- Joined
- Sep 7, 2019
- Location
- Jurassic Park
Everyone was stunned into silence by Yusef's frustration, and while Chloe and Kalisha hung their heads in contemplation at all his hurt, Akari and Sajida were well and truly admonished and agreed to a private dinner. Chloe wanted desperately to be there for all of them, but Kalisha convinced her to snuggle with her in the bedroom as Chloe cried. Kalisha then flicked Yusef on the nose for referring to prophecies again, and said that she would do that every time he tried to use prophecy to win an argument, referring to her argument about the river that pushes people along but that people can choose to travel their own course on. Still, Kalisha kissed his nose to let him know she wasn't mad at him for being a dork about it, and admitted she was starting to fall in love with him as Kalisha and Chloe went into the bedroom.
"I...feel better. Maybe since I was the cause of a lot of this hurt, I can cook while you two kick off the discussion," Akari said. "It'll be spicy beef noodles from the Likamesh Delta region of Gudaria. Spicy food like this is supposed to cleanse one of anger, sadness, and other emotional impurities. Perhaps it will do that for us," she continued as she started preparing the food.
"We have plenty of spicy foods in Surabamba, although they're more in the form of soups or stews, but I'll try this too," Sajida said. "And speaking of trying something new..." she said, then took Yusef's hand. "I am so sorry that I treated you like a pig or a womanizer, when I know you're not. The reason why I panicked, why I got mad at you...why I'm afraid to love again even though I know I'll be yours, because I've seen it too, is because I pledged myself to another seven years ago. When we got married in June of 1886 and he went off to war in the Surabamba Rebellion, I...made a mistake with two young Caledorian women soldiers I was sheltering from a storm, and from the rebel army." Akari's eyes went wide as Sajida admitted experimenting with women, in a threesome no less, but wouldn't reveal her husband's name, like it was a word of power that would control her.
"So, I kicked them out, compounding my mistake by hurting them," she continued. "Then I ran away, and then I learned that my husband had died in the Battle of Sanctuary Trench and traveled for years, trying to right my wrong by being celibate and giving my healing water to the sick and thirsty. That's why I felt the sex we had was a mistake. I'm not saying I'm in love with you yet, and so I am not yours yet, but having felt what you feel, I'm willing to try and see what could be, no matter what pain I may have to endure."
"I know something of having lost, and how it can make you feel like you can never let anyone in again," Akari said.
"You? But..."
"I don't know how to love?" the thief cracked as she started to serve the food. "I wish that were true, because it would be easier. I...I still don't feel ready to talk about everything that happened to me, but I lost...a boy when I was 16 at the hands of the greedy elvish lord of my village who strung him up by his guts and tried to rape me, and I lost a woman at 17...a dancer like me from Surabamba who I traveled with in the Rumeti caravans. Maybe you might've known her. Bhavini Sharma?" Akari realized she wasn't ready to reveal the name of the boy she left behind, but hoped perhaps the overture of a familiar name might give her some common ground with Sajida.
"Bhavini?! She was my best friend from our village growing up. Oh, gods, what happened to her? I thought she was still at the village."
"She...she died when our caravan was attacked by Yubankti raiders," Akari said. Her voice changed again when she squeezed out tears into the food and said, "They killed innocent people like animals, so I slaughtered them all like animals." That moment of supernatural anger passed, and she continued in her normal voice, "But she was the light of my life when I thought I could never love anyone again, and she told me she would walk with me always, even in The Darkness. I don't believe in gods or an afterlife, but I believe in that, even though I can't explain why."
"Oh, Akari," Sajida said as she wrapped her arms around Akari. "I loved her like a sister I never had, and I feel terribly for leaving her behind when I selfishly abandoned everything I'd ever known, but I thank you for letting me know she was loved until her dying day." Which was especially remarkable given that, since Sajida and Bhavini were born a month apart, Bhavini would have been 26 at the time compared to Akari's 17, showing that Akari could in fact be very mature. "I'm so sorry that we both have been so hurt, and you especially for enduring this so young. Don't become a bitter old woman like me before your time..."
They were both in tears now, and Akari sniffed, "Let's just all take a breath and have a nice dinner together" as she served the hot bowl of noodles on the table.
"I...feel better. Maybe since I was the cause of a lot of this hurt, I can cook while you two kick off the discussion," Akari said. "It'll be spicy beef noodles from the Likamesh Delta region of Gudaria. Spicy food like this is supposed to cleanse one of anger, sadness, and other emotional impurities. Perhaps it will do that for us," she continued as she started preparing the food.
"We have plenty of spicy foods in Surabamba, although they're more in the form of soups or stews, but I'll try this too," Sajida said. "And speaking of trying something new..." she said, then took Yusef's hand. "I am so sorry that I treated you like a pig or a womanizer, when I know you're not. The reason why I panicked, why I got mad at you...why I'm afraid to love again even though I know I'll be yours, because I've seen it too, is because I pledged myself to another seven years ago. When we got married in June of 1886 and he went off to war in the Surabamba Rebellion, I...made a mistake with two young Caledorian women soldiers I was sheltering from a storm, and from the rebel army." Akari's eyes went wide as Sajida admitted experimenting with women, in a threesome no less, but wouldn't reveal her husband's name, like it was a word of power that would control her.
"So, I kicked them out, compounding my mistake by hurting them," she continued. "Then I ran away, and then I learned that my husband had died in the Battle of Sanctuary Trench and traveled for years, trying to right my wrong by being celibate and giving my healing water to the sick and thirsty. That's why I felt the sex we had was a mistake. I'm not saying I'm in love with you yet, and so I am not yours yet, but having felt what you feel, I'm willing to try and see what could be, no matter what pain I may have to endure."
"I know something of having lost, and how it can make you feel like you can never let anyone in again," Akari said.
"You? But..."
"I don't know how to love?" the thief cracked as she started to serve the food. "I wish that were true, because it would be easier. I...I still don't feel ready to talk about everything that happened to me, but I lost...a boy when I was 16 at the hands of the greedy elvish lord of my village who strung him up by his guts and tried to rape me, and I lost a woman at 17...a dancer like me from Surabamba who I traveled with in the Rumeti caravans. Maybe you might've known her. Bhavini Sharma?" Akari realized she wasn't ready to reveal the name of the boy she left behind, but hoped perhaps the overture of a familiar name might give her some common ground with Sajida.
"Bhavini?! She was my best friend from our village growing up. Oh, gods, what happened to her? I thought she was still at the village."
"She...she died when our caravan was attacked by Yubankti raiders," Akari said. Her voice changed again when she squeezed out tears into the food and said, "They killed innocent people like animals, so I slaughtered them all like animals." That moment of supernatural anger passed, and she continued in her normal voice, "But she was the light of my life when I thought I could never love anyone again, and she told me she would walk with me always, even in The Darkness. I don't believe in gods or an afterlife, but I believe in that, even though I can't explain why."
"Oh, Akari," Sajida said as she wrapped her arms around Akari. "I loved her like a sister I never had, and I feel terribly for leaving her behind when I selfishly abandoned everything I'd ever known, but I thank you for letting me know she was loved until her dying day." Which was especially remarkable given that, since Sajida and Bhavini were born a month apart, Bhavini would have been 26 at the time compared to Akari's 17, showing that Akari could in fact be very mature. "I'm so sorry that we both have been so hurt, and you especially for enduring this so young. Don't become a bitter old woman like me before your time..."
They were both in tears now, and Akari sniffed, "Let's just all take a breath and have a nice dinner together" as she served the hot bowl of noodles on the table.
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