Closed An Overnight Campsite (Kaie)

[Matthew]

Matthew had at some point realized that for all their extreme differences, sometimes he and his Myrian companion were very alike. The idea of simply killing the child and being done with it wouldn't bother her in the slightest. She would understand, she might even consider the idea herself. In a way, revealing the true extent of the twisted web that Matthew had become tangled in was somewhat dangerous for Dorian's health. What if Kaie decided it was best to bury a dagger into Dorian's throat? She was not tasked by Tanroa like Matthew had been. Would the Harlot be forced to fight Kaie in an attempt to protect the child? He would, but he wouldn't hesitate. He felt it would be the same for Kaie if their positions were reversed. He had come to find that he held a certain respect for the Myrian female, a respect that he felt was shared. Somehow, in a way that he did not quite understand, that respect was what made him certain that neither one would hesitate to destroy the other if the situation demanded it. For whatever reason, the Harlot found that he actually was okay with that. He preferred the simplicity.

His own arms quickly began to burn as he dragged the wood over to where Kaie had directed, but he welcomed it. He had been making a point to further develop his muscles in these past few weeks. Any additional training would only benefit him. Listening closely as she instructed, Matthew proved to be a silent but effective worker, nodding quietly and obeying her instructions to an exact science. He was slow and steady with his work, but very precise. As the frame was constructed, his muscles strained, lifting the large branches up to carefully lean them along the frame at an incline. He found that it was almost like assembling a puzzle. The branches could be turned this way and that until a specific angle was found that allowed them to tuck together as snugly as possible.

So focused was the Harlot on his task that he did not even notice the conversation going on right next to him.

Dorian cracked a small smile at Kaie's counter-question, shrugging his small shoulders and shaking his head. "I've seen... he calls it the 'Harlot'. He treats it like a separate person, I think. I've seen the Harlot with other people. But Matthew...?" Dorian turned for a moment, staring at the man who had been assigned to him as a caretaker, furrowing his brow as he tried to put words to a situation that seemed so very complex. "...you know that lonely feeling you get in your stomach when you don't have anyone to talk to? Like, after awhile, I think everyone needs someone else. Ya know?" Matthew continued to work, pausing every so often to rotate a branch just a little before fitting it carefully back into place. "He never seems like he needs that. I've never seen him actively seek out the company of someone else..." Dorian's eyes slowly traveled back to Kaie, full of youthful curiosity. "...until now. And, uh, yes. He has mentioned Aider." The boy suddenly seemed uncomfortable, as if Aider was a topic he wasn't sure he should share information on.

At her next question, Dorian shook his head, eyes sparking with an eager light. He was like a little sponge, looking to soak up every bit of knowledge he could get his hands on. Every bit of knowledge that a normal child should learn. "I don't know how." Matthew glanced up from his task, blue eyes studying Dorian first, then Kaie. "I have learned in the past. I would appreciate you teaching Dorian how, though. I am sure he would too." Matthew's eyes lingered on Kaie for a brief moment, studying her carefully, reasons for the careful examination hidden behind that stoic expression he often held. A few ticks passed before he turned back to his task, apparently planning on making sure that his part of the job was absolutely perfect.

Dorian narrowed his eyes at Matthew then stepped closer to Kaie, lowering his voice to a careful whisper. "Be careful. He told me he was keeping an eye out for an appropriate mother figure. He might start considering you. He's crazy."

[Kaie]

All was good so far. Matthew's meticulous placement of the branches leaning against the main frame were precise, and Kaie couldn't help but feel a subtle swell of pride when her construction held. Even Dorian's efforts were commendable, his pile of tinder formidable to the task before them. It was satisfying to work with her hands in the woods again. The previous season's tasks had amounted to the hacking, chopping, swinging, and thrusting of her sword for the most part. Now across the sea and far from the reach of the Big Three and the mob, Kaie found herself once more finding peace among the wild. Spring-time birds sung sweetly above them, chirping high in the trees to one another as their nesting seasons began to draw nearer. Even the breeze that ruffled her curls was welcomed.

