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 Posted: Sun Aug 24, 2008 7:43 pm
He had spent many evenings out in the gardens without being bothered at all. That was probably why sunset at the LOTUS headquarters found Asmadai sitting on one of the benches in the east-facing gardens with a cup of coffee and a notebook. For once, he wasn't writing a sermon, just... what he was thinking. (Actually, he wasn't writing at all, but it wasn't for lack of thought. His pen had run out of ink not ten minutes ago.)
Recently he had heard there were two new members of the organization, men from Europe. Of course he hadn't met them- he had hardly met anyone, just Shee and Estrelas. (He felt a bit isolated, really, and wondered if it was on purpose. Well, at least he had only met good people who he could get along with.)
For a minute, he considered going indoors to get another pen. The ballpoints were cheap, so they broke easily; for that reason, he kept a box of spares in a desk drawer. But he didn't; it was a quiet, cool night and Asmadai couldn't think of a good reason to keep writing. After all, he had spent many evenings out here without another soul speaking to him. There would be plenty of time to write later.
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Posted: Sun Aug 24, 2008 7:57 pm
It was finally the eve of Lai's first day at LOTUS. And it was filled with one account of backbreaking lifting and twisting up several flights of stairs and at least five times of becoming lost within the halls of the headquarters. Still, the Russian had to admit, he was sure it was all worth it in the end. Also, he had started to create a mental map of the place which would be expanded upon in the morning.
As the sun set Lai found himself striding down another new hallway, making note of where it was, what it connected to, and any doors he happened upon as well as trying to make his feet stop making such a racket on the floors. He cursed Echo and by extension Narcissus, for if he hadn't rejected her, she wouldn't have faded bodily and stayed on forever vocally.
He came upon a door in the hallway, paused and made note before feeling the change in the air in the hall. It flowed from directly where he was heading, and it smelled sweet and cool. Outside air. Quite possibly a courtyard or the gardens that the building must contain. A passion for the outdoors swept over him and Lai quickly took off towards the ever cooling air.
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Posted: Sun Aug 24, 2008 8:11 pm
"This isn't so hard at all. I'd be able to get around here without any troubles even if I didn't have my compass with me."
The youth surveyed the scenery before him from his rather unusual perch, the back of a bench somewhere in the garden, and as he looked at the needle which swayed back and forth on a beat-up compass a thin smile crossed his lips. He'd managed to conquer the area in less than a half-day's time, a new record in regards to mastering buildings and their layouts, and if the man had a medal or anything to pin on himself he would. Just so he could have one on.
There wasn't much else for Einar to do now, save for making his way back towards the room he'd been assigned once his feet had first crossed the threshold, but he didn't feel like unpacking his meager belongings just yet. There was a map to be made of this area, he knew it, and the desire to explore every nook and cranny while on hands and knees made him snicker out loud with joy.
"This is an adventure worth my time, surely."
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Posted: Sun Aug 24, 2008 8:29 pm
Suddenly there were two young men in the garden- by young, he meant apparently younger than he. Since Asmadai had not yet seen them before, it meant that they were certainly the two newcomers. Perhaps, he thought, it would be a good time to get that new pen. They would be gone by the time he returned, since his room was on the other side of the complex. Still... he had wanted to meet others, especially since he saw the two or three people he did know so rarely.
"Good evening," he said, pitching his voice to carry to the two.
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Posted: Sun Aug 24, 2008 8:49 pm
As Lai stepped into the dying light he found himself in the garden. The cool air at his face felt good and he immediately felt refreshed. He let his eyes dart about and take in the various plant life and man-made things. One thing that stood out, was the form of a man sitting on a bench not to far away. He was staring in Lai's direction with a book on his lap. Even from the distance the man couldn't see much writing on the pages.
As the man initiated contact, Lai nodded back and with his thick Russian accent coupled with fluent English responded; "Good evening comrade. I hope I haven't disturbed you." The Russian glanced at the older man's clothing and immediately recognized the pastoral garb as that of a Catholic priest. He waited for the man's response before encroaching on the garden more than he already had.
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Posted: Sun Aug 24, 2008 10:36 pm
Where the hell did those two voices come from?
Einar had been pretty sure he was alone out in the garden thanks to the time of day that it now was, the fact that is was evening and all indicating that many would rather be indoors preparing for evening things, so he hadn't even bothered to check and see if there was a slight possibility that his rambunctious nature might disturb someone.
It took him a moment or two to realize the gentlemen where both speaking English, a language he was thankfully familiar with, and he found it interesting that the first voice had called out so easily while the second was caked with an accent. Einar placed it perhaps as Russian, since the way he called out 'comrade' seemed to raise a red (no pun intended) flag on his origins, but he still wasn't sure on the first. He'd have to get a bit closer to really find out, so with a quick jump he left his perch and made his way towards the seated man, hands in pockets.
"Greetings and good evening to both of you, Father and Comrade alike."
If he had an accent as he spoke, it was unknown to Einar. He'd been raised to speak English to the best of his abilities but wasn't always so keen on hearing it coming from his own mouth as Norwegian or Finnish was what dominated mostly.
