Secret Lives ~ 1x1 with Cloudsong and M.F.L

[Cloudsong]

Sauda's question took him by surprise, and Evan blinked, momentarily distracted from his thoughts of the town and college. He shrugged, unsure of how to approach talking to her. Had she really come because she was worried about him? Somehow, he didn't really think so. Silently he breathed in, watching as she caught her breath. Everyone knew that Sauda hated running, and he felt almost touched that she had ran after him.

"I was just going to town," he said finally. Silence kept him for a moment, until he realized how vague he was sounding. "Uh... to see if I could find one of my old friends from school." Before she could comment on his excuse, he cleared his throat. "Why - did you follow me?"

[My Fair Lady]

Sauda was sure the excuse was as bad as her excuse. He really was distracted, she could tell. She didn't know him well enough to guess what was wrong, but it was clear something was bothering him. She shifted her weight from booted foot to booted foot. His inquiry did not surprise her, though it made her uncomfortable. Jonathan. Remember, talk about Jonathan.

"I-Jon..." She shuffled her feet a little in the mud and began a new sentence. "Jonathan wanted me to go after you. Something about him not being able to train for a while and you looking distracted." She was telling the truth and yet, her cheeks felt a little warm from embarrassment. It was an odd feeling and Sauda tried her best to hide the confusion of her own emotions.

[Cloudsong]

"Oh." Evan couldn't help the disappointment that was clear in his voice. So it wasn't her idea; Jonathan had put her up to following him. But why, though? He had seen the two of them together quite often - they were good friends, from the observations he had made. But more than friends? He wasn't sure. Silently he fingered the the material that his jacket was made of. The hopeful, curious glint in his eyes from when he had spotted her had died out, and he seemed once again back to his distant self, his eyes once again unfocused as he stared at a point somewhere in the distance. Obviously his mind had wandered again.

"Well, you can tell Jonathan that I'm not... distracted," he muttered finally. "I'm going into town. Do you want to come with me?" It was a spur-of-the-moment question, but he wasn't regretting asking it, even if she turned him down. Company would be well appreciated, especially at a time like this.

[My Fair Lady]

'Oh' was all he said before he turned back into normal Evan. That was strange, had he really thought that she was worried about him? Oh marvelous! I sure hope not, because he's a nice...What on earth am I thinking? Shut yourself up Sauda and reply to the guy already!!

His comments that followed caused her head to cock to the side and stare at him for a few long moments. She knew leaving was not the best course of action here, especially following Evan into town. Biting her lip, she glanced back down the road they had come and then back at Evan. Jonathan would be able to handle everything, along with the other trainers. They would be fine if she missed one training session, one performance. Would Evan vouch for her if she got in trouble with his father, the owner? Sauda didn't know the answer to that question.

She nodded slowly and walked past him towards the town, at a leisurely pace. "I've never been one for company, but alright." If she stayed with him, maybe he would tell her what was wrong, or at least cheer up a little again. Sauda was considered a bit of jerk by the other circus performers and trainers, though a few found it fun, apparently, to annoy her with their words when she was training, saying that she was a different person when she was with the animals. Truthfully, Sauda knew what she really was inside, a sweet caring girl who didn't like to see anyone hurt, no matter who it was.

[Cloudsong]

Evan was once again pleasantly surprised by her acceptance. He hadn't really expected her to agree to accompany him, but this turn of events was certainly an enlightening one. A small smile formed on his lips as she sauntered by him, and he turned to follow, all worries of before having vanished. As she mentioned that she was not one that made good company, he simply shrugged, as if it didn't bother him at all. "Well, that makes two of us," he said lightly, falling into step beside her as they approached the bustling town.

As they entered the main street, Evan looked around at the street vendors, all of them busy selling their items. The smell of roasting chestnuts filled the air, and stands that sold humongous bags of caramel popcorn, freshly brewed tea, and freshly cut fruit tried to capture people walking by to sell to them. He smiled slightly as he watched everyone, momentarily forgetting that he actually had someone with him. But as he glanced over at Sauda, he remembered with a jolt that he had invited her, and that it was rude to be so wordless. "You know, I grew up here," he said suddenly, his gaze returning to the street as a thoughtful expression crossed his face. "My parents didn't start up the circus until I was seven." He wasn't exactly sure why he was telling her all of this - it wasn't exactly like him to tell anyone about his past - but it was the only thing he could really bring up, in hope that he could start a conversation. For some reason, he felt desperate to hear her voice again.