The Myrian moved on to pick up the branches she'd chosen to cut down that still had coniferous needles littered along them. Heavy, good for rain cover, she decided and leaned them up against Matthew's perfectly laid siding, careful to avoid covering the door made from the curved sticks. The reality Matthew had drawn up for the boy was horribly intriguing to the woman. Brow furrowed at the mention of a difference between the character dubbed "The Harlot" and "Matthew" himself. It wasn't until then that she realized how easily she pooled him in with his occupation. Could she very well be blamed, having been gifted with lessons in seduction by the man the night they met? The troubling revelation was only matched by the new one: that someone she was the exception to his total isolation other than the boy. The way the boy said Aider's name, too, caused the Myrian to cock her head.

"He has? Then he probably told you that most people think it's best you stay with just one partner," Kaie reasoned with the boy simply, shrugging off the odd turn of conversation as innocently as she could. Images from her arrival with Aider returned. The steam of the baths, the flare of tempers, the scrub of the sponge despite how she'd protested their help, and the feeling of one moist pair of hips slipping past her knees and... Stop, she commanded her thoughts rather sternly. New rigor was put forth into the project before her as if the shelter was her life's work.

The boy's final words to her did little to ease her mind. At first there was a laugh, a shake of her head. "Something tells me your Tanroa would wring his neck before she let a Myrian raise you. Ask anyone in Zeltiva, I'm bad news," she whispered back. Then she cleared her throat after a tick and turned to face both Harlot and child when the lean-to was properly completed.

"Everyone should know how to start a fire. You never know when you might get stranded or lost in the woods. It's important to stay warm." Kaie strode toward the boy. Amber eyes turned skeptical, and she found herself pausing in silence without warning. Then it came. The wind whipped forth, playing at the ends of her hair, and kicking dry leaves from the dirt. Gaze then found Syna's position in the sky. "If you have a shelter, you should find out what direction the wind's blowing before you go building a fire. You don't want embers flying into your tent or whatever you use to protect yourself from exposure. Right now, the wind's coming from the west."

She crouched before the pile of Dorian's tinder and studied the pieces. A few branches and leaves were gathered. Kaie gestured toward the boy, and she carried the supplies to the door-side of the shelter, and then a few paces forward to create some distance. The supplies were dropped, eyes fell upon the boy, and then the savage procured her flint and steel from her bag. Best to lean by doing. The tools were handed to the boy. "One way to set up a fire is by leaning the sticks against each other like an upside down cone. Then you put the leaves and needles in the middle. Try that out. Then I'll tell you what to do next." The Myrian gestured with encouragement for Dorian to embark on his mission, flashing a grin before she backed up to find herself beside Matthew.

"So this little boy is how we all die?" It was hard for her low voice, intended only for Matthew's ears alone, to lack the ironic humor she found in the facts. "Looks like you've got plenty riding on you. Maybe you are the Hero from the stories we told those orphans in Syliras after all. How do you plan on saving the world this time?"

[Matthew]

A part of you. Mine.

A memory echoed in the back of his skull. It was a voice so soft that he couldn't exactly make out the words, but they were distraction enough to cause one of the large limbs to slip from his fingers as he was placing it. With a loud thudding sound, it crashed to the crowd, crushing a small green bush beneath it. He stared down at it for a moment, put off, the thought having come and gone so quickly that he had absolutely no clue what it was or what had caused it. He was merely left standing there for a tick, frozen in place, the steady beat of his mind having been rudely broken. Some sort of feeling swelled in his stomach, the Harlot glancing over his shoulder to fix a single blue eye on Kaie. Had she noticed? Had she noticed that he was sick? He had no other explanation for it. Back to his work he went, carefully assembling his part of the project until it was completed.

Dorian blinked at her first statement, slowing shaking his head. "He hasn't. He doesn't give me much advice on girls. Well, he does, but it is weird advice. Like he read it from a book. Like earlier." The boy look briefly troubled for a bit, but was quickly distracted by the whispered tease, smile and joke. Her words were returned with a brilliant smile, the topic of his odd guardian whisked quickly from his mind by the Myrian.

When the woman began to teach, she would find that the child was an enthusiastic student. He watched every move she made with rapt attention, eyes wide as if he found wonder in every single little detail, no matter how mundane some of the more basic steps would seem to others. Matthew himself kept an ear on the lesson as well, finding it to be a much different one than what he had received many seasons ago. It had been a Myrian who had taught him back then as well. The mention of the wind was the first time he had even considered that particular part of the process, he realized. The new bit of information was jotted down in his mental library, intense stare sparking as the Harlot found a new piece of knowledge to absorb. Learning had always been the one thing that he felt stirred him the most consistently. Was that why he was drawn to it? He furrowed his brow, the odd thought standing out a bit in his mind. He had never considered such a possibility before. He doubted it was a probable possibility.

