Fountain

[Administrator]

An old fountain that barely runs anymore.

[Devan Harper]

NEW DAY ~ OPEN

[/b][/i]

Devan found herself at the rundown fountain in central park for the third time this week. She wasn't sure exactly what it was that drew her here but she enjoyed the peace she found at this particular spot in the city. She'd never realized just how busy of a city this place was until she'd lived there for an extended period. When she traveled with the circus they always had privacy because they had to set up outside of the city limits or in a lush area. Devan never thought she'd miss the quiet but she found that she'd begun to more and more just as she missed her family. If it weren't for Ki she was sure she would have gone crazy by now. Well, if not crazy, she definitely would've been on a train to her family.

Devan took a seat on the edge of the fountain, mindful not to get her skirt wet. She was wearing a thicker coat since it was chilly out but she hadn't buttoned it shut. Her family traveled so much that she was used to all sorts of different temperatures so the cold didn't really bother her. Devan knew better though then to go out without one. She'd been taking care of her body for years and she knew that in weather like this it would take her ages to fight off a sickness.

[Karl Gloeckner]

It wasn’t often that Karl went to the park without his daughters in tow these days. When he and Mathilde were first dating, they went there often and sat by the fountain to talk and…to do other things that young couples did. In fact, they had their first kiss there on a winter’s day just like this one. So, when Bert had asked him to drop him off at the park so he could walk at least part of the way to his friend’s house without arousing his mother’s suspicions, he couldn’t help but come back to the spot where he and his wife had spent so many happy afternoons together.

The closer he got, however, the less confident he became that he could actually bring himself to go there, as much as he might have wanted to. The thought of being there without her seemed practically too much to bear. Inconceivable, really. But he felt that he owed it to her, so he pushed on until her reached the edge of the trees that circled the elegant structure and in an instant, his heart stopped.

She was there. His Mathilde, sitting just where she always had, her hair flowing down her back like an angel’s. Like any other woman’s. He knew it wasn’t her, really. It could be anybody and whoever it was would soon realize that he was there and turn around to see him staring at her. She would be frightened. He ought to move, he willed his feet to take him away, but they wouldn’t budge. All he wanted was to stand there forever and pretend, to trick himself into believing that it was really her. It was a foolish wish, an impossible wish, but that knowledge made no difference. He stayed there, glued to the spot, just waiting for everything to fall apart.

[Devan Harper]

She was so lost in her thoughts that it took her awhile to realize she was no longer alone. Although she couldn't see the whoever was there without turning she felt them staring at her and the hairs on her arms began to raise up. Normal people would probably be frightened if they realized someone had been watching them and she was sure that if Ki knew he'd tell her to run without even looking to see who it was. But Devan doubted whoever it was was going to harm her. Although this fountain was isolated it wasn't that far from where other people walked.

After a few moments she turned her head to glance over her shoulder, a bright smile crossing her face as her eyes landed on an older gentleman. No, he was definitely not the type of man who would try to harm her. Devan prided herself on being a good judge of character and usually with a glance she knew who to steer clear of and who wouldn't harm a fly. Being one of the main headliners with the circus, she got more attention from men then she ever thought possible and it caused her to learn early on how to judge a good man from a bad one.

"Hello," She called quietly. She didn't want to disturb him seeing as how he seemed lost in thought, but she figured she might as well. She lifted a hand to shield her eyes from the sun as she continued to stare at the man. Devan couldn't discern his age, but knew he had to be more then ten years older then her. He was dressed immaculately and looked like he took very good care of himself, but that was about all she could see from this distance.

[Karl Gloeckner]

Just as he knew it would, his happy illusion was shattered when the girl finally turned to look at him. She looked very little like Mathilde, really. She was shorter and a bit slimmer with darker hair and an entirely different face. She was younger too. Well, younger than Mathilde would have been now, anyhow. Probably about the same age as she was when they had met. Maybe that was what had allowed him to fool himself for those few glorious seconds when he had first seen her.

Well, it didn’t really matter now, did it? He was dealing in reality yet again and, if he wasn’t mistaken, the girl had just greeted him and would likely be expecting a response about now. She had taken his presence much better than expected, but, still, he didn’t want to tempt fate by giving the impression that he wasn’t all there mentally.

“Hello” he replied gruffly and cleared his throat before continuing “Pardon me for staring. I… had mistaken you for another person.” Slowly, he walked a bit closer, his legs now fully functional and compliant. The fountain itself was a bit more worn than he had remembered it and the water inside of it had a layer of frost over it: something which had given it an enchanting, almost magical feel before, but now only made it look cold and uninviting.

Regardless, now that he was here, he felt obligated to linger for at least a few minutes, so he continued towards the girl until he was close enough to carry on a conversation, but not so close that she would be concerned that he may harm her. “Is this spot unoccupied?” he asked, gesturing to a portion of the fountain’s ledge a couple of meters away from her.

[Devan Harper]

A large smile crossed Devan's face when he returned her greeting and began to walk towards her. Even though she'd come here to get away from people she didn't mind company for the moment. Devan was too friendly of a person to ever not enjoy being in someone else's company. Unless, of course, that person was dull or rude. Those two things usually had her making her excuses and taking her leave. She removed her hand from her forehead as he got closer. "It's alright, I've been mistaken for someone else before." Or at least that's what men said when they didn't want to be obvious about why they were staring at her. She felt that he was being genuine in his apologies though.

