Anatole's Kitchen Table

[Anatole]

Anatole holds his gaze, staring across the table while the Beast struggles. This gaze is not acustatory, nor is it meant to humiliate. Jasper is showing pain. The Wizened respects that. And that means not turning from it in fear or embarrassment.

In the end, the Wizened gestured to his burned face with a wry smile.

"The only touch I got was from hot metal. Heh!"

He grew sombre quickly once more.

"Yes. Sadly I think that has always been the way. I just thing the veils are much more transparent than they used to be and that frightens people. Maybe it even terrifies us as well. Thing is... I'm not sure that this is necessarily better. Some secrets need to be hidden. Not all truths can be shared. I could be wrong, but I think you might hold similar views?"

[Jasper]

The Beast nods as his Wizened friend makes it known to Jasper just how he got those particular scars. He doesn't turn away, he doesn't wince. He's seen them many times before and to him, they are part of his friend. His history, what makes the dwarf who he is.

He reaches up and casually wipes the back of a hand along each each, ruffling the slightly damp fur there. The Beast then takes another sip from his glass, setting it down and letting his hand rest on the table.

The question did have a sobering quality to it and he nods. "I don't have a lot of secrets, not between my friends, but yeah, some things need to be kept hidden," he agrees. "It keeps folks safe, well safer.." he adds with a wry laugh. "Not that they know it.. or even care. It's a bit thankless, isn't it?"

[Anatole]

"Yes. Yes it is. Secrets are a burden. Only children could serious think of them as... fun."

He mimicked Jasper, taking a sip from his own glass.

"No secrets?"

A little, furtive, grin.

"What drew you to the Emerald Court?"

[Jasper]

The Beast lifts his head at the question, cocking it to the side in a decidedly bestial sign of curiousity or confusion. He thinks for a moment and blinks at the Wizened before him. "None really that I can think of...?" he offers. "Why?" Perhaps you know something he doesn't? Perhaps he's just an oblivious Beast and not seeing the nose on the end of his snout.

He catches the grin and it puts one of his own on his lips, flashing a bit of sharp canine teeth before he gives a small shrug of his shoulders at the next question. "It's hard to explain? I've always felt most comfortable in Spring, both the season and amongst its court. I like what it represents.. Growth, healing, creation, Desire.." he says, a bit of a sly grin of his own appearing at the last one. "All of it's good. All of it's fun... Some more than others," he adds with a bark of a laugh. "I already had some ties to Spring even before I swore. I've had some experience with healing before, first aid mostly, but the Spring healing is also very useful and I know some of it before I even became one fully. It just felt... right, you know?"

"What about you? What brought you to the Ashen Court and now the crown?" he asks, lifting his wine glass up to take another sip, pairing it with some of the berries like the dwarf had suggested. He closes his eyes for a moment as he savors the new and mingled flavors.

[Anatole]

Anatole bowed his head slightly as he listened. He raised his head, eyebrow raised, as the Beast explained his thoughts.

"Healing? Yes... Yes. I see that."

The wry grin came back.

"The Wyrd chooses who wares the crown. Always. It is not a permanent thing."

"I guess it felt right. In the time before I was my family's shadow and protector..."

His mouth wrinkled in distaste.

"I learned to live with my terrors alone during the Durance and I mastered them enough to escape. After that... knowledge drew me again because I still want vengeance for what was done. Some day. But also because of that past of being a protector. The knowledge I find can help protect those whom I have come to care for, whom I have been charged with. And I'm spiteful. The Ash is filled with spite and its a better fit than either Spring or Summer."

[Anatole]

Three days left and Summer Coronation has begun. Shall we wrap here?

[Jasper]

Sounds good. Terribly sorry about the long wait between posts, been a rough week for me. Thank you for the lovely scene though.