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Post by Sharei on Sept 18, 2023 15:41:57 GMT -6
Prim and proper despite the various ugly injuries, and ignorant of the shared glance, Atol began to shake his head. But as if to give truth to the lie his stomach audibly growled, the noise like some kind of unhappy bear. The boy's ears flushed such a shade of red they could have matched Koji's hair. At the other end of the house, the genasi himself smothered a chuckle.
"A - little," he admitted, clearing his throat. "I didn't know how to trap game, so I went hungry during my time in the woods."
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Post by jarahamee on Sept 18, 2023 20:04:33 GMT -6
Cassius tilted his head almost imperceptibly at Sarkany, which seemed to indicate that he was in agreement with the Seraph. Besides, if anyone could convince the stubborn young man, it was probably him.
He put on his most patient face. He wondered, honestly, if it looked sincere, but in some ways, that didn’t matter. What did matter was that the boy eat and heal and become well.
He turned to the others;
“He’s hungry.”
He translated, then spoke to the boy in Egyptian;
“We have some food here for you. If you are hungry, you should eat, just do it slowly…”
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Post by MP on Sept 18, 2023 20:53:07 GMT -6
Sarkany glanced over at Atol. Thought over the weakness in his arm, fueled by adrenaline though it had been. He shifted in his chair, stretched out his legs a little - just enough to disrupt the stillness. Enough to draw Koji's attention. Once he knew the genasi was looking, Sarkany signed to him in the subtle genasi code.
Their food tasted different. Very. Should plan out transitional food as appetite recovers.
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Post by Sharei on Sept 18, 2023 22:07:24 GMT -6
The genasi's orange eyes slid from Sarkany to the figure on the bed in thought. He hadn't had much cause to really delve into Egyptian cuisine yet but he couldn't deny the little niggle of curiosity. Mediterranian had a lot of really good spices, some of which Koji favored in his own cooking on the regular. He wondered, too, how the culinary techniques had evolved over the course of the centuries. Would Atol recognize the current dishes as familiar or be surprised by how it had changed? And if it had, Koji realized, Atol would be able to tell him how it had actually tasted.
A spark of thrill flashed in his eyes. That sounded like a culinary challenge if ever he'd heard one.
Will consider options. Put together a plan, he answered back, the subtle, nuanced body language the code employed leaving little room to express his enthusiasm. Might ask for flight to source culture.
Atol, who had no idea there was a silent conversation going on in the background, shifted awkwardly and nodded. He was desperately trying to will away the flush of embarrassment still coloring his face, but his voice was steady when he spoke.
"Earlier you said your name was 'Agent Lucidus'," he said. "What are you an agent of?"
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Post by jarahamee on Sept 18, 2023 23:49:31 GMT -6
Agent Lucidus glanced behind him at the Sarkany and Koji, and squinted a little. There was something going on; the two had stopped asking questions. He pondered for a moment, then shook his head. Whatever it was, he could ask about it later.
His eyes traveled back to Atol, and he tried to smile in a way that was not menacing. Something he was terrible at, but it was worth a try. Maybe the boy couldn’t tell. He hoped he couldn’t tell.
“I am an agent of the Wathais Department of Supernatural Affairs. I am someone who works in the government. I help investigate and respond to supernatural events, threats and beings.”
The scarred man hoped that whatever they were doing, it was a discussion about getting the child some food. Maybe something bland. His gut was probably empty and anything too heavy might upset it. The man had no control of the kitchen here, and left cooking to Koji unless invited.
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Post by Sharei on Sept 19, 2023 0:05:16 GMT -6
Despite the painkillers in his system making it difficult to completely focus, Atol's eyes narrowed slightly at the official sounding words. He didn't know what a Department of Supernatural Affairs was, but government work and the fact that Kanagi had indicated that the man was alike to the temple Wardens, sent a nervous bolt down the boy's spine. It wasn't helped by the man's grimace of an expression.
"Am I under investigation, Agent Lucidus?" Atol asked. His shoulders had tensed, and the boy's stillness radiated an edge.
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Post by jarahamee on Sept 19, 2023 0:22:12 GMT -6
Cassius shook his head, and then tried to remember if that was the right gesture to make. Probably not. He couldn’t really remember. Well, he did still have the language for it.
“You are not under investigation. Quite the opposite. You are under our protection.”
He hoped that this helped clarify things, and did his best not to glance over at Sarkany again.
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Post by MP on Sept 19, 2023 1:00:19 GMT -6
Sarkany glanced from Cassius to Atol, appraising the wary edge to Atol's stillness. Whatever the splinter had shown of his language capability before, the seraph's eyes held no trace of comprehension now.
"Is there a problem?" he asked Cassius softly, in English.