The child was quick to get to work, eager to apply newly-learned skills and eager to please. Matthew stood only a few feet a way, arms crossed over his chest as he watched the boy work, studying each step and how the boy went about performing them. He should teach the boy more. Something simple, like fishing or swimming. He had never noticed how interested Dorian seemed to be in learning as much as he could about the world around him. It made sense that he would have that desire. He had been raised in captivity, from what the Harlot understood.

Kaie's voice knocked him out of his focus, eyes turning to regard her. Considering her question, he glanced to Dorian and then back to her, slowly rolling his broad shoulders in a shrug. "I... do not know. I thought I was not capable at first. I cannot provide the love and emotional nourishment a child needs. But..." He was hesitating. He was doing that a lot recently. There was a brief pulse of heat in the back of his mind, but it was one small enough for him to quickly smother. "...I don't know. Something is strange. I've felt anger, as you've no doubt noticed. I've felt other things as well." His eyes studied hers for a moment then slowly slid back to the boy, the Harlot visibly disturbed. "I could not tell you what any of those things are. It took a lot of anger for me to understand that it was actually anger." Apparently the Harlot was still incapable of understanding humor, Kaie's own ironic humor shooting right over his head.

Dorian interrupted suddenly, hopping up and spinning, beaming Kaie and Matthew a huge smile. "Look! I did it! What's next? Teach me something else, Kaie!" The boy stood tall over his newborn flame, the pride evident on his young features. Matthew rose an eyebrow, glancing around, studying the sky that had only just now started to darken. Should he be readying the boy for bed? He didn't really know how that worked.

[Kaie]

The topic of Dorian was baffling. For all her troubles, her wounds, losses, and overall misfortune, the Myrian knew that even if she made it home, she could meet Dira at some point. The idea her demise might come from a single, little barbarian boy worlds away was exasperating. Isn't the wrath of a goddess worth the risk? Isn't death or a lifetime of suffering more desirable than the destruction of Taloba, my people, and my clan? She couldn't help but weigh the scales. Tan arms crossed over her torso. Her eyes were set upon the boy despite her exchange with Matthew. Such a decision would be far easier if he was a little shyke. Dorian was quick to learn to the satisfaction of his savage instructor. He was focused, eager, and careful in his simple work. Strange how it both pleased and infuriated her.

Oh, I've noticed, was her first notion to the Harlot's identification of his last spell of rage. She didn't let Aider see it upon their departure from the pools, but long into the night she played the scene in her head on repeat. Last time she'd spoken to the Harlot in Sunberth, it had been a discussion over his emotionless world. It seemed to process of that world's breakdown was underway. The revelation had shaken her. She followed the stare of his blue eyes, finding herself staring rather obviously at them. With the turning of his head, she could glance the blessing of Tanroa. "Anger can be the hardest emotion to control. It's for the best you've understood that one first," Kaie managed before they were distracted by the proud child.

The Myrian mirrored his broad grin. I didn't even teach him how to use the flint and steel. Clever boy. Bladed boots crunched through the grass toward his small campfire. She crouched beside it, reaching out her bronze hands and waggling her fingers above the heat. "This is a fine fire. Good job." She rose soon after and threw a casual glance over her shoulder, then forward and beyond the boy before her. "Now you just have to keep it fed. Now that you've got it going, avoid using leaves. It makes the fire smoke more and that can give you away to anyone looking to prey on campers. Use the sticks and branches you gathered, but not too many so you smother it. The fire has to breathe," she added for good measure, gesturing for the boy to do so. There was no doubt plenty for the boy to learn, and even more for the savage.

Back when she'd navigated the jungle and wandered the Sea of Grass, she'd had the aid of others. Her father, his Drykas contacts. They were all dead now. She'd need to learn to make the trek alone. "Well, you might as well learn how to feed yourself before anything else. That will come tomorrow." The Myrian went and retrieved her spear. In a tick she had returned and sat before the fire. The backpack was slung off her shoulders an resting on the earth beside her. A small tin was procured and popped open. "I was never good at fishing, but I saw plenty of squirrel and chipmunks along our hike. Maybe at Syna-rise I'll teach you how to trap them." And with that, a portion of dried human meat was tossed back into her mouth.

