Through the blur clouding his vision, Aarek vaguely distinguished the shape of a hand reaching down to him. Hesitantly, he took hold and hoisted himself up, the red of his face dulling slightly. He took his glasses and quickly replaced them on the bridge of his nose. Before he could get a proper look at the woman who helped him, she had pulled her hood down over her face and was rambling away some quick apology. She was clearly as uncomfortable as he was, though something about seeing her nervousness eased his own.
While she continued to speak, he struggled to observe what he could of her face. Beneath the hood, he could make out the edge of a very large scar on her face. That must have been what she wanted to hide, though he thought to himself that he wouldn't have minded as much. Some children in his old orphanage were brought in with nasty scars that had no business existing on a child. Once he realized he was staring, he turned away and scratched the back of his neck with a hand.
He was just about to interject when she presented him with a lovely new violin. It couldn't have been more than a week old, but she was just going to give it to him. Delicately, he took the immaculate instrument from her hands, tracing along its beautiful workmanship and admiring the dedication put into it. One eyebrow shot up quizzically at her strange act.
"I– uhm, are you sure you want to give this to me?" he asked thoughtfully, lifting his gaze back to her. "Surely, you'd rather play this for yourself?" With that, he studied her curiously. Perhaps she already had a violin of her own, or maybe she couldn't play at all. But that seemed, well, odd.
At her introduction, he smiled warmly. "Of course we can be friends, Tristana," he assured her, humming to himself as he removed his backpack. "My name's Aarek. Lovely to meet you, miss." Carefully, he made a place where the instrument could sit without being jostled too much by his movement. Satisfied, he slung his pack back to his shoulders and beamed down at the girl.
"Actually, I was just about to get some food," he laughed quietly when her stomach rumbled. The poor girl appeared absolutely mortified, but he simply shrugged it off. "Looks like we could both use a meal, right?"
A few seconds passed before he realized his suggestion. He squashed down the blush before it returned to his cheeks. "Erm, only if you want to, of course. I was going to find a tavern around her, so it might be nice to have someone to sit with." Above, the sun was settling along the horizon. Soon enough, the taverns would all be crowded with people seeking ale and a good time. A small frown replaced his smile, and worry became evident in his features. "We'll have to go soon though. Don't wanna get caught up in the night crowds."
While she continued to speak, he carefully studied what he could of her face. He couldn't see much, but the edge of a large scar was visible upon inspection. Once he realized he was staring, he turned away and rubbed the back of his neck. He was about to interject when the girl presented him with a lovely new violin, which couldn't have been more than a week or two old. Eyes wide, he delicately took the instrument from her hands, tracing along the fine workmanship of the wood. True, he wasn't nearly as good with the violin as he was with his flute, but he could still play a decent tune. It was a truly remarkable and unnecessary gift.H"I…uhm, are you sure you want to give this away?" Aarek asked thoughtfully, his gaze finally returning to her. "This is a fine instrument; wouldn't you rather play it for yourself?" Tilting his head, he considered the woman. Perhaps she already had a violin, or maybe she couldn't play… though that seemed odd.At her introduction, he nodded, a soft smile forming at the corners of his mouth. "Of course we can be friends, Tristana," he assured her, unused to being the calmer person in an interaction. "My name's Aarek. I was just about to get some food…" He paused when her stomach growled. The poor girl looked absolutely mortified, but he just let out a quiet laugh. "I suppose we could both use a meal."He removed his backpack and found a place to fit the violin where it wouldn't be damaged, before realizing his words and looking at her with alarm. "Er, only if you want to, of course. I was gonna find a tavern, actually… it might be nice to not sit alone." His voiced trailed off. Was that how situations like this worked? It certainly felt like the next logical step, but he couldn't be sure. Above, the sun began to settle on the horizon, meaning soon the taverns would be crowded with people craving ale. A small frown replaced his smile, and the worry was evident in his features. "Everywhere will be full soon."