Trade City of Abarion
Leila nods seriously, a solemn expression on her small face.
She is obviously not fully in the loop, but doesn't seem interested in the particulars...
It's weird, because she seems less worried than you may expect about Yasil... hold on, have those two ever met? Well, she probably knows about him from what you've told her of your group (but then again, you've been careful not to overshare before... even if you trust her, she isn't exactly a trained confidant of yours - and has other allegiances, which she has made implicitly clear)
Anyway, she wishes you luck as you leave, and then returns to her own life and duties.
Kavian recognizes life is a complex web, and he begins to crawl along it - ready to make his next move!
The park Kavian heads towards is not really somewhere he should be, it is above his station in life, but he has found work-arounds for the numerous times he has been drawn to visit this place.
On his way to the park, and while entering - Kavian does get some disapproving glances. Though, he is not refused entry by anyone - and especially by nobody with a visible weapon. Fortunately, the fixing up his clothes went through were good enough to make it appear as though he is wealthier than he actually is. Though, the lack of jewelry or gaudy ornamentation are probably the reason behind the gazes. Most likely, those unhappy faces assume he is a rich fellow who has fallen on hard times - rather than someone secretly climbing above their station to enter this place.
Indeed, Kavian arrives at the park before the woman he has eyes for. He leaves a small flower, a red tulip, on the seat she usually rests at.
With that, he makes himself scarce, nearby but out of sight.
After about a half hour, during which Kavian is not interrupted nor particularly noticed - (It seems that being somewhere is less suspicious than entering that place. People probably subconsciously assume that if he's here it's because he was let in, and thus there are no isses with him... It's a fair assumption, if a false one that is easy enough to exploit.) - the woman appears.
The woman in question is of a wealthy family but not explicit nobility... he has not conversed with her directly up til now, so he has no way to know whether her family has greater aspirations , or is satisfied with their wealth but lacking influence.
Regardless, it's taboo but not outright forbidden for courting to occur between Kavian and her... though many things could and would go wrong, and it would not be a pretty sight... it's theoretically possible.
First though, Kavian would have to get a sign that she is interested... and at least, up until today, from the distance he has set for himself, he has been able to confirm she has responded to his flirting... even as he slowly made advances, the woman did not seem put off, though she seems hesitant not to mention generally shy and withdrawn...
Perhaps today will be the day for Kavian to meet the woman face-to-face... he doesn't even know her name, yet...
Her appearance is something to behold (the less said about her blessed figure, the better) - even if she is by no means the most beautiful noblewoman he has ever laid eyes on, to Kavian nothing has stirred his heart in such a way before - with pale skin framed by long raven hair, her face is soft and delicate, with small features, her eyes are most striking - long eyelashes and slightly sunken - something some would consider unattractive or slovenly - but which fill Kavian with a sense of mystery... why does she appear tired? Why does she seem so melancholic when she plays her instrument?
Ah yes, the instrument. The reason he was first drawn to this woman -- before his heart began to pull him towards her in other ways... It was the way she played her qhit'al (OOC: a stringed instrument... similar to a sitar or maybe an ukulele) - most sounds from such a device would be folksy and traditional, played by minstrels to earn spare coin from passerbys... but hers sounded melancholic. It was a slow, crooning sound, one that told a story - but Kavian did not know the story
The instrument is a glossy black, perhaps carved from ebony, or a similar material. Regardless of it's source, it's darkly beautiful, and it matches the rest of her attire - which some may berate as gloomy, but Kavian finds frighteningly appealing - she wears a frilly dress, almost entirely black, though with traces of incredibly dark blues and indigos. The dress is unusual, as though it does have a large textile component, it is unique in that large raven feathers adorn it in meticulous patterns... truly enthralling.
The strangest piece of her outfit is her headdress - an uncommon sight in most contexts, and especially the social sphere she must reside in - but somehow Kavian feels the headdress (somewhere between a bonnet and a hood) is a personal expression of some kind... it too is pitch black, and also further obscured her features.
For adornments, they are rather limited - something which Kavian reads as even more charming than perhaps he should... he has never liked the ostentatious presentations the nobility will adorn themselves with... they clearly try to cover up their ugly nature with such things... truly, it's like tossing pearls to a swine.
Mainly, she wears a beaded necklace, which is made of some dark material that would need closer inspection... though such a thing will likely not be possible for a long time... if ever.
The second thing she wears is something Kavian didn't notice at first, but almost stopped his heart when he saw it... His first impression was that he was completely wrong about this woman... perhaps she was worse than the rest of them...
That was just how absurd what she was wearing was.
A pair of black earrings.
Totally normal, right?
Probably made of quality onyx or maybe even rare obsidian traded for from the far south (beyond the Param Sea)...
