Rags and Riches [DemonDays2 & Asuka_Layne]

[DemonDays2]

Iago was left speechless by what Jocelyn said. Even if he didn't secretly love Evie, he would have balked at that. He would never dream of talking like that to ANYONE, no matter how much they hated him.
"Her name is Evie, and she's a good friend of mine, so I would ask you to treat her with respect." Iago said, glancing over at her. He knew Evie would go along with it.
"Here." he said, heading over to the stool and dragging it over. It was a high stool, the type used to work at a desk, not a low one. Iago hopped up onto the counter that Evie had used to sit on not long before. He looked up at her.
I'm sorry about that, Evie. he said to himself, almost wishing she could hear it.  

[Asuka_Layne]

ஐ----тһε ßlα¢кšмıтһ----ஐ
εviε

Evie had been cleaning off her hammer when those words came at her. Her jaw muscle twitched and she wanted nothing more than to drive her hammer into Jocelyn's pretty little face and see what became of her highly regarded beauty after a blow like that. Instead, she turned and faced the dragon of a Princess and offered a sickly sweet smile that made her stomach twist and turn.

"My apologies your Highness...I did not realize you were unable to stand for short periods of time. Let me make a mental note of that for the next time you come barging into my forge and take it over." Evie offered another smile and looked over at Iago who'd been looking at her.

Good luck with this one. I wish you knew how I felt...then maybe you'd be saved from a horrific marriage. She wanted to say to him but of course she couldn't.

[♥`тһε Þяıиcεşş`♥]
Jocεlyn

Jocelyn merely laughed and waved away the forge girl's remarks about her. It wasn't that she was heartless and cruel, she just didn't have time for peasants and the people lower than her. It wasn't as if she was going to make friends with them so why bother?

"Evie...what a pretty name." Jocelyn wanted to vomit after saying such words to a peasant girl. She looked dingy and dirty and not even a fraction of her beauty compared to Jocelyn's. The forge girl was pretty but then again so was a pig if you dressed it up.

"Anyway, it is not as if I will be staying long before going away to make wedding plans so I do not have time to memorize all the peasant's by their name though I do believe I will be remembering you Evie...for a long, long time." Jocelyn's eyes bore into the forge girl's directly to get across her message. Then to Iago she said, "Now, when do you plan on proposing? I need adequate time to arrange a proper marriage."
 

[DemonDays2]

Thankfully, Jocelyn had her back to Iago, so he had time to look into Evie's eyes, and he mouthed the words he had been thinking: "I'm sorry for that, Evie." he made sure to mouth them clearly. Sure, she hated him, but he still felt the need to be polite around her.
He looked over at Jocelyn, then at his shoe. "Never." he mumbled in a lost language his tutor, Cyril, had taught him. Very few people that weren't mages knew it. Thankfully, the word 'never' in that language sounded a bit like a cough. He reached over and pretended to flick some dirt from his shoe.
"Sometime. You're not the only one who needs to prepare." he told her, trying to be cheerful about it, but it was an act, and anyone who knew him for any amount of time could see that.  

[Asuka_Layne]

ஐ----тһε ßlα¢кšмıтһ----ஐ
εviε

Evie waved her hand away with a quick flick of her wrist so Jocelyn wouldn't notice anything. He'd apologized to her for the actions of his soon-to-be wife. She gave him the sweetest smile she could manage, hoping that it didn't come off as fake or strained because it truly wasn't. She just wasn't used to smiling like that all the time. She didn't mouth anything back to him however, she just went back to cleaning her tools and very discreetly listening to the conversations being had in her forge. Proposing...marriage...it wasn't even out of love. Jocelyn probably only wanted Iago because he was a Prince and as a Prince he had money. It sickened her to know that people like that roamed about these parts.

Oh...if I could have just five minutes with that awful woman...I'd slap her until she begged me to stop. And even then I'd whisper quietly, No. Ungrateful she-demon.

[♥`тһε Þяıиcεşş`♥]
Jocεlyn

"Well hopefully it does not take too long for you to fall for me." Jocelyn smiled at this. There was a lot to prepare for. Fanfare and parades and marchers and horses and carriages and flowers and cakes and...a dress. There was just too much to plan for in a short amount of time and if his family wanted her kingdom's wealth then they'd have to do it soon or Jocelyn would pull out and seek another husband. She didn't NEED Iago but he was one of the top candidates for marriage to her.

"But of course everyone knows that the bride needs more time than the groom. The Bride must be fitted for a dress, select jewels to wear on her wedding day, flowers to carry and be tossed along the aisle as she walks up to her alter. Oh, I love weddings!" Jocelyn clapped her hands together in a display of happiness and smiled a glittering smile.
 

