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Post by Chris Strongheart on Jun 3, 2006 17:21:05 GMT -5
"So..." Christine started hestitantly, not knowing how to continue the conversation. She turned to Riven before he left. "Just a glass of wine for me, thanks," she said, before wincing. She knew Sky was going to get on her case about just having a glass of wine and nothing else.
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Post by Sky on Jun 3, 2006 17:28:36 GMT -5
Sky raised his brows at Christine's order of just wine, but he forced himself not to comment on it. They had other things to discuss - things that he wasn't quite sure how to broach. Deciding that the best way to begin was to just jump right in, Sky blurted out suddenly, "I'm confused. That's why I've been avoiding you. Not because I suddenly decided that you're detestable or that you're some kind of china doll, but because I'm confused. Things are complicated in my life and I know that that wasn't an excuse to cut you out of my life . . . but I wasn't thinking. I was just going off of instinct - of what made my life easier to manage. It just so happened that you were one of the things that made my life less than simple . . . so I figured that if I didn't have to be around you, then everything would somehow fall into place. I'm sorry, Chris; I really am."
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Post by Chris Strongheart on Jun 3, 2006 17:34:29 GMT -5
Christine clenched her teeth together and willed herself to be calm. Really, she could do calm. "Really," she said blandly. "I seem to remember having a conversation like this when we were children. You remember. That summer."
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Post by Sky on Jun 3, 2006 17:41:23 GMT -5
With a tired sigh, Sky asked, "What do you want from me, Christine? I'm trying to apologize to you and I'm trying to explain what's been going through my head the last few weeks, but here you are bringing up things from a long, long time ago. Whatever I did then . . . it was a different time. We were different. I'm telling you, this isn't anything like that summer."
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Post by Chris Strongheart on Jun 3, 2006 18:20:34 GMT -5
"And it's different how? You avoided me then, you avoided me now. I see no real difference except in our ages and motives."
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Post by Sky on Jun 3, 2006 18:35:04 GMT -5
"And age makes all the difference. When we were kids, I had no choice in whether I saw you or not; my life was dictated by my parents. It had to be that way. But now that I'm older - now that I don't live with them year-round - they don't have as much power over me. True, I am supposed to listen to them, but I don't have to if I decided that I didn't want to; of course, that's a whole different mess that you probably don't want to get into. But don't you see? Me avoiding you then was not my decision - but my avoiding you recently? That was my coping mechanism. I know that I said that avoiding you was my first instinct - but that doesn't mean that it wasn't also a choice. I could have forced myself to stick by you, to get past my discomfort, but I didn't because I didn't know how. Chris, you think you know what it's like to be me, what my life is like, but you don't. Not entirely."
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Post by Chris Strongheart on Jun 3, 2006 18:39:03 GMT -5
Christine gave him a blank look. "The avoiding I was referring to was you avoiding me because you thought I only wanted to play fairy princesses and tea parties," she said blandly. "Which, I assure you, was not something I liked."
She lifted the glass of wine that the waiter left for her to her lips and sipped it slowly, savoring the taste. At least now she had something to occupy herself with.
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Post by Sky on Jun 3, 2006 18:49:54 GMT -5
Sky briefly closed his eyes as he wondered what he could possibly say. It was blatantly clear to him that Christine was not in the mood for talking and he was not in the mood for pressing the issue if she didn't want to listen. With a sigh, Sky opened his eyes and then took a long swig of drink, emptying the glass. Motioning at a waiter to bring him another, Sky glanced over at Christine as he said, "I wish things hadn't changed between us; I wish that we could talk the way we used to . . . but I just don't know how . . ." Sky trailed off as he turned his attention back to the empty glass he grasped between his palms.
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Post by Chris Strongheart on Jun 3, 2006 18:51:11 GMT -5
Christine lowered her glass and looked at him. "We could always start over, start fresh," she ventured. She blushed a bit and looked away. "I just wish I knew how..."
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Post by Sky on Jun 3, 2006 18:57:29 GMT -5
"And I wish it was that simple," Sky said with a sad smile. Keeping his attention focused on the glass, Sky said suddenly, his voice reflective, "I ended things with Bloom a while back and she took it surprisingly well." At this Sky paused for a moment before he continued, "You know, for the longest time I thought that she was what was standing in our way but now that things between the two of us are finished for good, I realize that she wasn't the obstacle. Not really."
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Post by Chris Strongheart on Jun 3, 2006 18:59:04 GMT -5
"It's who, no, what I am, isn't it," Christine asked, or more said, in a quiet dead tone. "I'm not good enough for anyone..."
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Post by Sky on Jun 3, 2006 19:16:04 GMT -5
"Not good enough for my parents - my mother, in particular," Sky corrected with sad eyes. "You'd be surprised to hear that she actually likes you very much; even though you two haven't seen each since that summer, she says she remembers what a pleasant child you were and how she thought you were quite lovely. But that isn't enough to satisfy my mother." Taking a deep breath, Sky, knowing that Christine deserved to hear the truth and not some watered down version that would spare her feelings, said frankly, "You're right; your bloodline does matter to her. It's not because she's some cruel, heartless person . . . she's just doing her duty to Eraklyon. You see, Christine, Eraklyon law is strict when it comes to exactly who can and cannot take the throne. One of the prides of my realm is the impeccable lineage of the royal family; I mean, it's been that way since almost the beginning of time and that's not going to change anytime soon. The people wouldn't stand for it. While I could get away with marrying you, and while you would be accepted as queen because of the simple fact that you wouldn't be directly in control of the realm, if we had any sons, they would never be able to rule as king because, in the eyes of the law, their blood would be tainted. And then . . . and then my family's seven hundred year dynasty would come to an end with me and after my death, a new family would take power. To be honest, Chris, I don't know if I could live with that hanging over my head."
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Post by Chris Strongheart on Jun 3, 2006 19:21:48 GMT -5
Christine said nothing, just stared down into her wine glass. "Maybe it's time for your laws to change. Blood means nothing. It's what you do with your life that matters." She raised her eyes slightly, trying to hide the tears from him. "What about you? Do they consider you still pure or are you tainted as well?"
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Post by Sky on Jun 3, 2006 19:27:24 GMT -5
"They consider me cursed," Sky said wryly. "They say it doesn't really affect my blood - that when they find a way to reverse what happened to me, that everything will be just fine and all back to normal. Basically, they think my curse is a temporary inconvenience." With a sigh, Sky said, "But I agree that blood shouldn't matter . . . but try telling that to the old conservative fogies in the Parliament and you'd be heckled like none other."
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Post by Chris Strongheart on Jun 3, 2006 19:29:47 GMT -5
Christine said nothing again, just took a sip of her wine and thought. There had to be a legal, an ethical loophole that could work in their favor. "Do you think you could find me a copy of the law that states the pure blood thing?" she asked. "I might as well put some of my other classes to use. Like that Laws and Ethics class you signed us up for and then bailed on me."
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