No.
It took Kavian time... but he could tell.
Black Sapphire.
The rarest gemstone in existence.
Those tiny earrings are each no larger than a single grain of barley (about 10 grains of rough-hewn sand, or 100 grains of silky sand)
Yet, they are each worth almost as much as a pound or even a pound and a half of high-quality gold.
Ridiculous. Even among the royalty, black sapphires are not often seen.
You could buy ten tiny diamonds of the same size for those two earrings, and still have some money left over.
But, despite all this...
Kavian could not bring himself to feel greed.
The reason was simple, but it took him a while to consciously understand.
It was because his conscience wouldn't let him.
It wasn't just because he maybe liked this lady in improper ways...
It was because she hadn't originally worn these ornaments.
It wasn't until one of his more recent flirtatious episodes that she had come back the next day wearing them.
It could be coincidence...
But his heart and mind both agreed it was unlikely.
He was sure, that for whatever reason, she was wearing this... if not FOR him... then because of him.
And so, perhaps this wasn't the same as what the other nobility did...
At least, his heart hoped so... and his mind went along with it because it wasn't impossible to be true with the info he had... yet.
With all that though, it was not just her appearance that struck Kavian... He could see prettier sights if he wanted to... he would just have to wait for some hateful noblewomen to parade themselves around town dressed to the nines... they objectively had done more to make themselves as ''beautiful'' as possible... though Kavian would admit that it did little for him, with the knowledge that they were likely very undesirable people in terms of personality.
Ultimately, it was something about this woman's demeanor that drove him crazy. At first, he thought she was just shy and quiet... If he was being generous, he could call that cute. If he wanted to give her as much charity as he usually gave to the upper class... he would call it annoying or maybe even passive aggressively pretentious...
But it was sincere.
Or at least he felt so.
The shyness and quietness was not some demure act, but the result of something else... Something deeper and more mysterious.
Later, by now, he had and has realized she is not just shy and quiet... she is somber and melancholic.
Reserved, but not in the way noblewomen usually are. Hiding a scheming mind behind an innocent expression. No, this was no crafty fox... she didn't seem dangerous... at all, really... though he knew it was foolish to blindly underestimate someone... especially someone who eventually would feel comfortable to wear black sapphire earrings around an unknown suitor who she probably recognized as being of the underclass...
Maybe that was it. The level of trust she was showing... or perhaps it was naivety, but Kavian wanted to believe it was a purposeful opening... a show of vulnerability... Though, who knows if he would do the same in her place. Maybe, maybe not. Only Kavian would know what Kavian would do... or maybe even he was unsure of his own true core of personality.
Regardless, the woman had a subtly powerful demeanor... it wasn't just gloomy as most around her seemed to think... Kavian could see it was something far deeper and more sorrowful... It made him want to protect her, to make her smile... he had even succeeded a few times, now. Small smiles that made his heart flutter. More than just a polite smile... a true smile... though restrained... by something.
Enough of that.
Back to the present.
The woman had sat down, noticed the tulip and shyly tucked it away into her long sleeve... He couldn't see her face clearly. His fantasies told him she was blushing... But he had no proof.
The woman had already begun to thrum a melody. Kavian realizes he has lost track of time. Time seems to melt when this woman starts playing. He hasn't only forgotten how much time has passed, he doesn't even know the order of events anymore... Did she take his flower after he noticed her earrings? Did she start playing before or after he arrived? When and where was he? It doesn't matter.
She was so beautiful.
And mysterious.
...
A lightning bolt explodes in Kavian's head - knocking him out of his deeply peaceful trance! His mind rapidly reorganizes the events, but it is clumsy, because he is focused on his sudden epiphany!
He knows why he finds this woman so appealing, finally!
It is the mystery!
He is so used to seeing through things... yet this womna, he cannot see through - even the most basic things give him pause, or confound him!
It is deliciously frustrating.
...
The sounds eventually stop, and Kavian's heart begins to race.
The woman is preparing for a new song...
Now is the time to approach.
No more playing the rogue.
He will directly approach her now.
There is Yasil's future to consider, surely, but also he has to do this for himself...
He desperately wants to meet this woman...
And now, he has the courage to do so.
What is Kavian's game plan?
OOC: Hopefully I managed to write this in an agreeable way. I worry I may have inserted too many feelings into Kavian, but I don't know how to write about things like love without mentioning a lot of feelings... well, there are ways, but I think they don't fit the case as well as this.
Overall, I tried to limit stuff to what we had already discussed in PMs (at least from what I remember, its been about a week tbf)
If there are any changes you want me to make, I will do so.
Hopefully you enjoy, I put a lot of effort into this and think it could turn into smth really beautiful. LMK what u think though!