Ziad
Junior Seaman
Posts: 174 
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Post by Ziad on Mar 11, 2011 2:51:58 GMT -5
"Well, that´s good" Ziad said, shooting her a short glance over his glass of wine. Had he known about her slight anxiety at the moment, it would have surprised him, since what he had just said had been more or less an off the hand remark, but now he noticed that she was slightly more tense than usual. Or well, that she was a little tense just as she used to get now and then. He decided not to pick on it, one because it was not a polite thing to do to someone who had invited him round for dinner, whatever her reasons might have been, and two, even though it was a thought that was not too comfortable, he was not on duty all the time. Not now for example.
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Post by Kriss on Mar 11, 2011 6:35:13 GMT -5
Kriss lowered her eyes and started to eat. He seemed to let go which meant that he still was probably unaware of the fire in the forest.
The meal was alreday not as hot as it should have been what made it have even less taste as the orgianl, traditional one. Still it was not bad and took her back to the North at least for a tiny moment.
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Ziad
Junior Seaman
Posts: 174
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Post by Ziad on Mar 12, 2011 15:37:42 GMT -5
The food was okay, Ziad decided, the taste was a bit unusual, but he wouldn´t necessarily call it bad, just...interesting. As he ate on in silence, he found himself at a loss of words. Displaying nonchallence outwardly, which was something he was rather good it, he continued eating in silence for a bit, wondering what he should talk about with her. They weren´t good at making simple conversation he thought, it usually ended in her shouting at him.
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Post by Kriss on Mar 13, 2011 9:45:28 GMT -5
Although Kriss did not find talking with him as her favorite thing to do, this unnatural silence was tiring for her even more. All in all a small, simple question or a few words could not hurt, only help not to be inhospitable.
But what to say but not to hold the conversation on the wrong track again and whether it was possible with him...
"For how long are you in the royal guard, if I may ask?" She asked with an ordinary neutral tone and broke the silence.
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Ziad
Junior Seaman
Posts: 174
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Post by Ziad on Mar 14, 2011 18:09:45 GMT -5
Ziad wondered briefly whether she was actually interested in this or whether she was asking this because she maybe found the silence uncomfortable. He didn´t mind silence much, maybe, he thought, it was a woman thing that they always felt the need to chat more but then he felt reminded of what he at least considered somewhat decent manners.
"For quite a while." he said. "I came here when I was 15 and worked as a simple guard then. Things have changed a little since then."
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Post by Kriss on Mar 15, 2011 15:31:38 GMT -5
Kriss quickly placed the facts from his statements together. She was quite good in the calculations. Someone had had to take care that everything had been tallied up in the forgery documents. She quickly established his probable age.
Fifteen years experience in the guard with such success was something pretty impressive. Not that she was full of admiration but still. The numerous scars seemed to prove that his position was definitely deserved.
She could see that his involvement in the conversation was rather indifferent but it was much better than this awkward silence.
"15 years... Great Thor, what a sacrifice..."She was careful to not sound sarcastic.
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Ziad
Junior Seaman
Posts: 174
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Post by Ziad on Mar 16, 2011 0:39:04 GMT -5
He shot her a glance while eating, wondering whther there was anything behind these words or whether she had meant them in an honest way, coming to the conclusion that this quesiton was not difficult to answer. "Why sacrifice?" he therefore asked, seeking clarification and also wondering how she would reply.
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Post by Kriss on Mar 16, 2011 6:17:04 GMT -5
Kriss had been expecting this kind of response. She knew that people like him saw all these stuff in a totally different way than she did.
"I mean that I somehow marvel people like you..." she paused and added "You have devoted your live to a well-defined values. Honor, loyality and stuff. You sacrificed your life for others since I was horrified by the fact of becoming a mother and taking the responsibility for someone else..."
Honest to the limit, the response was a completely new element in her conversations with him.
A strange feeling.
It even did not hurt to be nice and honest.
Still rather strange.