"I think the forest fits Dorian nicely. What do you think?" She eyed the boy as she chewed, eyes bright and cheerful. Matthew might've caught the undertone. It was a strategic statement. After all, if they learned to hide, it would be harder for anyone looking for them to find the escaped experiment. Harder for someone to aggravate the ticking time bomb, too.

[Matthew]

"Controlling it has been the hardest part, yes. Perhaps we can talk about that later." He didn't look directly at her, but there was no doubt in his mind that the troubled look to his thoughtful stare would be obvious. Memories came swirling up of the multiple times he had lost his temper while here in Zeltiva. One of those times had been at the hot springs, with Kaie and Aider. One of those times had been within the lonely home of a twisted old man. Just the thought of the last memory caused his eyes to flash for a moment, that heat springing to life in the back of his mind before he quickly stamped it out. It was irritating how he could sometimes handle the emotions how he always had, but other times had no control over them at all. It was utterly random, and randomness was one of the things he disliked the most.

His eyes flickered to Dorian as the boy spoke up. That had been fast. Faster than Matthew had learned and Matthew was a good dozen years older than Dorian. He studied the child for a moment, turning the possibilities over in his head. Was the boy brilliant, specifically gifted at wilderness survival, or had he just gotten lucky? He would need to expose the boy to similar things and watch his progress. Seeing the child excel lit a foreign feeling in him, one that barely rippled at the edge of his senses. He hesitantly tried to kill it as he did all the others, feeling some measure of relief when it was snuffed quite easily. Then he was able to refocus his attention on Kaie as she stepped up to the boy, complimenting him and giving him a few extra tips. Matthew took note of the additional tidbits of knowledge, adding them to his slim collection of knowledge on surviving in the outdoors. He was particularly interested in the idea of learning how to feed himself while in the wild. He had often wished to learn the skills, but had found that it was hard to locate any books that contained relevant information. Zeltiva was really the only place he had ever visited that had a healthy collection of published knowledge. "I would like to learn how to trap as well. That sounds very interesting."

At her mention of the forest fitting Dorian, Matthew blinked, glancing back and forth between the Myrian and the child. After a few ticks of consideration, he nodded slowly, noting her undertone. "I believe you are correct. You certainly seem to have a talent for skills that have a use in the wild, Dorian. Would you feel comfortable preparing comfortable bedding within our shelter? Prepare whatever you think would work best." He felt it was both a task that needed doing and was also interested to see if Dorian would continue to surprise with his resourcefulness. The boy was only happy to oblige, showing another delighted grin before jumping up and starting to scan the surroundings for bedding materials. Matthew eyed him a moment longer then turned to Kaie, holding out a single hand with slender fingers extended.

"I believe now would be a good time to go ahead and teach you a basic dance, before it gets too dark. Take my hand in yours, and put your other hand on my shoulder. You will face me. My hand will hold yours, and my other hand will settle onto your hip. That is the basic stance. I will adjust the finer details once we have the basic stance in place." The Harlot stodd there, half of his body highlighted by the fire, the other half shaded by the many trees that surrounded them. The flames were reflected in his stare, bright blues glittering apathetically down upon the Myrian as he awaited her approach. Meanwhile, Dorian scurried around in a great hurry, attempting to gather up a large bundle of dried leaves in his arms.

[Kaie]

She'd forgotten simple pleasures taken for granted. She spent her entire life in the wilderness. For a boy plagued with grief and restrained power of some immeasurable sort, the forest outing was probably both exciting and rejuvenating. A literal breath of fresh air. The Myrian nodded along with The Harlot's suggestion. It was tactic to rid themselves of the boy while keeping him constructively occupied. Once the boy had bounded away with back turned, Kaie looked up from her snacking with a curious expression. That's when the hand was offered down toward her. Teach me to dance? Another slice of dried human tissue was tossed into her mouth and chewed carefully, a chance to stall. Then the tin was closed tight and dropped back into her bag. How hard could it be? She was about to find out.

Kaie reached her own hand out and took it out of socially learned politeness. In Taloba, it might've been a tactic employed to humiliate her, especially coming from a male. However, she'd come to understand it meant something entirely different in the cities abroad. So she obliged and let the man help her to her feet. In a tick she was following his direction as he spoke them, squaring her body to his. Her hand found his as she was instructed. Just as he warned, his own found a resting place on her hip. Her free hand remained at her side rather awkwardly for some time. Brow furrowed for but a moment before she chose to try and to fail. She mirrored him and placed her own free hand on his hip. That, too, felt wrong.

