Something New for an Aspiring Author ~Nastasha and Limbo~ (CLOSED)

"You sure you know what you're doing?"

The worried voice of the young girl's older brother penetrated her thoughts on her latest novel idea that she was sorting through in the back seat. She blew at a piece of wavy hair (She must have missed it during her daily routine of straightening it).

"Terrell, for the last time I'll be just fine!" Her second oldest brother turned in the passenger seat (he had decided to come along). She quietly laughed at how the two shared naturally different hair but yet they always received the same cut at the barber's shop.

"Forget it bro, she's not listening." Driene (second oldest to Terrell) said with a laugh and she buried her face in her jacket.

"I'm just thinking!" She yelled, irritable and a tad embarrassed at her lack of attention.

"Nastasha, chill! We were just saying to watch out for any strange people and to keep your door locked at all times and to also not forget to-"

"I'm not a baby anymore! Shut it!" She yelled and the car grew silent.

She thought about something else to say, but the thought quickly passed away once the car stopped in a wide area with four pathways leading from or to it. One pathway being where they were coming from.

"Is this-"

"Yup. You want help with your bags?" Terrell responded by cutting Nastasha off. She shook her head as she glanced at the bags she decided to bring along. One was huge enough to carry her whole dresser, another was for her art supplies, then there was a few for her knickknacks. It was quite a lot of luggage, but she was sure she could manage it.

She sighed quietly and pushed open the door of the black vehicle. She was dressed in a white Winter Coat with a longsleeved blue sweater on underneath. She wore black boots with her dark denim jeans tucked into them. She blew away the one wavy piece of hair again and regretted not being more meticulous in her work that morning.

Her brothers had all ready unloaded the car of her luggage and sat it beside her with her noticing until it was too late. She opened her mouth to say something but was cut off quickly by the wave of Driene's hand.

"Look, just let us unload the car and you can be stubborn, probably struggling with these bags, later." He said with a smirk. She only sent him a glare that he sent back with hopes in starting one last conflict.

"That's enough Driene. Don't give her the reputation of a grouch right from the start...she can do that herself later." Terrell said and Nastasha only crossed her arms in anger.

The two laughed as they started back into the vehicle. She watched them, her anger slipping away a little bit as a twinge of sadness took her. She looked to the ground for a moment.

"Cheer up!" Driene said and tweaked her nose.

"Call us...and we'll be here for you." He said and Nastasha hid her face in embarrassment.

"I don't care..." She mumbled and Driene patted her on the head with a soft laugh before getting in the vehicle that soon drove off.

She shook off the feeling of sorrow that was overcoming her and shook her head with a determined gusto.

"This starts my new life." She said in a whisper.

Nastasha started grabbing her bags...which she immediately fumbled with before dropping them all on the cold ground. She growled a little in frustration before trying again...and failing again.

It had only been a few days since he had arrived at Mineral Town, but the young man hadn't yet started to explore the place he decided he was going to call home. Throwing on a fine burgundy overcoat and pinning a rose to it he had decided to adventure out into the cold, slipping his feet into a pair of buckled riding boots, hoping dearly to keep his toes from the freezing white.

As he rounded the corner of a small shop he tugged his coat tighter around him, mind wandering as his eyes explored. There wasn't nearly as much in Mineral Town as there was back at his childhood home, but there was enough to keep his senses occupied.

Vruuuum. Plop- plop- plop.

The sound of an automobile and falling objects played subtly in the air, snow crunching beneath the bags as they hit the ground repeatedly, catching the attention of the ivory haired man. An amber orb flew towards the direction of the noise, catching the sight of what appeared to be a woman in white- and she had far too much to carry with her.

Well, someone obviously packed well, the gentleman thought to himself, his head swaying back and forth to check the street. He started to cross in silence, the only sound following him being the crushing of white under his heel- it was a satisfying feeling.

A coal hued glove reached out as the figure stooped, cloth-covered fingers grasping the handle of the largest case, drawing it to his side as he gazed upon the girl. His lips had curled upwards on one side, revealing the man's pearly whites to her.

"Need a hand there," a smooth voice asked, the accent of a brit flowing into his tone as he spoke.

Her breath hitched in her throat as she turned around swiftly. Trying to maintain any fear that was coming from being alone with a stranger.

Upon looking at the stranger, the young women almost immediately fell backwards. The man was tall, very tall. She searched over his pale features, eyes landing on the eye patch adorning a kanji symbol. She wondered what it meant since she was never able to delve very deep in the Japanese writing system (though it was one of her favorites). She noted he was dressed (for lack of a better word) extremely lavishly, which she found to be pretty interesting. She immediately saw the smile on the man's lips; she described it as a smirk. And his voice sounded like it floated gracefully through his lips.

