So many paths and a lot of time[Kakoli]

[Ssafirsotibones]

Once more, Bones gave his smile like grimace. It was a bit comical, seeing her reaction. Well worth telling her his real age... As he usually kept that from people, not wanting to tell everyone he was a dhani, who lived far longer than many other races. Not counting the immortal ones of course... But among the ones that aged and died, the dhani were a rare breed. There were not many of them, if you compared them to any other race... By dhani standards though, he was not to old. You were not even considered an adult until you were one hundred, which was when you learned to take on your human shape... Being one hundred and thirty... He appeared by human standards to be in his mid to late twenties when in this human form. Though several of his elders from back home were over three hundred years old... Having sailed past there third century and just kept on going... Bones took on a slightly playful mood, which was unbelievably rare for him. So the kelvic would be good to praise he fortune that he decided to play around and joke in reply, not to get angry or vicious... Which would have been his response more often than not. Or at least sullen ambivalence... "Yesss... I know... Only one hundred and ssirty... Ssso young ssstill... I have ssseen a lot in my ssshort time... I only hope to live asss long as my eldersss... Ssey have lived almossst ssree timesss ssat in sssome casssesss..." How she would respond to him talking as if he was young, was anyones guess. Though to be honest he was not the best at faking human emotion, so there was a good chance that some nuance would slip, making it glaringly obvious that he was messing with her... Or to make her think he was an inhuman monster toying with his next meal... Who knew though how she would take it?

[Kakoli]

What he said next surprised her. Him, young? He was only 130 and he thought he was young. What even stunned her more was that others older than him aged 3 times as much. Was that possible? Who was this person and what was he? She grew more interested in this man. She wanted to know more about Bones. The more questions he asked and the more he said only intrigued her further. "You? Young? No way! that's like, well....clearly a hundred times more than I am. Must be great to live that long. You get to see a lot, huh? All kinds of people and places...Wish I could do that. I mean I could but I don't really want to do it alone. I wouldn't be able to do anything...",She trailed off. She had babbled on, getting lost in all the words. It seems not having talked to another person has taken its toll. "So what have you really done for all that time?"

[Ssafirsotibones]

Bones made his smile like grimace once more. As was so common even among the short lived humans, to go on and on, not being able to stop talking. It did not really bother him, it was just he was rather different. And humans seemed to find the need to fill any gap in conversation with more talking... While he did not mind silence, or to listen to the world around him... Which could only truly be done when you completely stopped everything you were doing... It seemed this was even more so true for Kelvics, a race with an even shorter lifespan... But one thing that not many humans had, but he did... Patience... Patience to listen... Patience to wait... And patience to endure... Something They did not bother with as they raced about, trying to end themselves all the more quickly... She seemed of an okay sort, which was a high regard coming from Bones... He seemed more or less apathetic for most people... So he would be patient with her, and answer her questions... And maybe in doing so... She would learn a bit of patience to... Even if only gained indirectly from experiencing it being used... "Sssometimesss it is good to live long... And sssometimesss it isss not... I have ssseen many ssings... And ssere are sssome ssings I wisssh to have not ssseen... Sssome were good... Othersss lessss ssso..." "It doesss get a bit lonely at timesss... Ssere are not many of my kind... And even among my kind, I wasss never completely comfortable... Mossst of my people worssship Sssiku... And ssough I sssee her power... I do not closssely worssship her asss mossst of my people... I follow Caiyha and her waysss..." "I do not usssually end up with a clossse bond to anyone... Just a passssing touch of persssonalitiesss... Not usssually lasssting... Mossst do not like to ssstay clossse for to long... Due to what I am..." Having answered some of what she said, and managed to bring up more questions, Bones sat and breathed for a few moments, looking the girl over, before continuing on to answer the last bit. "What have I done? I have crossed great bodies of water, visited many cities... I have triumphed over the barbarians of my land, and known the forest truly as few ever do...." "I have wandered... I have found... I have been lost... And ssstill I always went on.... I have hated, I have killed... I have lossst thingsss I once held dear..." "The quessstion you ssshould be asssking isss what have I not done... And asssk yourssself, what do you ssstill need to do... What do you ssseek for your future?..."

[Kakoli]

As Bones spoke, everything to her went silent. She heard nothing but his words. The more he said the wiser he sounded and the more she listened. She stood there patiently and allowed him to say all he needed to. All her attention was his and his only. He has seen and done more than she will every in her own lifetime. For all she knew he had seen all that 10 times over. She noticed that so far they seemed to have nothing in common with each other. Nothing but a single thing... loneliness. They had no other person with them. No one to travel with and no one to talk with. He's never made a friend. He has never gotten close to anyone. But he kept on going. He hasn't had an experience with some one but rather made an experience of someone. Was that what she was, an experience? Something new? What had her thinking the most where the questions he had ended with. What did she need to do? What is she looking for in the future? She saddened. Although what saddened her was not him but rather the questioned for the answer was one that left her empty... The answered was something that would leave anyone unsatisfied, hollow. "I do not know...", She whispered, her expression blank.

[Ssafirsotibones]

Bones watched as she listened, and thought over what he said. He gave her her moment, letting her ponder over what he had said, and take it all in... He did not speak often, and usually thought long and hard before doing so, which meant when he did speak, he tended to have a lot of information packed into it, even more than was immediately obvious. He was happy to see she had finally calmed down, and was totally focused on what he said, not running around wild. Usually he had such an effect due to the fact the person was afraid to take there eyes off of him... Which was because they thought he might eat them.... Which he rarely did... He only ate those he killed... And he only killed those who threatened or tried to kill him... Otherwise would just be being wasteful... Finally, she took it all in... And taking her time... Responded.... With saying she had no clue... She quietly said with a blank look on her face. "Well ssat isss okay, not everyone knowsss what ssey want in life... The important ssing isss to ssset a goal you can attain, and keep moving towardsss ssat goal until you complete it. Then you ssset a new goal. Or perhapsss a more long term goal in the mean while, which you work up to..." "Ssso, do you have anyssing you want to accomplish, even sssome day in long term?"