"So, this dancing thing. It can't be that hard. We have dancing in Falyndar. It's different, but there's people moving their bodies and there's music," she offered fearlessly with a shrug. What she said might've still rung true, but she felt horribly out of her league already. Flames ignited the bronze tones of her skin as Syna swooped down toward the horizon, burning a beautiful scene ahead. Akajia's shadows creeped to shroud the world. In half a bell, the world would be naught but darkness. "But if we both have different dances, how do we know what to do at the same time? Do we let go? Your people are strange. Don't your feet get all tangled this close?"

[Matthew]

Watching her confusion for a moment, Matthew gave her a moment to try and puzzle it out before he stepped in with an explanation. “Your free left hand and forearm will be placed upon my upper arm. Then I will slide my hand up from your hip to lightly cup between your shoulders.” He waited for her to follow his instructions, guiding her if required, before moving his own hand up to the required position. In the end they were left with their fronts lightly touching together, a comfortable position with just a bit of contact but with personal space left over. “This is the basic position that this dance starts with. We will actually be doing the same dance..”

The flames of the nearby camp fire danced in the air, casting odd mixtures of shadow and golden light upon the two friends as they stumbled through what was already turning out to be a rather interesting lesson. “The main dance I know is something called the box step. "When doing the box step, you will be moving your feet in the shape of a square. Start with your feet together and your weight on your right foot. Then you will move your left leg straight forward in a small step and shift your weight onto that foot. The next step will move your right foot up to the side of your left foot, so that there is a small gap between your feet. You will bring this first sequence to a close by shifting your weight onto your right foot and bringing your feet together. Afterwards, you will do every step again, only backwards. I will be mirroring your motions and taking the steps at the same time as you. Each step will be timed with the rhythm of the music. Does this make sense?” The Harlot gently disengaged from the basic stance the two of them were in, stepping back so that she could clearly see him. Moving slowly, Matthew went through the process with an invisible partner, showing her how it would appear. “Of course, the difficult part will be getting the timing right so that we don't trip over ourselves like you mentioned. It all depends on us moving with the rhythm. From what I understand, physical combat can also have a rhythm as well?”

Matthew took a tick to breath in the forest air, noting how different it tasted on his tongue and how different it felt swirling down his throat. It was a refreshing taste, in a way. He would have to make it a point to at least take a walk through these woods every so often. “There is actually one other, simpler dance that is sometimes done during slower songs. I can give you an example of that one next, or we can focus on the box step for now. It is whatever you feel comfortable with. Do you have any questions?”

Blue eyes slowly dropped from her own amber stare and down to the bag of the Myrian, studying it for a brief moment before glancing back up into her gaze. “The food you were eating looked vaguely familiar. Taking into account what I know about Myrians, would it be safe to assume that was human flesh or something similar?” While the initial question wasn't all that odd, the follow-up question would perhaps prove to be strange. “Would you mind if I tried some?”

[Kaie]

She had so very many questions. As always, the Harlot was excellent at tackling each as they went. Understanding was a hazy mist the Myrian waded through, but nonetheless, she managed to follow his instructions as precisely as she could. The awkward left hand was liberated from its confused hanging and rested upon Matthew's upper arm. His own perfectly manicured hand slipped up from her hip in a smooth, continuous motion until it found its position between her narrow shoulders. The increased closeness between the two friends was nothing that sent the Myrian's heart all a-flutter. They'd had more than their fair share of intimate moments and coy teasing. Feeling a familiar connection with Matthew when she experienced the rise and fall of his chest against his oh-so gently against hers, was comforting to the woman exploring uncharted territory. The basic position. Okay, okay, this isn't so bad. So far so good. This ball thing will be as harmless as a stroll through a Syliras street, she confided within herself as the flames beside them crackled its encouragement. Flame light fixed a shoddy spotlight on the two budding dancers.

