Kirithis
Novice
Shinma Hukumetsu
Posts: 62
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Post by Kirithis on Jul 7, 2007 12:17:17 GMT -5
Kirithis smiled gently, crouching gently and offering Alicia her hand to sniff. She liked animals; they weren't heartless like people were, and those that killed only did so to survive, not because they had a vendetta. Animals didn't have wars, didn't lie, cheat, and steal.. Kirithis liked them because of all of that, and because most were adorable, like the feline she was currently stroking.
Gracefully, she stood and took a seat on the couch, removing her leather sandals and folding her long legs gracefully beneath her as she waited. It really was a nice home; much nicer than even a mansion, because it was a home and not just a house. There was a difference. This place was lived in by a person and a cat, and it wasn't just a place to sleep. It was lived-in.
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Post by Aeryn on Jul 7, 2007 12:27:40 GMT -5
"Just a friendly warning, by the way... the old couple from next door might stop by. They don't have a whole lot to do these days so they usually come by and chatter when they see the lights on. So don't... you know, get upset or anything." What he really meant was don't freak out and kill anyone but that would've been rather rude of him to say, especially when Kiri was a guest in his home. Now that the water had been put on, he wandered out into the larger room, scooping up Alicia from the ground with a practiced movement that barely even slowed him down.
He took a seat on the couch, not nearly as close to the woman as he could've been. The Aeryn that existed only in this house wanted to respect her privacy and distance, and the other Aeryn - the one that'd made a living selling out his friends and stooping to the levels of common assassins - was afraid of causing her to doubt his motives, or accidentally activating some kind of insane Scorpion defense mode. He toppled the feline in his lap as it attempted to stand up, giving him the access needed to rub her belly. "I know it isn't terribly exciting here. It's mostly just me, so it isn't intended to entertain. I mostly just read."
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Kirithis
Novice
Shinma Hukumetsu
Posts: 62
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Post by Kirithis on Jul 7, 2007 12:51:17 GMT -5
Again, the woman smiled, gently reaching over to pet the cat again. "That doesn't pose any problem," she said, responding in part to both statements. She kinda liked old people-- not as much as animals, but better than many of the young-- and her own home was wherever she put her sleeping pack, a simple place to sleep.
"I like your home," she said. "It's much nicer than my own.. I'm not from around here, so I usually sleep under the stars." She was being honest, though she wasn't being terribly specific. A little tool of the assassin; tell what you wish, but don't give details. And Kirithis had a habit of telling the truth, though she was skilled at omitting details to spare people the idea of what she did. It made her "social life" easier.
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Post by Aeryn on Jul 7, 2007 13:00:24 GMT -5
"Where are you from, then?" He couldn't help it. He realized that she probably wouldn't answer any of his questions, but when you had someone over for tea, you typically made conversation. It looked good as far as playing his part went, but then again, he wasn't really playing anymore. This was Aeryn from Blaire, just a kid with a small house that worked odd-jobs to stay where he was, who loved idle chatter almost as much as his cat and the rather large bookcase in the upstairs bedroom. His "professional" self wouldn't be making an appearance tonight... he'd already sworn that to himself.
He blushed a bit and didn't hold Alicia back as she mewled and carefully navigated herself out of Aeryn's lap and towards Kiri. "I probably shouldn't ask questions like that, huh? Sorry. It's kind of a reflex for me. I like to get to know people."
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Kirithis
Novice
Shinma Hukumetsu
Posts: 62
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Post by Kirithis on Jul 7, 2007 13:20:17 GMT -5
Kirithis thought about this for a few moments, smiling as she continued to pet the cat. Should she really answer? He seemed nice enough, and she really didn't have to be too specific, did she? No, not really. "Northern Moonhaven," she said. Moonhaven was a northerly country in general, so she really wasn't telling him much, but it was an answer.