It's like he's a character straight out of a novel She thought in awe.

Her thoughts suddenly stopped and she clumsily grabbed the bag from him, trying to sound insulted by his offer. She hadn't let her brothers help so neither would he.

"No, I don't! In fact, I was told not to talk to strangers." She responded.

She started shifting the weight of the bag until she felt it slip from her hands and just stared at it.

Her gaze puzzled him for a moment, though the woman's reaction to him was quite positive for what it was worth, she could have fled if she wanted to. For one reason or another the woman had not taken off, she had decided to stay, but she didn't want his help either. The woman grasped at her bag, taking it quickly from him, not seeming too keen on the idea of him touching her possessions. Once more the sound of a bag hitting snow was heard- at this rate the man could get used to the noise.

Once more the gentleman stooped, taking care to slowly take the container out of the snow, pulling it close to chest level. Gloved fingers brushed at it, removing any white that was clinging to it- oh how he hated the fluff winter brought. His eye returned to her, taking the woman into his mind in silence, capturing the face with no name before he spoke.

"Oh, how careless of me to introduce myself properly,", the tailor said softly, his lips curling into a smile now as he gave a graceful bow, the window to his soul never leaving her as he returned to full height. "Limbo- I'm called Limbo. As for talking to strangers, strangers don't have a name. That makes me quite the opposite doesn't it?"

A chuckle played in the air as he held the bag out sluggishly, starring down at it, then gazing up at the lady in white. "Now- if you'd like I could put your bag down, but I would insist that you'd at least let me help you carry this for you fair lady. I insist on it." He emphasized the last part carefully, hoping his simple intention would sink through to her.

What a gentleman She thought and inwardly applauded his cleverness concerning names. She wasn't sure what drew her to this character. Quite frankly, she couldn't place her finger on it.
But she wouldn't let him know of her curiosity so openly. Bending down to pick up some of the smaller bags, a reoccurring annoyance got in her way once more. That darned, wavy lock of hair that she missed this morning was surely seeking its revenge on her. She made sure to pull all the smaller bags onto her shoulders before she swept the hair behind her right ear in a feeble attempt to make herself look picture perfect as not to make a bad impression on anyone she was to meet. Though it was probably too late for the gentleman in front of her.
She cleared her throat a little and barely looked up, hoping the embarrassed flush on her tan cheeks would be mistaken for her body's reaction to the cold weather.
"If you really insist I guess there isn't really any harm...But please keep up, the sooner I get to my house the better." She mumbled.

That attentive eye watched her in silence as she bent down to get her bags, taking the time to carefully and quickly brush a stray strand of hair behind her ear, something the man noted to himself now before gazing at the bag in his hand. Ah- what an amusing little curl that is- quite out of place with the rest of her hair, but amusing.

As her throat cleared itself his gaze drew to her in a flash, though she didn't return the favor, the woman's eyes seeming to avoid him now. It then caught him by a slight surprise, the sudden rosiness of her cheeks causing his orb to glitter- where on earth could that hue have come from? The gentleman listened to her mumble intently, white hair bobbing as he nodded, his patch revealing itself more as he tilted his head slightly.

"Oh, keeping up shouldn't be any trouble," Limbo murmured softly, a light chuckle rolling off out from him before he continued. "But you've got a place to go to already? You're quite lucky then, I've only recently arrived myself- brought myself over to the local inn and rented myself for a room until I can get some paperwork sorted out." His left arm stretched out, offering a hand to help the young lady off the ground, if she should choose to do so. "They said something about having to have been here for awhile- not a surprise, bloody small town systems- but I'll make due."

At mention of the Inn, she nearly groaned at her mistake. First she had told her brothers about staying in a house, and now even the gentleman even after she had found out, only recently, that she wasn't able to move into a house as of yet.
"Did I say house? I meant the Inn because home is where the art is...I mean heart!" She stammered and noticed the gentleman examining her cheeks. She had quickly caught onto the fact that she was beet red from embarrassment. This left her feeling -no doubt about it -irritable and a bit silly. She quickly took his offered hand, as to not make any other unintelligible moves, which was quite odd for her.

Then she recalled something else to feel silly for. She regained her composure with a deep breath and stood up as tall as she could, seemingly sizing up the man.

