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Post by Azriel Shahrizai on Nov 5, 2009 1:26:08 GMT -5
I laughed softly, releasing her hand, I wasn't even sure why I had been holding it, except for the fact that I liked Naia enough to feel comfortable to do so and not look silly. "Sounds like a plan." I said as I pulled the door open and held it open for her to enter first.
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Post by Naia Shahrizai on Nov 5, 2009 12:18:12 GMT -5
I entered the restaurant and looked around curiously. I wasn't sure what I expected, but though it did have a bit of a foreign feel to it, it was just like any other restaurant. Tables and chairs and servers, the usual bit.
I was about to say something to Azriel when the host appeared to show us to a table. I held my tongue until we were settled with menus and then turned to my attention to my dinner companion.
"Hmm..." I said, perusing the menu of unfamiliar food items. "I was hoping that I knew enough Aragonian to impress you, but it appears I can hardly do more than read the name of the menu." I laughed, shaking my head. I was fairly well educated, but I had to admit that I had no talent for languages - it was I wonder I could even speak D'angeline!
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Post by Azriel Shahrizai on Nov 5, 2009 17:30:31 GMT -5
I chuckled softly. "Not to worry, I know enough." I said smiling. "And you don't need to impress me." I added with a wink then ordered us some wine to start before looking at the menu. "It all looks good." I said absently as I scanned it, trying to remember what I had had last time.
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Post by Naia Shahrizai on Nov 5, 2009 18:56:47 GMT -5
"We need the word for spicy," I said, laughing softly. I felt something akin to gratitude for him when he told me that I didn't need to impress him, but of course that only made me want to impress him more.
I laughed again, looking over the menu and shaking my head. "I can't tell if it looks good because I don't know what most of it is. Isn't carne meat? I like meat."
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Post by Azriel Shahrizai on Nov 5, 2009 23:40:05 GMT -5
I nodded as I looked at her. "It does mean meat," I replied. "And I believe the word is picante for spicy." I added with another chuckle. "How about the chorizo, thats a spicy sausage."
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Post by Naia Shahrizai on Nov 5, 2009 23:49:45 GMT -5
I had to force myself not to make a joke about sausage, though I had to openly stifle my giggle. Well, if he hadn't thought of me as a child before, he surely did now! Still, my sense of humor was somewhat crude, I couldn't help it.
I cleared my throat and nodded. "That sounds perfect, Azriel." Proud of myself for keeping my off color remarks to myself, I went on to peruse the wine list. I was actually familiar with an array of Aragonian wines, so I suggested one that I knew was high quality. "The Ribero del Duero would go wonderfully with that."
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Post by Azriel Shahrizai on Nov 11, 2009 0:42:06 GMT -5
I watched her as she held in a giggle, I wasn't foolish, I was fairly sure I knew what she was giggling about. Either way I smiled and nodded at her wine suggestion. "I think that would be wonderful, lets order it." I replied still smiling.
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Post by Naia Shahrizai on Nov 11, 2009 0:48:25 GMT -5
I was pleased that he had taken my suggestion, and as the server appeared I ordered the wine with the authority of someone who knew what she was talking about. Well, working for Balta had at least taught me one thing worth knowing.
"So," I said, when the server had gone and left us to our own devices. "Have you lived in the City long?" I wondered if he would miss it when he was gone.
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Post by Azriel Shahrizai on Nov 11, 2009 1:38:21 GMT -5
I smiled politely to the server and then turned to Naia when she spoke to me. "Not too long, just after the plague." I said softly. "Thats how Lilli's parent's died." I explained.
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Post by Naia Shahrizai on Nov 11, 2009 2:00:30 GMT -5
"Oh," I said, feeling a sudden sadness for Lilli. I knew the aching sense of loss that not having parents gave a person. In my case, I had never known my mother, and my father ... well, he was a father in the biological sense of the word, but that was about it. "I'm sorry to hear that." I finished, then realized something else.
"So if Lilli is your niece, then one of her parents was your sibling?"
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Post by Azriel Shahrizai on Nov 11, 2009 2:11:40 GMT -5
I nodded. "Yes, her mother was my half sister." I said softly. "We shared the same mother."
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Post by Naia Shahrizai on Nov 11, 2009 2:22:06 GMT -5
"I'm so sorry, Azriel," I said, sliding my hand across the table to find one of his and squeeze gently. "That must have been awful." I had heard about the plague, recalled my father ranting and raving about it, but it hadn't touched my life personally. Still, the idea of losing a sister, even one that I professed to hate as much as Sarielle was terrifying. I realized that aside from the unknown masses of Shahrizai kin that roamed Terre d'Ange, Sarielle was the only family I had left.
It was more than I wanted to think about so I pulled my focus away from myself and back to Azriel. It was an act I found oddly refreshing - thinking about someone else for a change. "Does Lilli have any other family in the City?" I asked, wondering if she had that in common with me also.
