing. He smiled, a genuine smile, a smile filled with relief and yes, he was happy that it was him out there rather than the other ‘noble’ but it was mainly because she was glad he was there. She was glad he was there with her, no one else. That was all that mattered. “I’m glad too.” He replied; it wasn’t the most exciting or passionate of answers but there was nothing else he needed to say.
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