[DemonDays2]

Iago couldn't bear it. Jocelyn was exactly the opposite of what he wanted: he wanted someone like Evie. Down to earth, pretty but not extravagant, and sincere. Jocelyn was vain, full of herself, and put on an act. Probably had brains smaller than the nail sticking out of a floor board where he was looking.
Sensing an opportunity to get her away from him, he looked up and forced a smile.
"Well, if you need time to prepare, why don't you get started?" he asked.  

[Asuka_Layne]

ஐ----тһε ßlα¢кšмıтһ----ஐ
εviε

Get started? On the preparations for the wedding? Was Iago REALLY going to go through with this marriage fit for the Devil himself? Evie's head started spinning with the same questions over and over and suddenly she felt as if she was going to be sick. Her stomach did strange flips and her heart panged once more painfully as the full realization struck home. Iago was lost to her now, forever. He was to marry away to some woman who was the epitome of a She-Demon. She was like a rabid kitten. At first you don't realize what she is and you think she's harmless and cute, but then you see her for what she really is...a sick and twisted character and then you ask yourself what you saw in her in the first place. Evie took her tools into a cupboard and closed it up, lingering there for a moment to calm herself down.

[♥`тһε Þяıиcεşş`♥]
Jocεlyn

Jocelyn avoided letting her jaw drop down and hang for a moment, it would have looked most unladylike and tasteless for a Princess to act so. She recovered with a glittery smile and stood up.

"If you assure me that we will be married, then I shall go off and prepare for our wedding. I must first meet your family and then we shall hold a banquet....then I shall ask for your father's blessing for you to wed and then you must come away with me to my kingdom so that you may ask my father for his blessing as well. After that is all said and done, then and only then may I start planning for this wedding." Jocelyn rattled off all the things they had to do on her fingers and even stood up so that she could pace and get her thoughts out and clear.
 

[DemonDays2]

Iago grimaced a little, but he made it seem like he had just felt something jab into his leg from the table. He rubbed his leg, and looked up with a fake smile.
"Should my father consent, I'll give you my assurances." he lied through his teeth, but he made it off as sincere.
"Evie, would you mind staying back for a moment? I need to discuss something with you." he said, just so she knew he was lying. In a strange way, Evie was one of his only friends. Though she hated his every fibre, he could be himself around her, and speak his mind...even though she usually answered sarcastically, it felt good to at least say it. His only other friend was his tutor, Cyril, who was gone for the moment.  

[Asuka_Layne]

ஐ----тһε ßlα¢кšмıтһ----ஐ
εviε

Evie took in a deep breath of air in an attempt to calm down her jittery nerves. Why she was acting that way she had no idea...it started to annoy her how much Iago affected her like that. It wasn't as if he'd feel the same way about her as she did for him so it was completely and utterly pointless for her to feel anything towards him. She wiped at her eyes and took in another breath before poking her head out of the cupboard for him.

"As you wish your Highness." Evie would have to start getting used to calling him that from now on..seeing as though he was about to marry a witch.

[♥`тһε Þяıиcεşş`♥]
Jocεlyn

Jocelyn smiled a smile that was genuine for her. At least the forge girl was starting to get the hang of things. She would have to bow down to her in a matter of time and Jocelyn wanted to see nothing more than that. The girl had a defiance in her eye and a sharp tongue that would eventually need to be cut out.

"I'm entirely sure your father will consent to this...he is the one who originally spoke with my father and requested that one of my father's daughters come down here at once and woo his son. That daughter was me." Jocelyn winked at him and picked up her skirts. "I'm off to seek a moment with the King. I shall be back soon and we can start talking about children! I want five." Jocelyn smiled and kissed him softly on the cheek before leaving.
 

[DemonDays2]

As soon as she left, Iago pretended to pull out a sword and drive it through his stomach. He didn't even feel anything from that kiss. It held no feeling to it for him.
"Help." he lamented, resting his head in both his hands and leaning forward a little.
"I can't go on with this, but I've got no choice." he said in a soft voice. "I can fight it, but my father's already arranged it. If I don't want to marry her, well, he'll just put it off until I accept." he sighed.
After a long pause, he spoke again, taking his hands away from his head and looking into Evie's eyes.
"Have you ever thought of running away from this place, Evie? Just, packing your bags, and running?" he asked softly.  