"What about you?" She asked, gracefully changing the subject while she scratched behind Alicia's ears. "Have you always lived in Blaire?" Effortless, yet skilled. Conversation was something one had to know to master to keep secrets, and she liked to think she was good at it.
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Post by Aeryn on Jul 7, 2007 13:28:07 GMT -5
"Born and raised. I've always liked it here. There's plenty of interesting things around, but it never gets too chaotic." Well, he didn't really lie to her. He was born in Blaire and also raised there, even if he spent the greater part of the last few years all over Edarin. He did really like it here, too. "Some might say that I'm missing out on the rest of the world, but... I don't know. This place keeps me happy."
He cleared his throat gently and rummaged in his pockets for something; a strip of leather, apparently. Aeryn hummed a faint tune as he went about pulling his hair up into a ponytail, but even when he was finished, there was still enough in his hair to cover his left eye. "Moonhaven, though... isn't that elf country?"
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Kirithis
Novice
Shinma Hukumetsu
Posts: 62
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Post by Kirithis on Jul 7, 2007 13:44:44 GMT -5
"Generally," Kirithis answered. "It's mostly populated by Elves, but there are others that live there, too." AKA: A roundabout way of keeping him from learning anything. Assumptions weren't reliable, so he could assume all he wanted with that information. Most people did. It made her smile on the inside when they did.
"And in all honesty," she said. "There's not much of the world you're missing out on. Mostly magic and fighting. Although, there are some nice things out there; there's a few nice inns, some good people.. Basically what you see in Blaire. Out of curiosity.. Have you ever left Blaire to see the rest of Tirane?"
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Post by Aeryn on Jul 7, 2007 13:50:12 GMT -5
He had to be careful with this one. Was there really a chance that she'd seen him before, somewhere? He didn't think it was terribly likely, but he couldn't reliably say that he remembered every single person he'd come across in the past. Best to just play it safe. "Not all of it, but I have been traveling with my parents when I was a little younger. Why do you ask?"
As for the elf issue, he wasn't about to press it. He was just commenting about it - none of the intelligence he had on this woman mentioned anything about her having elven blood, so his bringing it up moments earlier was pretty much harmless.
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Kirithis
Novice
Shinma Hukumetsu
Posts: 62
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Post by Kirithis on Jul 7, 2007 14:06:22 GMT -5
"Curiosity, I suppose," Kirithis said with a small shrug, still petting Alicia and scratching behind her ears. "You said that this was the only town you've ever lived in, so I wondered if you'd at least gotten to see some of what was out there." Harmless curiosity; he was lucky. If she had seen him before, she'd have asked if he'd ever seen whichever town it would have been in.
"So, Aeryn, have you always lived on your own?" she asked. Of course she meant 'without other people/persons', because technically, he wasn't 'alone.' Alicia was still here, too. Most Scorpions were superstitious, though it wasn't a well-known fact, but Kirithis thought many of the superstitions were silly. There was little foundation to many of them.
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Post by Aeryn on Jul 7, 2007 14:40:50 GMT -5
He loosed the smallest sigh of relief when Kiri changed the subject, terrified of being called out on a sighting in Tirane. If he had the choice he typically did his work away from home, preferably in another country - the chances of anyone ever recognizing him in Blaire, especially with a different appearance, were pretty much zero. In these parts, however, it was a completely different story, and he only took this job because the pay was so good. He preferred not to mix business with pleasure, and pleasure to Aeryn was being able to come home to someplace safe.
"You mean after I cut myself loose from my parents? Yeah, I guess so, though I haven't really craved for company. If I get lonely, there's people on either side of me. Too many in this town hate their neighbors, or neglect them... if you ask me, the market district is way too cramped to be picky about something like that. People should just learn to get along." He picked up a faint whistling and smiled, getting to his feet. "Water's about ready. Hope you don't have a preference for tea... I only keep one kind, usually."
