Challenge Accepted [Tailor]

[marsupial]

[rs=2][atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=style,background-color: #dedede; width: 20px;]	[rs=2][atrb=vAlign,top][atrb=style,background-color: #fed39c; width: 280px;] It was a bit harder to get dressed than he expected. Elijah stood in front of the mirror, nervously twisting from side to side judging his outfit too harshly. He normally didn't really care what he was wearing. It wasn't uncommon for him to wear something so ridiculously mismatching that it was hard to look him in the eye, but this time he had to look perfect. For the hundredth time, he yanked off his shirt and rummaged through his closet for a new one. 'This is really bad quality.' The words echoed in his head like bells, and his eyebrows drew together so tightly that they almost met in the middle.He was not that bad at caring for his flock! It had just been...a really rough year! Their wool wasn't quite what it could have been, sure, but 'really bad'? Was that necessary? The spurned shepherd yanked a brush through his hair with an upset frown, and stared up at the clock to see how much time he had le-- W-Was it that late already? In just a few minutes, Tailor would be leaving his house like clockwork, and if he didn't hurry, Elijah would miss him and wouldn't get the smug satisfaction of rubbing the soft wool in his face. Haphazardly yanking a long sleeved button up out of his closet (red, always a good color on him), he fastened the buttons as quickly as he could and dashed outside.The wheelbarrow of wool was next to the road at the ready, and he barely slowed down to grip the handles and push it along. It nearly tipped several times, and Elijah's knees kept crashing into the back of it. But he had to get there on time. Tailor was going to see how hard he'd worked in the five years since he said such an awful thing! He'd been avoiding the man for the most part since then, and only went into the shop to trade wool when he wasn't around. But now, his sheep finally gave him a great quality batch, and he had to show the man how much better he was. It didn't take long to reach the wizard's home. They only lived a very short distance from one another, and like the lame guy he was, Elijah had been mapping out this journey for years. In no time, the quaint little cottage was in his sight, and he breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Tailor sitting between the two rocking chairs on the porch. He instantly slowed down, trying to look like he'd been in no hurry at all. He didn't notice that his pants were dirty from the trek through the woods, or that his hair had a few leaves sticking out of it, or even that he'd buttoned his shirt wrong and one side was two buttons farther down that it should have been. The shepherd tried his best to look bored and totally not out of breath when he finally reached the front porch, setting his precious cargo directly in front of the man he'd come to see. "I wanted to know if you could take a look at this wool for me. I hope you don't mind--I just thought I'd wander over and ask." With a smug look of satisfaction (which he felt a twinge of guilt for but didn't change), Elijah pulled the protective burlap sack off of the top and waited for the apology he'd been hoping for.	[atrb=vAlign,top][atrb=style,background-color: #dedede; height: 235px;] what do those shaking fingers of yours seek?
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[cs=4] Coded by AMB Tanz

[kappaccino]

[atrb=border,0,true][atrb=cellspacing,0,true][atrb=cellpadding,0,true][atrb=style,width:430px; background-color: #e3e3e3; border: 3px solid #d7d7d7; padding: 5px; background-image: url('http://i.imgur.com/RrkzK.jpg'); -moz-border-radius: 10px 10px 0px 0px; -o-border-radius: 10px 10px 0px 0px; -webkit-border-radius: 10px 10px 0px 0px; border-radius: 10px 10px 0px 0px;] i'm in the business of misery let's take it from the top It's a matter of time before we all run out Spring was the time of rebirth and optimism, according to the little exert on his calendar, but Tailor as a rule didn't listen to things that had more than three exclamation marks. You had to wonder if their enthusiasm had effected their logical thought as strongly as it effected their grammar. Spring time certainly wasn't anything special to the wizard now, aside from the gradual fade of winter memories into the nearly as sharp new season ones. Should he try to tame the remnant of his flower beds this year? ...Could he try? No, no, no. He didn't want to think, he didn't want to remember. The soft tilled earth beneath his back, the heavy scent of touch-me-nots and sweat, the thick, hot, air in his lungs and the sunlight weaker than the smile of the other-- Tailor closed his eyes and rubbed his temples hard enough to make green spots appear across his eyelids. No, he wouldn't try to garden today. Wild plants and trees had choked out almost his entire yard in the past few decades anyway, so all that would be left were the flowerbeds on either side of his porch – the hot spot of memories and avoidance. Instead, the wizard simply did what he did everyday before work. Stepping out onto the stone porch, he hesitated between the two rocking chairs so aged they were almost certainly beyond use. Closing his eyes again and letting his mind linger softly in the lazy evenings spent there in the past, he sat cross legged between the chairs. He'd have continued this meditation for much longer, if a sudden voice hadn't punched through the calm. He kept his eyes closed for a minute after he heard it, hesitant to pull himself away from the numbness and back into the real world. Finally, he opened both of his eyes and looked obediently at the wheelbarrow before him. Another pause, poignant and a little unsure. What did he expect him to do with it? The shop dealt with buying – he just sewed and enchanted. “The quality seems good. If you're looking for a buyer, the shop should be open in a couple hours.” Speaking in monotone, he finally tilted his head up to look at the other person. Ah, him. He'd only seen him twice, yet he actually could remember this human clearer than many others. Their first meeting would have been embarrassing if Tailor could care enough to feel such a thing, with the inexplicable fact they'd both cried for no good reason. Dust in the air, probably. He didn't remember the second time as well, though he had a feeling it had been similar to this one now. Without much thought, the wizard stood and stepped off the porch so he was standing directly next to the wheelbarrow. Reaching out and touching it with expert fingers, he nodded to himself. “You should be able to get a decent price...” He said, and looked back at the human. There was a sharp jolt in his gut, his uncovered eye widening in surprise, as for a second with the sun glaring down and the flowers standing out behind him, he was standing there. It'd all been a bad dream – the hundred years of cold and loneliness, his lover was going to smile and hold out his hands with love in those eyes-- Tailor stretched out his hand to meet one that'd never be there again, face so relieved and so hopeful, until a cloud shifted over the sun and what was actually in front of him was shown with clarity. He froze as it slowly sank in, and his arm dropped to his side as his gaze turned listlessly down. “Your shirt is buttoned wrong.” And you have no right to have his eyes. word count -- dunno tags -- you bb notes -- /fart sounds coded by grey

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