Noah snorted loudly in response to the stranger's first two comments, but he went still the moment her question reached his ears. "If you call low payment and starving on the streets 'living on the edge', then maybe. And I'm….. eighteen. Approximately." After a terse pause, he slid his broom down the nearest chimney, sending up a cloud of soot.
Arabella took a step away from the cloud of soot, sitting down on the roof. Her dress caught on a bit of broken roofing but she carelessly tugged it away. Her dress was probably worth more than Noah would ever make in his lifetime. She didn’t care too much. “I’d rather live out on the rooftops then be married to some snotty businessman.” She cooed in response. “I don’t want to be sold off so my family can get rich, have you ever felt that?” She asked, not even pausing for his answer before she continued to spout her worries.
“I want to marry for love and find a husband who loves me. I would rather wear inexpensive dresses and wander the park when I please.”
Noah didn't bother to hide his scowl. "Poverty is not as fitting as you might think. Stop romanticizing it, there's no 'wandering the park'. Think more along the lines of risking death or imprisonment for the first bite of food you've had in days. I've never experienced being sold off to a wealthy spouse, but you've never experienced having a life expectancy of fifteen years, or not knowing whether you'll survive the winter."
Arabella bit her lip. Did she have it all wrong? Of course she did. She was a romantic at best. “Tell me more about it then, Noah.” She sat expecantly, wishing more than anything to remove the restrictive clothing so she could lay back. “I appologize if I have offended you. I didn’t mean to.”
Noah let out an unaccommodating grunt and moved on to the next chimney in line. "I'm not complaining to a lady, so you can forget about it. Have you never spoken with a chimneysweep before?"
“I’ve never met anyone on my own.” She replied. “I’m only allowed to talk to those my father chooses. He controls my schedule.” She hummed a small tune, opening her notebook. “You’re very charming so far, in a rather rude sort of way, but still charming.”
Noah snorted derisively. At his feet, the curl of smoke tightened, responding to his emotions. "I'll….. take that as a compliment, I suppose."
She giggled softly. “Please do, it was meant to be a compliment.” Her eyes glistened in curiosity as she watched him work. “You’re different from the boys I’ve met.”
(Aw this is so cute can I stalk?)
(Aw this is so cute can I stalk?)
(I don’t mind, what about you @Topaz~)
(Hey, Joy! Sure, go ahead :D)
“I’m not surprised,” Noah muttered under his breath, wafting a cloud of ash away from his face. “I’m an urchin. You’ve only had exposure to lordlings and butlers.”
“You are correct.” She replied, looking at the urchin before her. “Though I don’t regret meeting you. I enjoy the difference in character. You’re more… alive.” She meant he had more life in him. A lot more life.
He snorted loudly at the irony of the situation, lifting a hand in front of his face and spreading his fingers wide. Smoke tangled between them like a sloppily woven tapestry, drifting skywards and mingling with the night air. "Right, alive."
(cool thanks! I love cute lil RP's like this)
Arabella glanced over at him. She was a bit concerned. “No, I meant it as in your personality is bigger, brighter.” Her eyes settled on the smoke. The lady’s pose stiffened. “Is that soot?”
(I'ma stalk this, seems interesting)
(sure, welcome, XD)
Noah closed his fist, trapping a wisp of smoke between his fingers.
"No, it's stardust," he responded sarcastically, doing his best to fend off the question. "I'm a chimneysweep. Yes, it's soot."
(Wow I’ve never been happier to see stalkers XD)
Her eyes widened, but that small spark of excitement was crushed by his confirmation of soot. “Stardust would have been cool. You could have been like those creatures and beings of the forests. My mother says they’re very hard to find.” She patted the spot next to her suddenly. “Would you mind keeping me company for just a little while longer?”
(lmao)
Noah turned his head to eye the strange girl, suspicion lining his soot-stained face.
"I'm not finished working," he said finally, diverting his attention and taking the broom into both hands again.
Arabella shook her head, dusting off the soot that had settled onto her dress. She didn’t seem surprised to see it smudge. “Ah, another dress with a strange smudge.” She mumbled to herself before looking back up at the male. “I’m not very dangerous, as you’ve probably noticed. I only want someone to talk to. It’s rather lonely here. I’m sure you’d enjoy the company as well.”
Noah only scoffed, exhaling a cloud of warm breath into the night air. "If you're going to try and take advantage of me, at least be straightforward about it, miss." She wasn't the first to try, neither would she be the last, and he had no patience left for being pushed off rooftops and laughed at while he scrabbled for purchase on the way down.
Arabella looked absolutely offended. She folded her arms across her chest and huffed. “Are you really suggesting that I could take advantage of you?! For one, I’m about three times smaller than you. And for two, why would I ever do that? You’ve done nothing to me so far.”
The lady stood, collecting her things. “I wasn’t thinking of doing so, but just because you dare think of me as that type of person, I’m considering it.”
"Then you're only proving my point," he answered calmly, springing up onto one of the smokestacks with ease. "If a lady, once offended, would consider taking advantage of the defenceless chimneysweep doing his job, then I'm not sure she's much of a lade anymore."
“Ah, now you’re starting to understand.” She giggled innocently, sliding down the roof. She flung her journal and pen into the window below. “I’m not meant to be a lady. But I do want you to know this,” She turned to look at him, her expression one of a serious curiousity. “I would never do anything to harm you. If I ever do anything that does so, you have my full permission to throw me off this roof.”
Noah lifted a dubious eyebrow at both Arabella's statement and apparent naivety. "Whatever you say…."