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Post by Azriel Shahrizai on Nov 11, 2009 2:26:57 GMT -5
I smiled sadly, squeezing her hand in return. "No, she doesn't." I said softly; the question wasn't want that I had thought overly on, but as I answered it, I suddenly had a pang of guilt. Seeing Naia, how lonely she seemed to be, I hated the thought of seeing Lilli in the same place.
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Post by Naia Shahrizai on Nov 11, 2009 2:44:30 GMT -5
"Well," I said, sensing that perhaps this wasn't a topic to dwell on, "she has Maric, he seems like a nice man." And he did, perhaps that was why I hadn't seen him after our encounter at Kushiel's temple. A nice man had no business being around the likes of me.
"And besides, even in Marsilikos, I'm sure you would always be only a letter away." I smiled at him reassuringly, though part of me wondered why I should care if he went away. And I realized with even more of a start that what I wanted was for him to do whatever would make him happy.
Before I could pursue that train of thought, however, our food arrived, and I released his hand to reach for my fork.
Smiling, I poked at my chorizo and raised a brow at him. "Ready for the spice?"
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Post by Azriel Shahrizai on Nov 13, 2009 23:48:28 GMT -5
I smiled and nodded at her words, though they didn't really comfort me, being in Marsilikos was not the same and I knew that full well. Had it been an appropriate place distance wise, I would have made it back here before my sister died. The thoughts of her and Lilli rattled around in my head as I forced another smile and picked up my fork to try the dish. "Ready if you are." I replied and speared a piece on my fork.
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Post by Naia Shahrizai on Nov 14, 2009 0:42:29 GMT -5
I sensed that perhaps the topic had upset him, so I decided to take his lead and drop it. Smiling bravely, I reached out with my fork and selected a small piece. No sense in overdoing it.
"Here goes nothing..." I said, taking a deep breath and then popping the sausage into my mouth. At first there was nothing but the flavor of the meat, which was unusual but delicious. However, after a moment, my eyes widened as I felt the heat on my tongue. It burned, but in a good way, though my eyes watered and I had to reach for my drink.
"Elua's balls, that's hot!" I exclaimed, then had the grace to blush at the realization that perhaps in Azriel's presence I might want to rein in my sailor's tongue.
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Post by Azriel Shahrizai on Nov 14, 2009 1:16:33 GMT -5
I watched her as she placed the bite in her mouth and then did the same, still watching her as I began to chew. It was indeed hot, but I managed to stomach it a little better then Naia apparently. I managed not to out right laugh as she cursed, so unlike a young lady, but enjoyed the image never the less. As I watched her I couldn't help that sensation I had had earlier, I almost wished I looked like her, that when one looked at our table they would know we were kin. I realized then that it was that strange loyalty to my family that I never grew up, something I never witnessed till now. "Good?" I asked with a bit of a teasing grin as I watched her drink down her wine while I went for another bite.
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Post by Naia Shahrizai on Nov 14, 2009 12:01:46 GMT -5
I laughed when I saw him go for the next bite, my tongue still feeling the fiery heat from my first taste.
"It appears that you can take the heat with more grace than I," I said, though I did reach for another bite. Despite the heat, the chorizo was delicious. "And yes, it's good."
I stared at the sausage on the end of my fork and mused aloud, "I wonder if this is what it is like for Valerians... it tastes good but it hurts at the same time. I thought I didn't understand that, but maybe I do." I looked at him and smiled before popping the bite into my mouth.
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Post by Azriel Shahrizai on Nov 14, 2009 23:49:49 GMT -5
Her comment caught me off guard and I stopped chewing as I watched her take another bite before continuing to chew and then swallow mine. I chuckled though despite my initial thoughts on the comment. "I wouldn't be able to even begin to guess." I replied as I speared another piece onto my fork and looked at her. "I don't really enjoy the pain myself. I can take it, but it doesn't bring me pleasure to experience it."
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Post by Naia Shahrizai on Nov 15, 2009 0:03:47 GMT -5
"I think it depends," I mused, as I took another hearty sip in attempt to quench the fire on my tongue. "Some types of pain are," I paused, groping for the right word, "interesting, I guess. Or exciting, maybe. Not that they precisely feel good, but that they are exciting to experience." I was thinking here of things like having my hair roughly pulled or being back up hard against a brick wall. Of course, I also knew precisely what Azriel meant about being able to withstand pain and not enjoying it, but I shied away from thinking about that, or even the fact that here we were, discussing such subjects as pain and pleasure over dinner. It was such a Shahrizai thing to do, that I almost laughed at it. Here we were, two misfits of our House, but some things could never be escaped ... blood would always tell.
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Post by Azriel Shahrizai on Nov 15, 2009 0:08:08 GMT -5
I chuckled again. "I suppose there is some merit in that," I replied as I thought about what she might be referring to. "I suppose if I were to choose though, I'd simply prefer to bed some one that simply enjoyed the pain and had no interest in hurting me back." I said with a little smile and chuckled again as I chewed another piece.