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Posted: Sun Aug 24, 2008 11:41 pm
"No, I am undisturbed," Asmadai said. "You're the new ones." He looked them both over quickly, just trying to draw clues from their clothing as to their era of origin and personality. So far it seemed that no one had come from his time, or anywhere near it. At least, not to LOTUS. For a few moments, he stared at Einar's eyepatch as if confused, but then he shook his head and moved closer to his cup of coffee. "I am Asmadai Riffael," he said, leaving out the title due to him as a Catholic priest. "Would you like to sit?"
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Posted: Mon Aug 25, 2008 9:24 am
Lai was about to speak to the priest when a newcomer appeared on the scene. His odd clothing stuck out, but Lai was certain his did as well. He was wearing pink and red in his ensemble after all. As the new man spoke, Lai detected a strange accent in his voice, though he couldn't place it. Accents aside he was very good when speaking English.
"Good evening to you as well." The Russian nodded at the man then turned back as the priest announced his name and offered them to sit with him. "A pleasure to meet you Father Asmadai." He noted how the man left out his title, but referred to him as such all the same. You referred to a priest as 'Father' unless told otherwise, that's what he was taught.
Regardless Lai sat down on the bench opposite of Asmadai and folded his hands in his lap before looking to the other accented man to see if he would accept the offer the priest had extended.
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Posted: Mon Aug 25, 2008 9:38 am
"The name's Einar Willason, pleasure's all mine."
Einar jerked his thumb towards himself as he made his introduction, a rather crude motion and a bad habit to boot, but it got the point across well enough for him and most likely for the others as well. Despite the offer to sit that extended by the priest and apparently eagerly taken by the Russian Einar shook his head and moved behind the bench that Lai was resting on, leaning forward once he got there to rest his arms on the back of it. He was still maintaining his respectful distance from this new man he'd never met, but this simple action very clearly stated his comfort level with other people.
It had been brief as well, but Einar had noticed the Father's quick glance at the patch that dominated the left side of his face, and he chuckled bitterly inwards as he wondered if and when this man of the cloth would grow a backbone enough to ask him about it. He didn't mind telling, that's for sure, but for now . . .he turned down and looked at Lai.
"I don't believe we've caught your name, Comrade. Would you mind sharing it?"
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Posted: Mon Aug 25, 2008 11:21 am
He saw no reason to repeat Einar's request, and thus was silent. That didn't mean he found the two uninteresting, it just meant he wasn't going to repeat himself- or, in this case, another person. However, he did smile at Lai. The younger man was certainly perceptive- the clerical collar was nearly invisible under his turtleneck.
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Posted: Mon Aug 25, 2008 11:34 am
Lai smiled nervously. "My apologies. It seems I momentarily forgot my manners. My name is Lai Gorgonroff." He looked up at Einar, studying his face. "You must be the other new arrival, if I am correct. I must say, your accent has caught me off guard. I've never heard one speak with it before, but you speak English perfectly fine."
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Posted: Mon Aug 25, 2008 11:51 am
"My accent? Ah, so I do have one after all. I hardly speak English where I'm from and since I only hear my own voice in my native Norwegian I wouldn't have known."
Einar grinned at Lai, the kind where all your teeth are exposed and your eyes narrow. This was one of his favorite smiles, the kind that made him feel somewhat childish yet still whimsical at the same time.
"As for being new, I suppose you could say that, though you must be in the same boat as I. I'm to assume though that Master Riffael would be considered our senior when it comes to the protocol of this area?"
He turned his face away from Lai and looked at Asmadai, his right eyebrow raising slightly. It was safe to assume his left was lifted in accord but since the patch covered a good portion one couldn't see it, and it made things awkward whenever he blinked. He wasn't always winking at people, you know.
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Posted: Mon Aug 25, 2008 12:24 pm
"There is no need to apologize." He took a sip of his coffee and closed the notebook on his lap. "I suppose I would be. I've been here almost a year now. What do you want to know?" For a moment, hearing the discussion of accents made him wonder if he had one. Italian and Latin were mostly all he spoke in the Vatican and English was the language of choice in Uberomania in his time. Maybe he didn't.
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Posted: Mon Aug 25, 2008 12:44 pm
"Ah, Norway. I've read about it. Never been though." Lai raised an eyebrow at Einar's strange grin and sheepishly smiled back. The eye patch sort of threw the man's expression off, but Lai made no mention. "Indeed I am." He said, answering the man's statement. As Einar mentioned the priest Lai looked over to the man. As Asmadai posed a question he had to ask one that was on his mind.
"Why are some of the hallways ending in dead ends even if you have been walking down one for...Oh say...Five to ten minutes? I have to say I got stuck a few times while exploring because of this."
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Posted: Mon Aug 25, 2008 1:16 pm
"Where did you get that idea from? All I said was Norwegian was my native language, so why do you think I'm from Norway?"
Einar gave a puzzled expression as he turned his face away from Asmadai and back down towards Lai, his eyebrow sort of bent at the corner. He seemed honestly confused, but he quickly got over it when he thought about how indeed all the corridors seemed to lead to no where.
This reminded him of a very old book he once read, about a house built by a crazy woman . . .
"I didn't seem to encounter that problem as I went along, but I'm pretty good with finding my way around."
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