Dinner Party (Closed to Meg Giry, Faramir, Steerpike) [Forward Dated To Tomorrow]
((OOC: Posting this now, since I'll be at work at six tomorrow. ;)))Fantine had been up since very early, cleaning the apartment ten times over, making sure everything was exactly as she wanted it to be. She and Meg had been working on the menu and the food for days, and the apartment smelled of cooking pies, and the rest of the dinner that they
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She smiles warmly as she welcomes Faramir, taking his hands and squeezing them.
"I'm so glad you've come. I hope you enjoy what we've done with the apples."
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She clasped her hands, looking down at them.
"You are kind, sir. I am not used to people treating me like this; taking care of me. I am so used to being alone and fighting for myself. And I didn't do so very well at that."
She is quiet for a moment, then looks up at him with a smile, taking his hands and squeezing them.
"But today is not for these sad conversations, Monsieur. It is a party! And there is food and drink and good company, and I hope very much that we shall all end this evening as very good friends and with a deep desire to do this again soon. Come, sit down and let me get you a drink. What would you like? We have wine, beer, brandy?"
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"You were not made to fight any more than I, but you did what you had to do and are now somewhere that all the good may come back to you." I would help that, as so many here have helped me.
"It is not so sad, not when it brings people together, though you are right that it's not for a party." Which this is, if an unexpected one.
"A glass of wine, please. The bottle I brought you can keep for later." I'm sure the writing on it will cause some confusion. "The village has been known to provide for me wine from home at times. Worry not that you cannot read where it came from, as most in Middle-earth do not know Elvish either."
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"Oh, I cannot read anyway," she said with only a slight blush. "I never learned."
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"I would be ill company if I were to drink all that, but thank you. I will have more with food." I get tired if I drink too much and that would be very rude.
"Did you wish to learn? I have taught several people to read." Little wonder that she did not mention anything about recipes from the library. "It is a very useful skill, though I suppose that since I work in the library here you might have guessed that I would say such a thing."
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"Monsieur Steerpike was going to read to me in the park. I thought perhaps he could teach me? Not that I do not think you could do the job very well indeed..."
She blushed, hoping he would not take offense.
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I have to smile.
"Perhaps he will teach you to read and I'm not offended at all. But..." I hold up a finger in what I hopes she'll understand is a mock lesson. "When a young man has the chance to read to a pretty young lady and she is willing, why would he teach her to read when that would deprive him of the opportunity to spend time reading to her?"
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"You flatter me terribly, sir. I do not know that he will do it, but if he does not it is because he is terribly busy, and I would not begrudge him his time. He will probably be more than willing to teach me, as he will not have to waste his time reading to an ignorant any more."
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Reading is a beginning.
"If you wish to learn to read, there will be someone to teach you. Please, do not speak so lowly of yourself." There is so much hurt in her past that it saddens me. "To read to someone is a pleasure. When I first learned how I read to my mother, who was ill. She could certainly have read on her own but I know she liked to listen to me."
She was proud, as Boromir was proud. Back then, even though he was so worried about mother, father was proud too.
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She sighed, pouring herself a small glass of wine.
"Years ago, when I was younger, I suppose I thought I was pretty enough. But everything that has happened since...I'm not that girl any more. And I never was very smart. There was never time for school, either. After Father died, mother needed me. Life was never easy, but there was always love to keep me going. Love for mother, love for Félix, love for Cosette. Because love, real love, it's all that really matters, isn't it?"
She looked a tiny bit confused, worrying her bottom lip. It was af if she knew what she wanted to say, but couldn't find the perfect words.
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She shrugged.
"It doesn't upset me that I'm not smart. I never have been, and while I know that being smart is important, there are other things that are important, too. Like being kind to others, making people smile, loving people. Maybe that's who I am."
She smiled and looked towards the kitchen, then back towards him.
"Tell me of the place you are from?"
It was clear that he liked it, and it was much better conversation for a party.
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"Kerai is not kind in the traditional sense any more than people would call her physically beautiful: to me she is both." Her kindness is tempered with... temper. "You can be those things but in knowing what you are there is a certain wisdom."
Better than those who think they know all when that isn't possible.
"Oh dear, do not ask me to speak of my home as I will do so happily all evening and bore everyone dreadfully." I don't mean to. "It seems strange to me but it might be because of our simpler ways than most have--I am more attached to my home than most seem to be."
Faramir is more attached to Gondor, not as much as someone like Galadriel is to her lands, but Tolkien's ruling families do tend to have a symbiotic relationship with their lands. So Faramir does have a physical connection to Gondor that he really doesn't know about. Galadriel is so attuned to the Golden Wood that she knows when people enter it.
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Should fade, because he can talk about it a long time. He'll describe the city, the seven levels and gates, the view of the Pelennor beyond, history... The contrast of the grand size of the old with the friendly comfort of the new.
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