Daydreaming (Open)

[Lancelot Du Lac]

Lancelot wondered how many people, nobles or not, stopped by here and ever offered her conversation. She seemed to him, almost starved for it. He wasn't sure if she craved the attention for its own sake, needed the conversation of other humans for her sanity, or was actually interest in him. He wondered what she wanted from him, if anything.

"Well you obviously learned much from him. I don't know if it is a learned skill at all, but the horses seem to have a lot of natural trust in you. Normally, that is something that is earned before it is given, not just simply given. I would say that both father and daughter, then, work with horses, and probably both do it well. Well then," smiling broadly, "perhaps you simply haven't known very great actors. What else would explain King Uther stripping me of my original knighthood, then, those many months ago?"

He listened to her talk about fate and truly questioned how much experience that she had with the many turns that fate could take. "Sometimes fate does play by its own rules. Frequently, though,I have found that people of power and influence, like kings and princes, are more capable of making fate act according to their wishes and desires. However, they, sometimes have to fall to the tragic consequences of fate as well. Yes, I would agree that, this afternoon fate has shown its better side. I just hope there isn't a tragedy hidden anywhere in its current pleasantness."

He was surprised, yet strangely warmed when she put her smallish hand in the middle of his broad chest, but he made no move to push it away. He just looked down upon it .... plus it gave him an excuse to escape the penetrating gaze of her eyes. "Well, if you do not know, who does. Oh mademoiselle, my heart has been bruised to often in the past for me to rely on it and not my head."

[Mariyana Porter]

Mariyana chewed on her bottom lip, still lost in her thought and the conversation at hand. She closed her eyes and breathed deep for a moment, opening them slowly to glance back up at him.

"Many thanks for your kind words Lancelot. I am deeply sorry your life has been forced down such an unfortunate path. I...I only wish you the best." she breathed softly, just above a whisper. She listened to his deep opinion about fate and gave a gentle nod to his words, unsure of exactly how to reply.

When he brought up their fated meeting, she perked up ever so slightly. I do not wish to be so bold, but I have quite enjoyed the time you have taken to come talk to me. It is something I am not used to, but have very much enjoyed. I concur in praying fate does not corrupt this moment. " She suddenly realized the placement of her hand, and drew it back sheepishly. THAT was bold. Single women did not touch men in such a way It was far too scandalous. She contemplated apologizing, but couldn't force the words.

"If your heart leads you astray, what does your head tell you? Logically, would you like to stay, or does the bad outweigh the good, sire?" She finished, taking a small embarrassed step backwards.

[Lancelot Du Lac]

Lancelot saw that she seemed to display a bit of indecision, or maybe she was deep in thought, he considered. He saw that she suddenly took in a deep breath, and then looked up into his eyes. Was she about to ask him something important, he wondered?

“Ah, mademoiselle, it is so easy to spout philosophy. I am not sure that you should pay too much attention to the musings of wandering knight, like myself. I do not generally offer kind words unless I believe them to be true …. And in any case you are quite welcome. I thank you for your good wishes, but life is what it is. We have to take the good with bad, and make the best that we can, and do the best we can." He really didn’t expect a reply. He was just expressing the way he looked at life, generally, and how he reacted to the many obstacles it sometimes laid down in his path.

He noticed that when he moved from the theoretical to the personal, her body language indicated a change in interest. “I do not look at it as being or forward to say such a thing, ma cherie, but just an honest statement. I do not often have the opportunity to just stop and talk, so it has been a pleasant experience for me as well. Fate does not corrupt, only men have the power to corrupt. It is we who have the power to react in a positive or negative way. It may feel like fate is guiding us this way and that, but actually its driven by the choices we make.” To his surprise he realized that she had suddenly reached out to touch him. To him it did not seem like something that she had planned, but more of a reflexive type of reaction. He honestly didn’t know how to react, but was sure that he didn’t want to embarrass her, so he made sure that he didn’t push her away.

“Honestly, my heart pulls me in many directions, as does my head. My head tells me that there would be less conflict with others if I went elsewhere, but it also believes that this is where I belong. I believe that the good would outweigh the bad, however, in this case, the opinion of others will count more than my own.” Despite his best efforts she did appear to be somewhat embarrassed.