Mine Folly

[Yvonne]

The crimson tinge of embarrassment faded from the tinkerer's beautiful face because nothing would overwhelm the black of her skin, grimmer even than Yvonne's own. The grey dwarf's laughter had been less about ridicule, more about praise actually yet laughter could be interpreted in all sorts of ways. How ironic, that Yvonne's giggling would convey the opposite to what she wanted to express.

I think I may have struck a nerve there. What does that tell me? This one doesn't like talking ta strangers? Did she come for peace and quiet? Would she rather be left alone with her thoughts? She be easily offended?

Yvonne caught the precise moment, on the dark elven treasure-seeker's face, when she suppressed her rage. Try as we might to mask these emotions they reveal clues of their existence on their own. Anger was foretold through a clenched jaw, along a crinkled forehead, in the narrowing of slanted eyes. The vanishing of these clues told a great deal as well. When the face was wiped blank there were only so many reasons behind it, a change of mind, a loss of interest or reining in emotions like a cantering horse reduced to a walk.

Her self-control be admirable. She be one up on me friend Felicity there.

The hybrid spared her old companion a stray thought, wondering where the red-headed berserker would be at this point in time. They'd gone their separate ways many months ago, but hopefully she was still getting by. Felicity was quite ill, all things considered however she was receiving treatment for her rage-induced sickness. The berserker's was a fate this tinkerer would never find herself experiencing, far more level-headed.

Yvonne remained deliberately silent yet very, very attentive, nodding in appropriate places, raising the odd eyebrow - her silver eyes absorbing every available detail of this curious individual. It was another clever trick during social situations. By remaining silent and ensuring the one conversing with you knew their words weren't going to waste, it was simple to prompt more and more information out of them. The charismatic mongrel was attempting to pry deeper into the mention of southern Raiaera - with a masterful expression of questioning - but there was the stranger's self-control coming to the fore again.

She obviously wouldn't like ta talk about that particular topic. Raiaera be a difficult subject ta discuss between dark elves, certainly. Perhaps I might ease me way into that snake pit later. A few personal details about me ought ta loosen her lips. Tha free flow of information, tha fair trade.

"Ma would be worried about me. She'd be busy keeping herself busy ta distract from all tha worrying she'd be doing, bless her," Yvonne imparted, smiling fondly. "That said she also encouraged me ta leave Kachuck. Alerar be an inflexible place ta grow up in some respects, if yer not a pureblood. Dark elves don't look kindly on curs..."

Yvonne put two and two together. She whispered the rest of her sentence, keeping her voice low and her head down.

"...and neither would they be pleased ye were getting yerself into magic-mischief. That must be it. Yer running from them, ye be," Yvonne decided, confident she was right. By pretending she was certain she might be able to compel the truth out of her.