Awkward Waters (Kendall)

[Dimitri]

Dimitri may follow his hormones when it came to women, but he wasn't completely oblivious to his surroundings. He saw the glare the man had given him earlier, and the clear discomfort in his movements. The man didn't seem fearful of the women but wasn't attracted to them either. Dimitri pondered this for a while, not really sure what to make of this. But his Knight given conscience told him what he was doing was wrong, not for himself but for a visitor. He sighed inwardly, as he knew what he was about to do, and wasn't going to like the outcome, but knew he must do it.

He turned to the two beautiful girls, "I'm sorry my new friends, but my friend and I have some business to attend to." He beckoned over a couple of other squires working the docks, "Please give these ladies a proper tour of Syliras, and do it honorably." "I truly am sorry ladies but the life of a squire is a busy one." He passed by Ken and whispered, "Follow me."

He departed from the docks and quickly found a store, 'Tooth and Claw. He stepped inside, listening to the cacophony of animal noises, wondering if the man would allow him to apologize. He longed for the women, but what's done is done. Besides he never really wanted a fling, he was just following the ideas of... Something else. He wandered over to the birds and was petting a large red and gold bird with his finger through it's cage.

[Kendall Saarinen]

Kendall looked at Dimitri with a confused glance. He had seemed like he was the sort of man who would have loved to mess around with the seemingly loose girls all day. Kendall glared at the girls as they walked away muttering something about Zeltiva under his breath. He did not want to think about what Dimitri would have done if he was still a girl. The thought bothered him. He didn't want some knight slobbering all over him like a dog. "Men..." Reluctantly, Kendall followed Dimitri through the city and into a place called "Tooth and Claw". It was filled with animals of all sorts. "Why did you bring me here?" Kendall's glaze slidded over to Dimitri who was petting a brightly colored bird. He sighed at the sight. "Poor bird..." He looked around the rest of the store trying to see what other animals they had. "Thank you for getting the girls to leave." Kendall did not want to meet the squire's eyes. He was a little embarassed his weak display of masculinity failed. "Do you come to this store often? You seem to be familiar with the animals." His eyes focused on the cats tumbling over each other in their cages. He could not help but smile a bit at the sight. He was never allowed to have a pet growing up. He always wanted one though. His father had always told him that although animals were beautiful, they had no place in the home.

[Dimitri]

"You're welcome. I apologize if they made you uncomfortable... I let my own desires get ahead of my thoughts and duty. And I have stopped here from time to time. We aren't allowed to have pets in the squire dorms. Would you care to look at the dogs?"

Dimitri wandered over to the dogs, many looking sad and restless. He opened a cage and was petting a large sheepdog. "I remember a story once my father told me. He had a friend back when he was a student in Zeltiva, who raised many dogs. He only raised larger dogs however, ones that could be used for hunting or fighting. All combat thirsty, and vicious. But his friend had this one dog of his that stood out from the rest. It wasn't like the rest of the dogs. It didn't hunt, didn't fight, never even got mad. The other dogs constantly walked all over, attacked it, until it was the lowest creature around. It eventually stopped being a dog all together. He was timid, shy, downright odd, constantly seeking affection from it's master who didn't give it. He did however find a most unlikely companion. In a cat."

Dimitri continued to pet the dog, rubbing it's belly, wondering if he understood what he now suspected of the odd man. So he continued on.

"The dog and cat, though a match unexpected, became the closest of friends. They'd sleep with each other, play together, many things one would never expect from them. Many people called it idiocy, others said they should be killed, as a detriment to society. The dog owner put the dog out of its home, thrust into the world on it's own, then sicced his other dogs on it until it escaped from town. My father never saw the strange dog again. I didn't realize it until just recently, but my father was trying to show me that sometimes bonds form in this world that many can't or won't understand. A bond some may not notice to exist, or ignore. I believe I have done you wrong by assuming you would enjoy those women with me. I failed to treat you like a proper visitor, or even a proper being on this land. I don't know you, and I'd like to, even if so I don't make a similar mistake to you or anyone else for that matter. I am deeply sorry for my discourteous actions, for my presumptuousness, and my lack of humility with a visitor. Once more, I apologize Ken. I have failed to treat you properly."