[Kakoli]

She thought over and over again. What did she want? What did she want? What was she looking for? With every question she ask herself, no matter how much she repeated it, the answer was nothing. She honestly did not know. She didn't know what to do without someone to tell her, to guide her. She needed a master... Her eyes opening in sudden realization. "I need a master.", She said simply and ever so matter of fact. It was sudden. It was awkward even. To suddenly tell a stranger that she wanted someone to own. Now she all but wondered his thoughts on the matter. His reactions to most of what happened were subtle. What would it be now?

[Ssafirsotibones]

Bones nodded, hearing her finally say what she wanted. He figured he just needed to help her see what she wanted, that she really did know what she was seeking. Even if she had never voiced it, or said outright that was what she was after. But he found actually vocalizing it, saying what he was seeking, helped to make it more real in his mind, and easier to see a route to attain that final goal. This one seemed to be a common one for Kelvics. He did not truly understand this need for them to have a master, and to be led by someone... Perhaps it was just part of being a kelvic? It was in there blood maybe... Who knew why it was... He was not sure, and he himself never felt this need to be led. Usually he preferred to be in charge, which caused quite a few conflicts in his female dominated society he came from. Back home with the other Dhani, a male was almost a lesser thing to a female... Which was something he never really understood... He was more for taking charge when it was suited, and when it was not, just working together as a unit... But even amongst dhani, he was a bit odd... Perhaps it was his peaceable nature, due to his worship of Caiyha? Or at least peaceable by dhani standards... "Okay, ssat is good, a goal ssat isss possssible to be reached, and ssspecific. Both very important. Now you need to break it up more." "Firssst, what are you looking for in a massster? Any ssspecific type of person, or characterissstic? Do you want a man or a woman? What about them marks them as a possssible massster for you?" "Next, what are the ssstepsss you need to go about to get a massster, both to find one, or to develop one... What must ssey do to fill this ssspot, and what will they do for you?" If he had been human he might have noticed the awkwardness of the statement, or even of the situation, however for Bones it did not even register as odd...

[Kakoli]

She thought for good while. What was she looking for? Someone caring, possibly. Someone in need, even if she was small. Who wouldn't lock her in a cage or throw her out. She didn't care who they were, what they were. She wanted a companion, a friend. Someone to run around with, someone who would show her things, teach her. All she had to offer was to be by their side for as long as they wish it. As for how, she didn't know. She all but figured that all a person would have to do is accept her. It did not matter to her. How to meet an agreement was far from her mind. So long as someone wanted her she would be happy. She expected nothing more and nothing less. "I just want to be...wanted. That's all. I don't care about the rest, as long as i have that. My last master didn't really want me because I was too small for him. He wanted big animals to protect him. He didn't need me at all. He locked me away to see if i grew, but I didn't so he sent me away.", She said matter of factly. She really didn't understand most of it herself so there wasn't much reason for tears, although it make her sad.

[Ssafirsotibones]

Bones gave a small smile, as he talked to this new person... A smile for him... most would probably see it as a painful grimace... But to be honest, Bones had never really mastered making normal human expressions... There were some things... Which he just had trouble grasping... After all, humans were so alien... So strange... It would take time to truly understand it... It seemed though he often got a bit philosophical... It was his way... Probably a by product of taking his time to think things over, and not being in a hurry. If you were always in a rush, you would not be able to reason things out. Still, even he thought it was a bit comical, that she had said what she did, which actually was pretty close to Bones, in some ways. Perhaps the girl was looking for Bones as a master, and did not even realize it? Who knew... Regardless, they had just met, and he did not know her to well. He was not even sure if he really liked her or not. As usual, he was simply ambivalent to her... Not liking or disliking really... "Want to be wanted? I sssupossse ssat isss a pretty normal ssing to want... Many do... even I sssometimesss wisssh I had a place were I belong..." "Ssso he could not protect himssself? I sssuppossse ssat is why sssomeone would want a large kelvic... If a man cannot even protect himssself, how can he expect to be a massster over anyone? I live by my own ssstrength, and protect what I feel isss important. I do not need anyone to protect me... That would just be being weak..." "I sssuppossse I understand your wanting companionssship... Or a mate, asss sssome might call it... I have never really ssough had anyone to close, to fill sssuch a capacity... It just hasss not occurred..." As Bones spoke in his normal slow sibilant speech, a lack of emotion might be heard. Though he said these things, he was rather neutral about them. Some might think he had a lack of conviction... But really, he was just a rather laid back individual, not often found to have emotional outbursts. He often hid his emotions, even when he did feel them strongly.

[Kakoli]

It seemed he was thinking aloud. he seemed to think all the answers and question through. She realized something suddenly though, he was learning all about her but she knew nothing of him. He had been asking all the question recently. She had so deep in her own thought and explanations that she had not thought of asking something of him. So far he knew who she was, her age, and what her goals were and yet she knew of him nothing. Not his goals, not his life, and not much of his opinion. He still remained in mystery to her even through all the talk, which she had done most of, she guessed. "How about you? What do you want to do? You've been around for so long, you must always have something to do. Do you have anybody? Don't you get lonely?"