When Matthew went about explaining the curious style of the "box step", the Myrian's expression attested to her momentary bought of confusion. It was a strange type of information to take in. Yet the longer she paused to digest his directions as he continued to compare dancing to combat, the more connections she began to make with skills she did know. The woman found herself nodding along. "You're right. Combat does have a type of rhythm to it I suppose," the Myrian concurred as she adjusted her body and centered herself. Of course that very rhythm was the one that was conjured by the pace of the fighting and the stimulus of the senses. Something told her that was very, very different from the type of rhythm in the ballroom. At least the Harlot's demonstration gave her a visual playback of the dance for her mind to draw from. "Another one? Let's...get this box step thing down first. No use biting off more than I can chew." Speaking of food...

Kaie looked toward her bag when her partner's eyes drew obvious attention to it. Her brow furrowed in the face of his curious gaze. Then she merely shrugged her shoulders. She was never one to lie after all, and lying to Matthew on the particular subject seemed useless. He'd find out anyway, and he's not so squeamish as the others of his kind. His next inquiry, however, made the woman pause. She eyed him for several long ticks as she assessed the undoubted seriousness of his expression. After a while, the Myrian found it safe to assume Matthew was never really kidding. Especially not when it came to his particular sense of curiosity. "Yes, it's exactly what you've assumed...and I don't see why not." One more hesitant glance was thrown his way before she finally broke physical contact with the man. She rummaged through her bag to procure the tin, trudged back, and popped open the tin for his inspection.

Inside the man would find half a dozen pieces left of dried flesh. While there was nothing about it in particular that made it look different from that of any other creature, the educated man might've been able to identify the kind of human tissue that had been collected. Kaie lifted a strip from the tin and popped it shamelessly into her mouth. She chewed, swallowed, and with a grand flourish, invited Matthew to do the same. "You're probably the first non-Myrian I've ever met to even conceive taking part in this sort of apparent taboo. Why?"

[Matthew]

He pondered the idea of combat rhythm for a few ticks longer, his sky blue gaze growing slightly distant as the thoughts blurred together. "At the same time, I suppose a rhythm would make it easy to understand what the opponent was going to do next. Perhaps the best method would be to find some sort of rhythm that disrupts the rhythm of your opponent. I am not entirely sure. I have very little combat experience. You were with me for most of it, actually." For a moment, the memory of fingers tightening around his neck flashed to the forefront of his mind. They had tried to kill him. He supposed that made sense. He had been trying to kill them as well.

His thoughts returned to the present as she confirmed his suspicions about the rations she had packed, the Harlot continuing to hold that passive and unaffected look on his face. A snack was a snack. He didn't think that it was odd for different cultures to have different tastes. Human flesh was just another type of meat, was it not? She slipped from his grasp and he watched her go, a slight sensation of satisfaction cross through his stomach at her willingness to indulge his curiosity. When she returned, Matthew tilted his head down and stared into the tin, blinking only once as his steady gaze hopped from dried piece to dried piece. His eyes followed the piece that she chose for herself, watching as she lifted it to her lips and feasted. Nodding quietly in acceptance of her offer to partake, Matthew reached down and took a piece for himself, popping it into his mouth and chewing. It was very similar to beef jerky, yet with a lighter flavor and not as much seasoning. Part of him wondered if they cooked with it back in her homeland. Did various dishes include human flesh? He continued to chew thoughtfully, teeth gnashing away at the small strip until it had turned to something of a mush. Swallowing, Matthew moved on to her question.

"A taboo is a prohibited action based on a belief that a certain behavior is accursed, but it is usually dictated by society instead of actual common sense. There are exceptions, of course. Incest has been known to cause damage in the offspring. Partaking in human flesh has no such drawbacks, however. It is a meat like any other meat. Why condemn the eating of meat only because it is the meat that I personally wear upon my bones?" He reached out to her, popping the tin from her hand if she allowed, closing it and giving it a toss back at her bag. Then he held out a hand for her to take, not wanting to waste too much time before it was time for bed. He was surprised Dorian hadn't come over to tell him it was time for bed. The child had such strict bedtime standards. "You lead this time. Same position, yet you will be the one to take the first step."

Once she had began, Matthew would move right to a topic that would perhaps prove he could still make the savage uncomfortable. "You appeared to be acting nervous or awkward when you were introducing Aider to me. Why did you do that? Have you ever been in a relationship before?" It didn't sound accusing, but it was certainly an interesting question to be asked from a prostitute. "We are what is commonly known as friends, correct? Or at least something that resembles it in a way that I don't fully know how to describe. So it would be my right as a friend to tell you that I do not think you are being very fair to him." Onwards he would dance, blue eyes unwavering as he gazed right at her amber stare.