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Ziad
Junior Seaman
Posts: 174
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Post by Ziad on Mar 17, 2011 1:23:03 GMT -5
"There is nothing bad about well defined values." Ziad replied, wondering why it was such a difference for her. Probably her life had been alltogether different from his. She came from far away and had not spent most of her life here after all, in fact she had not been here for that long, if he compared that to the time he had spent in this city.
"And I wouldn´t see it as a sacrifice, I see it as an honourable duty. My work makes the city safer and that again helps me, because it makes it a nicer place to live."
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Post by Kriss on Mar 17, 2011 11:34:34 GMT -5
Kriss was watching and listening to him with an attention. Even taking a sip of wine she did not break eye contact.
A nicer and safer place to live? Interseting... Like two days ago ten armored men passed the port and the city unnoticed and then tried to kill two women. Of course, just like paradise on the earth. Guess, it was just not your duty then.
She thought but naturally she left her reflection only for herself.
"Well, I haven't said that well defined values are something bad. Everyone has some values. Even I do. They are just a bit different than yours..." she was trying to explain but paused for a while. She turned at the sea with longing eyes and added. "Once upon a time my values were still other than the ones that I have now. Some events which can totally change your life, are able to also change your values..."
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Ziad
Junior Seaman
Posts: 174
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Post by Ziad on Mar 20, 2011 11:51:15 GMT -5
Ziad gave her a look while she talked. "And who knows." he said, pausing for a moment to eat some more before he continued. "one day the world might change and have other values alltogether, so all we can do is live up to the ones we define as the best today."
He caught himself trying to read her. He didn´t really know much about her, he noticed. Nothing beside her name and the fact that she had a son and owned or rented this tavern. WHich mean there was not really anything much he could base his judgements on. But what was he thinking anyways? Why could he not just view her in a neutral way? He noticed there was the faintest bit of mistrust against her that he couldn´t explain, mixed with an annoying pang of curiosity.
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Post by Kriss on Mar 21, 2011 14:22:34 GMT -5
Kriss turned back at him. She knew that look and now, these blue eyes were looking at her that way. He was not the first one who had been trying to read her but he would have been the first if he had been able to do it.
"My world has changed a few times already. All you can do then is to get use to the new one. No matter how hard you're trying to oppose this, you are helpless..."
She said with a voice full of life experience.
Then she smiled, noting his almost empty plat, "It wasn't that bad, was it? Seconds, perhaps?"
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Ziad
Junior Seaman
Posts: 174
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Post by Ziad on Mar 22, 2011 11:00:46 GMT -5
She was young, quite a few years younger than him, maybe half a dozen years. Still, her words sounded like more than just empty shells, she sounded like she had been through what she said. Ziad was usually good at telling whether someone else was lying and she wasn´t. Right now she wasn´t. She had lied to him a few times before he was sure, as well as he was sure that there was something she was hiding from him. The question was of course whether what she was hiding was of actual relevance or whether she merely thought it was relevant and it was of no interest for him. He decided not to think into that direction much. At least not now.
"Yes please, not bad at all," he instead said politely.
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Post by Kriss on Mar 22, 2011 13:20:09 GMT -5
Kriss stood up to fill his plate with another portion. She was trying to be very careful when she was leaning over him, knowing about her clumsiness in things like that. Singwlad had used to alwyas have a lot of fun when she had been trying to prepare something for them and then serve it. Lucky enough for both of them that she had not needed to cook for a long time. After that the archer had never touched any pot to cook again.
"Told you, I have the best cook in Basra" She said smilling, put the epergne back with a relief and sat down again.
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Ziad
Junior Seaman
Posts: 174
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Post by Ziad on Mar 24, 2011 2:00:34 GMT -5
Ziad could feel a slight uneasiness about her, engulfing her like an aura. Why was that he wondered? It didn´t fit with her usual attitude, dispite those moments when he had the feeling that she was trying to hide something from him - which happened rather often, coming to think of it. Was she nervous? But why?
He didn´t comment on it but leant back a little, allowing her enough place to serve the food. "My compliments to the cook then," he said with a small smile, raising his wine glass when she had sat down again.
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