[Asuka_Layne]

ஐ----тһε ßlα¢кšмıтһ----ஐ
εviε

Evie poked her head from her tool cupboard when the Devil's Assistant had left the forge and looked at Iago. He seemed as miserable as anyone in the village and he wasn't even poor. She felt bad for him though, that Jocelyn woman was horrid and made her want to tear her hair out and run away screaming profanities to the gods. Evie put down her tools and walked over to him and stood right in front.

"You always have a choice Iago." Evie's words were spoken softly, she felt for him now and had no hatred left. "You don't have to marry her if you do not love her...and by the way I see things, I do not believe you feel anything for her at all. I for example, wanted nothing more than to drive a hot poker through her forehead and see what happened afterwards but that's just me." Evie tried to lighten things up but she realized that it might not have gone the right way. Evie placed both of her hands on either side of his face and looked him in the eyes.

"You cannot run away from your troubles....they will only follow you, they will haunt you until you face them no matter how much you run." Evie's voice was strong but it wavered slightly, knowing that he contemplated running away sent another pang through her chest.  

[DemonDays2]

"Well, short of killing her or running away, it's either going to be her, or someone else my father chooses...and they're all going to be the same." Iago said. She had surprised him with the softness of her voice, and he couldn't believe that at the moment, she was holding his face. He kept eye contact with her, and he felt more affection for her than ever.
"They'll all be the same, because my father wants someone like himself to counter-act the fact I'm so different." he explained, sighing a little.
"And...I think it would be better to fake my death and run anyways. That way, there'll be no more troubles, I can live a free life..." he trailed off, unable to say anything else.  

[Asuka_Layne]

ஐ----тһε ßlα¢кšмıтһ----ஐ
εviε

"You don't know that they'll all be the same...you're generalizing everyone else because of what you've seen in Jocelyn. Who knows...maybe there's a beautiful Princess out there who cares about her kingdom and those who live in it and maybe she'll be exactly like you...except female." Evie smiled at him, taking another stab at lightening up the mood. She knew he was down in the dumps and as miserable as ever right then and she tried her best to see if she could cheer him up.

"There might be that girl out there....all you have to do is look for her. And as for faking your death and running away. I know there'd be some people who would miss you and wouldn't want to see you leave." Evie inhaled a breath of air to calm down her nerves, she could feel herself getting warmer and her cheeks flushing. Being so close to him and touching him even made her heart all fluttery and her stomach feel as if it held one thousand butterflies.

"You can simply tell your father that you want to be free for awhile? Be free to roam around and see other kingdoms? I'm sure he'd be okay with it I suppose, I wouldn't know...I don't know the King well."  

[DemonDays2]

Iago sighed softly. She was helping him, a little. What was helping him more than her words was the feeling of her hands on his cheeks. He nodded slowly.
"You're right." he said softly. "But I've already given her my assurances...I'd have to lie, and say I wasn't thinking properly, or something." he said, sighing again, before attempting a smile.
"I'll figure something out, I suppose. Oh, and by the way..." he reached up and put a hand on one of hers that was on his cheek.
"Thank you. For someone who hates me...you're a good friend." he said with a small smile.  

[Asuka_Layne]

ஐ----тһε ßlα¢кšмıтһ----ஐ
εviε

"Well....you can always tell her that you need time to yourself for awhile? Who's to say that it's only the woman who is nervous about marriage? The groom is likely to be nervous as well seeing as though he has to live with this woman for the rest of his life. I'm sure she'd understand that you need some thinking time and that it would take awhile until you returned. Maybe she'll even move on and select another husband? Then you'd be clear." Evie smiled and looked at his eyes. His shocking violet colored eyes that seemed to look right into her. She hoped that he couldn't tell how she felt about him...that would only make things more difficult.

Evie sputtered when he'd put his hand over hers and told her what a good friend she was. She blushed like made and removed her hand from his cheeks and rested them on her hips.

"I was only trying to get you to stop sulking." Evie came back haughtily. She wasn't about to let him know how she felt just yet. Maybe he'd fall for her first and she wouldn't have to reveal herself? "And yes, I DO hate you." Evie glared at him through narrowed eyes but broke out into a dazzling smile. "But you have your moments where I might even consider not hating you so you can't be ALL that bad."  

[DemonDays2]

"I'm sure you do." Iago said with a wider smile than before. It was fun to tease her like this...and interesting to note that she appeared to have a softer side with him.
"Thank you." he said, bowing his head slightly. "At least I know that at some small times, I can crack that cold shell of yours." he said, chuckling. He wanted to tell her...but he couldn't. She didn't share his feelings, and he knew that. It was a one-sided deal, that could never play out.