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Kirithis
Novice
Shinma Hukumetsu
Posts: 62
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Post by Kirithis on Jul 7, 2007 14:54:44 GMT -5
Kirithis smiled, understanding what he was saying and silently agreeing with it. If people could get along, there wouldn't be need for people like Kirithis. No, she could live an attempt at a normal, peaceful life. Too bad that other people had other things on their agenda. Rape, murder, lying, cheating, stealing.. Too many evils in the world..
"Tea would be lovely," she said. She rather liked tea; it was calming, good for you, and it always made a long day seem that much better. Kirithis let her hand scratch and rub Alicia's stomach, smiling at the purring she heard. Gods forbid the day she might ever become allergic to cats.. She'd kill herself just trying to play with the cute little felines.
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Post by Aeryn on Jul 7, 2007 15:04:27 GMT -5
It didn't take him very long to prepare a couple of good-sized mugs, nor a small saucer of milk for that matter. "I didn't think it'd be very fair if we were the only ones with something to drink," he remarked, kneeling at the entrance to the kitchen and setting the tiny bowl down. As much as Alicia was enjoying herself, she wasted no time in closing the distance between the saucer and herself. "Guess you just have me to entertain you now. I feel sorry for you."
He smirked and took a seat only after carefully passing off one of the mugs to Kiri, giving her notice of the small table at the end of the couch in the case that she didn't feel like burning her hands and actually wanted to set it down. He cradled his own lightly between his thighs, letting the couch do most of the support so he didn't scald himself. "It's certainly convenient to be able to get good tea right down the street, but I have to go halfway across the city to get decent milk. Figures."
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Kirithis
Novice
Shinma Hukumetsu
Posts: 62
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Post by Kirithis on Jul 7, 2007 15:26:06 GMT -5
The Scorpion woman smiled at that, taking a very cautious sip of her tea, holding it in both hands easily. She'd been burned by worse things than mugs used as teacups, and none of them had ever left permanent scars. Her cautious sip told her all she needed to know, and she gently held the cup in one hand while she waited for it to cool down a little more.
"But of course," she said. "Why would you be able to get good milk closeby? That would just be sensible." Ah, a joke. She was relaxed here enough that she was allowing more of her real self to show through. "And as far as feeling sorry for me.. Don't. I'm normally all by myself, so even if you were a blind deaf-mute, I'd still be entertained. This is a great difference from my usual lifestyle. It's nice.."
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Post by Aeryn on Jul 7, 2007 15:33:05 GMT -5
He was a bit surprised himself that it was so easy to forget that this whole thing was a charade... to think that this was the real Aeryn and he didn't have to pretend. He'd never thought that he could feel so relaxed around a trained killer, especially being one himself, but that was just another of life's great comedies, it seemed. They were both putting thier professions behind them for the moment, and he found it very pleasing, sipping carefully from his mug.
"That's just milk, too. Food is all the way across the city, not just halfway. It's worth it, though, for the kind of fish you can get in the markets over there. That and it's a pretty nice walk, if no one gives you any trouble." That was how they met, though, and people gave you trouble quite often in this city. He wished it wasn't so, but at least he hadn't had to kill anyone over it yet, and they wouldn't be having this conversation if that wasn't the way things were. Funny how that worked. "Moonhaven is a long way away. What are you doing all the way out here?"
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Kirithis
Novice
Shinma Hukumetsu
Posts: 62
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Post by Kirithis on Jul 7, 2007 15:45:42 GMT -5
It really was nice, being able to just relax and unwind and be herself. How often was Kirithis able to actually be herself? Okay, but what about when she was around other people? Exactly. She shrugged, smile fading gently as she remembered exactly why it was that she was here. "My brother," she said. "He came out here hoping to learn something more about an illness he was suffering from, but it claimed his life before he could.
"I was summoned to collect his body, but that necromancer we saw earlier had stolen it," she said, completely honest. "And you know the rest." She was quiet for a moment, toying with the end of her braid absently. And then, she smiled at Aeryn gently. "I thank you again for your help, Aeryn. It meant a lot to me."
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