The Owl

[Adara Snow]

A snowy owl soared through an open window into the Jewellery Shop, a scroll tied hastily to its ankle with a short length of ribbon. It alighted on the counter top and extended its leg expectantly, its head turning on its neck as though it were as on edge as the writer of the note had been. The note itself was written in flowing, feminine hand, in shimmering silver ink.

Emilian,

I dare not spend much time writing this; he will move quickly once his decisions have been made. I am to stay inside the castle walls, and this I will do. Know only that I am thinking of you.

~Adara

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[Emilian Sota]

Emilian had been pacing the floor of the shop angrily, waiting on Adara, who he knew would come. But she had never come, he had waited and, just when he had been about to give up, the owl had come in. The moment the owl was free of its charge, it departed, not giving Emilian a chance to reply, or even to open the note. He glared after it and pulled open the note, hoping to see some explanation. All it told him was that he wouldn't be seeing Adara, that she was listening to her father.

The rational part of his mind told him that she was probably doing the right thing, but his heart broke, he needed to see her. He needed to talk to her, perhaps needed the proof that she would be with him no matter what her father said. He cursed loudly, crumpling the note and throwing it into a corner. He glared at it for a moment and then went over and picked it up, smoothing it out on a counter and reading her name over and over, examining her handwriting and letting the anger boil inside of him.

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

Dare had seen the owl as he'd headed toward the shop and watched it for a moment, wondering at the rush it seemed to be in. Still, he'd continued on, a new sketchbook tucked under his arm. His old one wasn't nearly filled yet, but he'd decided to treat this as its own project, and so he'd keep all the work he did together in one place.

Dare wasn't specifically thinking about the owl as he pushed open the jewellery shop door, but his mood had sobered a bit at seeing it, part of him pensive even as the rest was eagerly pulling him along.

He could feel the tension in the air the moment he walked in, and Dare's eyes swept across to Emilian, the source of it all. "I could...come back later," Dare said. Somehow, it didn't feel like a good idea to be here right now.

[Emilian Sota]

Emilian's eyes flashed when the door opened, his head shooting up to see who was interrupting him. He nearly yelled at Dare to leave but bit his tongue long enough to think about it. He knew that if he did, then he would just end up upstairs with a bottle in his hand. He probably would anyway, but with Dare there he was less likely to drink as much. "If you're willing to put up with a hell of a mood then you can stay." It was a warning so much as an invitation to stay.

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

Dare arched an eyebrow, thought about it a moment, then headed further into the shop. He stopped a short distance away from Emilian at the counter, set his sketchbook down, then leaned against the countertop. Dare let himself look at Emilian a moment, but the tension was insane, and he wondered why he'd been given the option to stay at all. "What's up?" he asked. "You don't really seem like you're in the mood for this." Dare didn't offer to leave again. He had the opportunity to stay, and he would. It was a selfish thought, but how often did one have the chance to capture such emotion?

[Emilian Sota]

Emilian looked down at the note in front of him for a moment before folding it carefully and sliding it into a pocket, then turned his eyes to Dare. "It's better than sitting up there with only a bottle for company," he said, gesturing with a tilt of his head to the stairs. He didn't intend on telling Dare what had happened, not at least right off the bat. It could work its way into the conversation a bit later.

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

Dare inclined his head, a subtle motion of understanding. He wouldn't push; if Emilian wanted to tell him, he'd tell him. Dare let the subject go and moved on. "So what are you up for?" he asked. "We could just do a couple portraits for now, wouldn't take much on your part. Wherever you feel most comfortable." Dare's gaze left Emilian's a moment, just to look over the shop. It looked like Adara, if that was who Emilian had wanted him to draw, wasn't here. Dare got an uncomfortable hunch at that thought, but pushed it aside. It wasn't his business.

[Emilian Sota]

Emilian nodded absently, just glad for the company. "I don't particularly care what you do. But let's go upstairs." He pushed himself away from the counter he had been leaning over and headed to the door. He just wanted to go up there and attempt to relax. In the time since leaving Herr Snow's presence his anger had just barely subsided, but it was now manageable, if only barely.

[Dare Blackwood-Hardt]

"Lead the way," Dare said. He straightened and picked up his sketchbook. "As long as there's enough light to see by, I'm cool." Despite Emilian's obvious mood, Dare wasn't worried. If it came to it, he could probably take Emilian in a fight, so he was confident enough that nothing would happen; Emilian's anger seemed entirely self-contained.

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