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Post by Naia Shahrizai on Nov 15, 2009 0:21:53 GMT -5
"Best stay away from Mandrake then," I jested, though with a rather uncomfortable remembrance of my time there, "not to mention other members of the family!" I laughed softly before braving another bite, finally becoming accustomed to the spiciness of it. Or perhaps my tongue was simply numb?
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Post by Azriel Shahrizai on Nov 15, 2009 0:25:42 GMT -5
I chuckled again, enjoying myself despite my thoughts on the subject we were speaking about, one of which was a certain amount of irony. "Well your sister..." I stopped myself, but I had already began to speak before I realized what I was about to say. I wanted to take it back since I didn't think Naia wanted to hear about the night of coupling I had had with her sister. I looked down at my plate and pushed the meal around before looking up at her again. "So... did you want dessert?"
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Post by Naia Shahrizai on Nov 15, 2009 0:33:53 GMT -5
I stopped with my fork midway to my mouth at Azriel's words, though when I thought about it, what had I expected with such a remark? Even though I knew about their time together, it wasn't constantly on my mind when I was with him, not the way it had been with Gadleon, and the sudden reminder of it was like being awoken from a dream by a bucket of ice cold water.
Being the gentleman that he was, he dropped the subject and then changed it entirely, and I set my fork down and forced myself to relax. I laughed softly, then, as we tried to ignore the elephant in the room.
"It's all right," I said, "I know about you and my sister." Probably not the half of it, but enough. "And yes, I would love dessert."
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Post by Azriel Shahrizai on Nov 15, 2009 0:41:23 GMT -5
I looked at her, pausing myself as I focused on her face. "I didn't mean to bring it up, I'm sorry." I said softly. "If you want to talk about it we can; any question, anything that you don't understand, I want to be able to make it so that its not something that upsets you. But if you want to just forget it then I can do that to." I reached out touched her hand.
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Post by Naia Shahrizai on Nov 15, 2009 0:55:03 GMT -5
At first, I didn't know how to react; no one had ever been so solicitous over my feelings before and my usual defensive and sarcastic reactions seemed entirely inappropriate for this situation. So did the jokes and quips that I would normally use to cover up any discomforture I felt. Well, if he could be honest, so could I.
"I don't need to know anything, it's personal between the two of you. Sarielle and I, it's complicated, I suppose." I was suddenly embarrassed about all the trouble I had gone to in order to figure out Azriel's identity, and how meaningless and childish it seemed now that I was sitting here with him. "I think I have to stop pulling other people into it," I said at last, though I had the feeling that it would be easier said than done.
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Post by Azriel Shahrizai on Nov 15, 2009 1:07:52 GMT -5
I smiled a little. "Naia," I began. "You are young, despite your age and all the things you've seen, you're still young. I know this because I see it. When I was your age..." I stopped and scoffed as I remembered when indeed I was like at that age. "I thought I knew everything, I thought that the world owed me everything, and the way I treated people around me..." I trailed off and shook my head. "We all do things when we're hurt, when we're young, that we are embarrassed by later. It doesn't make us bad people, it just makes us human." I smiled gently. "If you think that you'll never do anything foolish, or embarrassing, or asinine when you reach my age well..." I shook my head some more. "Those things never change, you just have to accept we make mistake and then try to rectify them."
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Post by Naia Shahrizai on Nov 15, 2009 20:59:18 GMT -5
Normally I would have bristled at him making reference to my age, but for once I did not, perhaps because even though he was speaking of it, he wasn't being condescending or treating me like a child.
His words made me feel better about my mistakes, the many of them that there were, and about some of the things I'd done in the name of anger. Maybe, just maybe, I could change for the better? Whenever I had that thought, however, it was immediately overtaken by my father's voice in my head. He had known what I really was. Worthless. Unlovable. A mistake.
I forced those thoughts down into the pit of my stomach, something I was practiced at by now, and smiled at Azriel. "So, are you saying that you still make mistakes?" I poked at a piece of sausage with my fork. "But that its okay, sometimes?"
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Post by Azriel Shahrizai on Nov 16, 2009 16:49:28 GMT -5
I thought about her words... Out of the mouths of babes.
"Yes I still make mistakes Naia," I sighed then as I looked at her pushing her meal around. "Like me leaving, if I did that it would be a mistake, I can't leave and if I did I'd be doing it because I'm being selfish." I admitted as I looked at her. "Its alright to make mistakes, its just what we do, how we react after that define us as people. Just like me leaving, if I do then I'll always regret it and I'll always be mad at myself. Even though it hurts my pride to admit that I was wrong, I do it because its what is the right thing to do now."
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Post by Naia Shahrizai on Nov 16, 2009 22:00:19 GMT -5
I thought about that, and how I generally refused to admit I'd made a mistake and simply ignored it or blamed it on other people. The word childish came to mind, but I tried not to think about it.
Instead I focused on what Azriel seemed to be saying. "So, does that mean you're staying?" I said, smiling happily. I don't know why it made me so happy that he was staying, after all, he was more Sarielle's friend than mine, but he was also one of the few people I had met in the City that I genuinely liked.
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