It was an obtrusive, polite kind of quiet rather than any kind of threat. For Atol's benefit, he cast a questioning glance between them, making his confusion clear.
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Post by jarahamee on Sept 19, 2023 1:05:00 GMT -6
Agent Lucidus looked over his shoulder at Sarkany, and replied in English;
“He is concerned that he is under investigation, after I introduced myself as a WDSA agent.”
His eyes traveled back to Atol, and he continued;
“I told him that he is under our protection, not investigation.”
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Post by MP on Sept 19, 2023 1:43:54 GMT -6
"Ah."
Sarkany brightened.
[ Atol, ] he added. [ I claim very little in this city, so the WDSA has offered to help provide. And Lucidus is a trusted friend. It is his responsibility and his happiness to see that your needs here are met. He'll understand your situation. ]
Leaning in, he spoke in a conspiratorial, theatrical, and completely pointless undertone.
[ And the old hound's surprisingly soft beneath those scars. ]
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Post by Sharei on Sept 19, 2023 19:53:12 GMT -6
The blonde's head turned slightly, an oddly sideways glance as reflective as a polished mirror. It was a bad habit and one that Kanagi might once have recognized. Uncertainty. It was in the way Atol kept Cassius in the bulk of his view even though he had switched his attention to watch the both of them as they conversed in their strange foreign language. It was only when Sarkany spoke that Atol finally allowed that guard to come down, a gradual relaxing that ended with an tired exhale. He was too exhausted to keep up the play, and if Sarkany said that Agent Lucidus could be trusted, Atol was of the mind to believe him just then.
Besides, he didn't envy trying to politic his way through more conversation while his head felt like it was stuffed full of cotton. But the 'WDSA?' It must be the Wathais Department of Supernatural Affairs, whatever that was.
The cabin was slowly filling with the smell of garlic and cumin. The repetitive sound of a knife across a cutting board peppered the silence. Atol took a short, interested sniff and his stomach rumbled again. In response, Koji appeared from the kitchen and handed off a small plate of bamieh, a traditional Egyptian snack made of boiled okra, chopped onion and a little bit of poultry fried in oil. He'd chosen not to season it much, leaving it bland for the sake of the boy's delicate constitution. He offered some to Cassius and Sarkany as well, though this he sprinkled a little spice on top of.
Then he retreated again, returning to the pot of soup boiling on the stove.
[ If you say so, Kanagi ] the boy muttered. His head was spinning and his chest felt tight, and Atol eased himself back against the pillows to relieve some of that discomfort. Now that he'd decided the situation was safe enough there was no point presenting as if he wasn't as badly injured as they could clearly see. Red eyes darted from Sarkany to Cassius and then back again.
[ ... Can you not understand me? ] he finally asked.
To Cassius, he said, "protection from?"
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Post by jarahamee on Sept 19, 2023 23:46:37 GMT -6
Cassius took that and added it to the previously offered food items, piling them all together on his plate. Without diverting his attention from his charge, he picked up a piece and idly took a bite. He didn’t worry as much about poisons these days. After all, he was a nobody. No one would think he was important enough to poison. All the better. The scarred man watched Sarkany and Atol converse. He was trying to calm the boy down. What the actual contents of the conversation happened to be was beyond him though.
When Atol turned and asked him a question, he tilted his head, but did not reply. Clearly he did not understand what was said. The second statement, he understood perfectly; “Anyone at all who means you harm." |
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Post by Sharei on Sept 20, 2023 15:58:15 GMT -6
Sarkany only shook his head in response to Atol's question. The boy's brow furrowed slightly but he didn't have time to pursue that curiosity, because agent Lucidus was speaking.
Anyone at all who means you harm.
Atol appraised Cassius for a long, tired moment, his gaze subdued. Aldin was behind that stare, his many blows and viscous words a legacy of bloodshed even Hanif had been powerless to prevent. He nodded, but there wasn't any confidence in the movement. The temple, too, had offered him substantial protection from the dangers of the world. There had been no place safer.
Rather than answer him, Atol dropped his gaze to the plate in his lap and picked quietly over the bamieh. The urge to devour it and the plate was strong.
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Post by jarahamee on Sept 20, 2023 18:29:55 GMT -6
Cassius read the response all too well as a lack of faith. He took another bite of pastry, flashing his sharp teeth before chewing the food and digesting his thoughts.
His expression did not change, but he had a resolution.
He would have to prove the boy wrong.
The scarred man glanced over at Sarkany and said in English;
“He does not believe I can protect him.”
Which led to the more important question.
He then asked the question he had been considering this entire time.
“What happened?”
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Post by Sharei on Sept 20, 2023 18:51:56 GMT -6
The boy looked up, a bite of onion and chicken partially in his mouth. Atol glanced aside at Sarkany and Koji, then back at Cassius, clearly confused.
"Pardon?"
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