"My name is Nastasha Varient by the by. You're new here as well?" She inquired of him before looking toward the street sign that pointed to the Inn, purposely avoiding the one amber orb that watched her and making sure not to stare at his patched eye for too long, even if it were only due to her admiration of how remarkably elegant it seemed. She dreaded his reaction toward her lack of correct living quarters, this day just could not get any more embarrassing from where the young women was viewing it.

Her words fumbled along, causing the man's lips to turn upwards at both ends, forming a small grin for the first time in their meeting. The grin continued to grow, her flushed face making his grin turn into a full fledged smile, showing off his pearly whites. "Ah- that is true in most cases- home can be where the heart is," Limbo said softly, as he helped the lass to her feet, eye checking her over to make sure there was no fluffy white clinging to her. "But that depends on what home is in each case."

She stretched to her full height, the man's head nodding as she gave her name, soon another bow being offered by the gentleman before he spoke again. "Ah, the pleasure is mine Lady Varient," his smooth tone rolled out, satisfied now he had a name to link with the person before him. His free arm bent slightly now, the Tailor offering it to her with a twinkle in the window to his soul. "If it would please you I'll gladly escort you to the inn. As for your question, yes, I just rode into town but a few days ago."

Limbo's mind followed after her now, taking into account the usually behaviors he was accustomed to from people- his eye was unnerving her no doubt. Ah well, tis not a new thing old chap, you've seen it a thousand time, he thought, a hushed chuckle leaving the man before he started to speak again.

"Ah, so you're in the same bloody situation as I am. It's alright though, you'll make due and be able to get a house in no time I bet, as will I."

She nodded to his response and began to follow him. the young woman was not, by any means, shy. She could be very talkative if she wanted to, but it seemed that around this character, this gentleman, that silence was needed to truly enjoy the elegance of his character. That eye-patch of his, it intrigued her natural curiosity. Her inspiration to write came from this same curiosity that she was experiencing right now.

Limbo, he had said to call him She thought. What an interesting name. Is it a nickname, or a birth name, maybe even self given.

Other questions came to mind as she fell a little behind the gentleman, close enough to hopefully not arouse any suspicion, so she could give him a look over. His elegance was complemented with the distinct air of mystery. How could she best describe this man's appearance, and how could she put into words her first impression of him?

"He's...intriguing...no...awe inspiring maybe?" She said aloud as she walked on in deep thought, questioning herself along the way, not even noticing the arrival to the cozy facility.

"I only have a few things to sort out myself before I can get all the paperwork filed away-." He continued to ramble on, his steps not going very far, nor too fast- he liked it that way right now. Slow and steady in the snow, it would keep his boots nice, make carrying the luggage easier, and give him more time to talk. "Then after that perhaps I'll set up shop- I haven't found a suitable place similar to what I could have in store for this town."

As her steps started to slow he stopped talking, continuing on at his pace, keeping time with the rhythm he had set with his feet. A gentle breeze brushed along the man, tickling at the edge of his scarf, moving it for a moment and sending some of the man's cologne into the air. It was a rather sweet fragrance, tickled with a blend of fresh greens, a blast of warm wind, a hint of pepper, and finishing with a dash of mahogany. The scent trailed on behind him for a moment, dancing along the winds around and past you, leaving to find other people to tease.

She spoke, the man's ears listening intently to her before his head turned, amber orb shimmering brightly. His lips curled into a smile, the gentleman giving a nod of the head- did he hear her? Only he knew- and it was more enjoyable that way. "I do believe that we are here lady Natasha." A glove hand waved with a small gesture to the small inn before him, pointing to the "Vacancy" sign with a chuckle before he continued. "I do hope you will let me help you with these until we get you into your room, then we may part if you wish.

As the two walked through the Inn doors, the young woman tightened her grip on her bags. She was startled at how kindly he was treating her. Having been very grouchy to him since they met, she felt that she was very undeserving of the treatment. Stopping in mid-stride, she took notice that her irritable friend (the wavy lock of hair) had come back out of its hiding place. Instead of sweeping it away, she twiddled it between the thumb and index finger of her left hand which was the most free from her luggage.

"Um...Mr. Limbo..." She started, hoping he was listening to her. Glancing to her left but deciding it would seem rude if she did so, she looked directly at him. She sighed heavily and started to let the piece of hair swirl around her fore-finger before looking up at her companion.

"I'm about to apologize to you...so I hope you're listening..." Right after saying this, she gave a slight huff at her rudeness yet again.

"No...that's not right..." She muttered as she fiddled with the hair more incessantly.