[My Fair Lady]

Sauda barely heard his words as they entered the town. Her eyes changed from the mellow, almost emotionless look to a look of soft memory. The smells, the sounds reminded her of her own hometown. The surroundings changed to that of her memories, she could see her sister and herself running through the market, giggling as they went.

A voice echoed into her memories, a voice that did not fit. Sauda turned to look beside her, seeing Evan there. The feelings of the past stayed in her eyes for a few moments as she looked at him. It lingered even when she came back to reality. His words registered in Sauda's mind and she nodded slowly. "It's a nice town. Reminds me of..." Her voice faded, a lump growing her throat.

Are you being emotional, Sauda? Get back to reality before something bad happens. She yelled at herself. It was annoying how she was getting so emotional because of her memories. This town was not the place for her to be, not like this, but she couldn't run away. Something about Evan kept her from running away as fast as she could.

[Cloudsong]

When she was silent for a long while, Evan glanced over at her, and saw that she had a a distant look to her, as if she was caught up in her memories. Had he said something that had caused this? He bit his lip, trying to think of a way to lighten her mood. Many times he had seen her with Jonathan after shows, or while they trained, and the smile that lit her face up when he said something amusing was one of the reasons he was still working for the circus. On the rare occasion of when he would see Sauda smile, it was so contagious that he would have to turn away so that she wouldn't see his eyes brighten. He found himself wishing that he could bring her the happiness that Jonathan did. Silently he swallowed.

"Of what?" he asked gently. In an afterthought, he added; "You don't have to tell me, if you don't want to."

[My Fair Lady]

Sauda couldn't answer at first, the words were stuck in her throat. She glanced around the town and then her eyes raised to meet Evan's. "My own hometown. The markets were much the same." A slight smile eased onto her lips and she looked away, the slight smile still on her lips.

Evan was curious and that was a bad thing, but Sauda couldn't bring herself to do anything about it. She wanted to take care of him, but she couldn't bring herself to do it, though she did start fingering the side of her dress where her knife was hidden. Her precious knife that kept her safe and protected from others.

(A little bit of writer's block. Gr.)

[Cloudsong]

Evan nodded, though her answer didn't confirm any of his suspicions. "Many of these towns look very similar," he said quietly. As she met his gaze, he felt himself tense slightly. Exactly why, he wasn't sure. He mirrored her smile without even thinking about it, and he felt his heart skip a beat as he realized that the way he had wished previously about making her smile like Jonathan would had come true. The sensation made him feel almost more confident, and for a second he half-wished that he could put an arm around her, seeing how longing she almost seemed as she thought of her past. Then he stopped himself, realizing that doing so would just make her uncomfortable; something that he really didn't want to do.

Instead of asking more about the topic, he chose to drop it. Silently he swallowed, seeming content to watch the street vendors and people passing them by on the street. "So you and Jonathan... you're friends, right?" It was the only thing he could think of to ask her; anything to get her talking again.

[My Fair Lady]

Sauda nodded slowly, in response to his soft answer. He had returned her smile, even though hers had been slight and not for him. She tried to stop the memories from flooding her consciousness again, as that would end in her becoming emotional, well, more emotional than she was now. Sauda knew that Evan did not, and would most likely never know, about her story and why she had been so attached to her sister. She was glad when he seemed to drop the topic, focusing on the people that filled the streets.

His next inquiry caught Sauda off guard. Why would he care about Jonathan and I? Evan barely knows me and he's asking such questions?!? Nevertheless, she answered it with a bit of confusion in her voice. "Yeah. We're friends, I guess. He has watched over me since my sister..." Sauda didn't finish her sentence, her voice fading again, but Evan knew about her sister's death so he would hopefully understand what the end of her words would have been.