Now that he was closer Devan didn't feel the need to stare at him so she turned her attention back to the fountain. When he asked her if the spot was unoccupied she nodded and gave him another warm smile. "Sit, please, it truly is beautiful here." And silent enough that she could almost pretend she was in her tent after performing waiting for her family to finish their own performances.

She let the silence stretch between them for a few minutes before lifting her eyes to his once more. "Are you trying to escape the real world as well?" Her eyes lit up as she asked the question, her smile crinkling the corners of them. "I can't seem to stay away from here for very long. It's so peaceful." Devan trailed her fingers across the frost that laid on top of the water in the fountain. She barely even felt it as she thought of her parents and aunt and uncle.

[Karl Gloeckner]

Karl nodded in acknowledgement and forced a small smile before sitting down. Frankly, he didn’t feel much like smiling or chatting at the moment and he most certainly couldn’t find any beauty in this spot any longer now that its most beautiful component was gone from this earth, but he didn’t want to repay this girl’s kindness and understanding with apparent rudeness. Furthermore, he thought it best not to taint her youthfully innocent perception of what was clearly a beloved spot to her with his grief. After all, in his estimation, anyhow, she was still essentially a child and children should not be burdened with such adult concerns, especially not those of another.

His thoughts were broken when she spoke up again with a rather difficult question. Was he trying to escape the real world? He wasn’t really sure. If he was, he was doing a very bad job of it. Everything felt pointedly real, sitting here with a stranger rather than his beautiful, young fiancée in a place that had once been all theirs. In a way, the hustle and bustle of daily life was a good deal less real than this. When he was busy working or out on the town with his daughters, it was easy to forget, to let himself pretend that, when he came home, Mathilde would be there to greet him and everything would be exactly like it had been, just with one extra daughter in the mix. When he was alone, though, or nearly alone. Here or in the quiet of his apartment after the girls had gone to bed, he had nothing to distract him from his stark reality.

But still, the question remained. Was he trying? Who could say? Ultimately he decided not to debate it any further and simply withhold an answer for both of their good. “...yes.” he replied after a bit longer of a pause than would have really been appropriate “this is quite a peaceful place. I cannot blame you for frequenting it.” he gave her another polite smile “There was a time when I came here quite often as well.”

[Devan Harper]

Devan didn't notice his reluctance to speak to her. As confident as she was in her ability to judge whether someone was innately good or bad, she knew she had absolutely not common sense when it came to figuring out someone else's emotions. Her mother had always told her she was a bit dense when it came to learning tact and learning to anticipate what someone else may be feeling. Her father on the other hand had always said she was just joyfully oblivious. Devan preferred her fathers description to her mothers, but then again she doubted very highly that anyone enjoyed being described as dense. Using the tips of her fingers, Devan continued to draw designs in the frost -her favorite being the infinity symbol-.

"Oh? But you don't anymore?" She asked as she lifted her eyes to study him from beneath her lashes. It took her a few moments for her to realize, belatedly of course, that he probably wouldn't want to answer that. Given how long it took for him to answer her first question he may not want to talk at all. She gave him a bashful smile before he had the chance to answer that question. "I'm sorry, that was impertinent and none of my business. I'm Devan by the way." Devan offered her hand to him after she introduced herself not thinking about the fact that her fingers would probably feel frozen to someone else.

"I've been told that my mouth can run away from me at times," She grinned. "So, if I start to bother you feel free to ignore me." It was probably the only way her cousin was able to stand living with her for such an extended period of time. Sure they loved each other, but she was positive that he enjoyed the silence he got when she wasn't around. At least occasionally.

[Karl Gloeckner]

Karl took off his right glove and shook her hand firmly despite the iciness of her fingers and gave her as affable a look as he could muster. “It is a pleasure to meet you, young lady. I am Karl” he stated in an even and polite voice, pausing for a moment before adding “ Or Herr Gloeckner if that is more comfortable for you.” He supposed he must have been getting old, or perhaps it was the cultural difference, but it always seemed odd to him to be on a first name basis with someone so young. With Thera and Bert it was less peculiar given that he was their servant and, thus they could call him whatever they liked. With others, however, it just felt… out of place in a way. When he was a boy, adults were always Herr or Frau something-or-other or perhaps Onkel or Tante when he was very young. But, things changed. He realized this and he wouldn’t begrudge her any comfort if such colloquiality was her norm.

After another short pause to formulate a proper response he continued “…and there is no need to apologize for your question. There is no shame in curiosity and I certainly do not find you bothersome.” His eyes darted away from hers and rested on the markings on the ice that she had drawn just moments earlier “It is only that … I am so busy recently. I work often. It is…difficult to find time for much leisure these days and, when I do, I more frequently come to places that interest my daughters.” It wasn’t a lie, really. Just a half truth. It was true that he worked very often. In fact, that was probably part of the reason why he and Mathilde hadn’t come to this spot very often during their marriage. That and the girls, of course. Somehow, not many places were quite as peaceful when you had an infant and a toddler in tow. But, of course, if he was honest with himself, he would have to admit that he wouldn’t be too eager to come by here often even if he had all the time in the world. The only thing this spot was good for now to him was wallowing in his grief and he had never been a big fan of that. Still, though, there was no reason to burden this nice young girl with that.