"I mean, I'm very sorry for how I've been acting. I'm a very irritable person and, well, it's not an excuse but today has been pretty stressful and I took it out on quite a few people including you which was wrong of me."
The young woman felt very vulnerable at the moment as she let her eyes meet his.
"Thanks for giving me a hand, and I would like if, after I get settled in, that you would let me treat you to something at a local cafe here or something. For your trouble." She said before letting out a nervous breath before walking past the man to the counter to check -in.

"If you would like, that is. I would understand if you didn't want to." She said while the Inn-Keeper searched for her room key.

His left hand struggled to open to open the door for a moment, giving it a quick turn before forcing the case against it, entrance now being allowed as it swung open sluggishly. I swear they got to fix this blasted thing- cursed knob. He strolled inside casually, muttering something about a new tenant to the man behind the counter, setting her container down for a moment as he slipped forward an envelope. The man gazed at his amber eye for a moment, then nodded, writing in a small book before searching for a key for the lass. Well, that should settle things in her case for awhile- as long as she doesn't think I'm trying to seek favors.

The gentleman's head turned as he heard his name called, attention snapping to the young woman behind him- as she started to apologize. She started off awkwardly, stumbling with her words as she tried to find what she wanted to say to him, but in the end it worked it's way out. The lady was sorry for how she had reacted initially to him- for running him over verbally with her mood. A upwards curl started to form on the corners of his lips, smile rolling out as he listened an nodded- the grin shooting more as his own gaze was met for the first time by her's- his one by her two.

"You are forgiven Lady Natasha." The Tailor's voice poured out like a small stream, tranquil, calm, washing over your ears as he pressed onward. "We all have our days- you have your's, I have mine, the whole world has its day when it wishes to explode and collapse on everyone. I forgive you, I forgive you and thank you for apologizing for me." His gloved fingers gaze her luggage a gentle pat, testing to make sure it would stay put as he drew closer to her, the look of delight staying etched into his face.

"A lady is always welcome for the hand I offer, or both if need be. For that- I do not need to be repaid, so I must graciously decline your offer." Limbo's golden window to the soul glittered as he gazed into your eyes intently, seeming almost as if to speak soothingly, telling you he was not finished talking. Charcoal fabric covered fingers slid under your free hand, sluggishly and gently bringing it upwards as he stooped forward, giving it a peck. Just one light press of the lips, no more, no less. His attention turned back up to your face, the man taking a small step back before he gave a graceful bow, hand moving to lay upon his chest as he reintroduced himself.

"You may call me Limbo, or the Tailor if you so choose, and if you so choose it Lady Natasha I extend an invitation to you." An enchanting movement of the hand was given, gesturing to the staircase leading to the second floor of the Inn. "Tuesday, not a minute after six in the evening, you shall find me in Room 27. A fine selection of vintage wine- or tea shall be awaiting, whichever you prefer, as well as a slow-cooked roast." The ivory haired man paused, standing up to his full height, seeming almost like a tall sprout or tree now.

"If it would make you more comfortable everything can be transported to the lobby to be enjoyed. Remember- invitation, Tuesday, not a minute after six, Room 27. Dress as you wish." With another bow he started to back away, taking dance-like steps as he edged to the stairs, eye not leaving you. "Welcome to Mineral Town Lady Natasha, I do hope you enjoy your stay here at the Inn."

After that he was gone, vision of him disappearing around the corner, and if one tried to gaze after him he was gone. The staircase now empty, missing the smooth voice filling it not a moment ago, a voice of a man called Limbo.

As she was handed the key to her room (Room 16) she tried following the man with her light hazel eyes. But it was as if he just disappeared during his ascent. She blinked, very confused before murmuring her thanks to the tenant to climb the stairs as well. The luggage was much easier to carry when she was inside, probably because it was a lot more drier inside than outside. Her mind wandered back to the man's response to her offer.
Why did he not accept it? As she neared her room, the worries she bore were becoming vocal now.
"I didn't offend him, did I? No...he knows that I'm sorry..."
She gave a little 'hmph' to indicate her distaste with the situation, right before reaching her room. It bore the brass plate, stating it was room number 16. Using the key, she stepped into the cozy room with much relief. Closing the door behind her, she dropped her luggage and flopped onto the bed.
"Fine then...if he doesn't want to accept my invite then I'll just have to except his. It'll still kinda be like me repaying him...probably..." Her muffled voice came from the pillow she had buried her face in.

Thinking of how she was going to have to unpack everything herself, the young girl let a groan escape her lips and slipped quickly off the bed to tend to her luggage, sluggishly of course.