Dimitri felt very sheepish and humbled. He didn't often apologize nor go so far to make things right with a stranger. But here he had done so. Was he maturing or losing his way to Knighthood?

[Kendall Saarinen]

Kendall was not sure what to think about the man's appolgy. He seemed a little flighty. He simply nodded and muttered a thank you. When Dimitri brought up the topic of dogs Kendall lit up. He always had a soft spot for canines. Growing up he had always wanted one but his father did not allow his family to have a pet. "Yeah, I'd like that." He walked quietly with Dimitri over to the dogs and eyed a small brown puppy with pointed ears. With a smile me dropped down to his knees and started to pet the little pup. "Hey baby, how are you?" He would have loved to have taken one of the dogs with him but he did not have the money to take care of one. The closest he had to a dog was Cathan but he was a kelvic. Besides, he was more of a companion than a pet. Kendall listened to Dimitri's story. It seemed a little strange but the fact that it was about Zeltiva was reason enough for him to listen. He mentally drifted in and out of the story. It was not interesting him as much as the dogs were. As the story went on Kendall was starting to relate to the story. He felt like the dog who wouldn't fight, the one that was cast away. He tried to focus on the dog in front of him but the story kept nagging at him. It seemed too much like him. He was the dog and Hadrian was the cat. Hadrian had come to him when no one else would. Granted, the two were not extremly close. Not as close as the dog and cat were. Hadrian made him happy though. He made him feel like he belonged. He tried not to cry when he heard that the dog got thrown out of his home. He really was the dog. He focused harder on the dog in front of him. He kept petting his soft brown fur and scratching underneath his little chin. "You are a good boy." Without looking at Dimitri, Kendall addressed him. "Did the dog ever get to go home?" In Kendall's mind, Dimitri's appology was a bit of overkill. The story, the talk of knights. It was really too much for one little slip up. He was a little touched that the man would be to adamant on appologizing though. Maybe Dimitri was not as much of a brainless playboy as he thought. "Don't worry about it. It's over and it was a simple mistake. What matters is that you know now." Kendall supposed he should try to appologize for being in such a terrible mood. He was not really sorry though. His bad mood kept him guarded and it was not as though he was out to make friends with the squire. "I suppose I could have gone about things more gracefully as well. I'm sorry if I was cold." Well..., wasn't that the ironic statement of the year?

[Dimitri]

Dimitri smiled at the odd man, the exchange of apologies seemed to have gone well. He felt as if he finally did something right in this awkward day. Maybe he was becoming an upstanding Knight after all. Perhaps he was on the right track after all. "Well I think I will take my leave. It was my pleasure meeting you Kendall. I hope you enjoy these creatures, I can see the care in your eyes." He started to walk out, his footsteps lightly tapping in the large warehouse, and without looking back, he said, "And I like to think that dog made it home one day. After all, nothing is set in stone." With that, he walked out into the bustling docks, a smile splitting his face. Becoming a Knight was definitely what he wanted to do, to protect people, help them when down, and of course, help 'old dogs' return home one day, even if only by giving a little bit of hope.

[Archon]

Illumination of Development Dimitri +3 Rhetoric +2 Interrogation +2 Storytelling +1 Persuasion Lores: Being manhandled by a woman half your size, Not everyone likes the same things, Story (The Friendly Dog and Cat) Care to see more? : Rhetoric experience for the conversation, Interrogation experience for driving for answers, Storytelling experience for the story, and Persuasion experience for the apology. Kendall Saarinen +4 Rhetoric +3Acting +1 Intimidation Lores: Dealing with the bathhouse, Politeness sometimes invites trouble, Story (The Friendly Dog and Cat) Care to see more? : Rhetoric experience for the conversation, Acting experience for hiding your feelings, and Intimidation experience for putting your foot down with the girl. Notes: A fun little thread, but it felt a little cut off at the end. I would have loved to see how the relationship continued to develop between Dimitri and Kendall.