Post by rilkan on Jun 16, 2009 1:56:20 GMT -6
Taka sighed deeply, feeling himself unwind almost as soon as the smell of the hot tea reached his nose. All the other boarders preferred coffee, but tea was easier to come by (especially since Old Sara grew her own, and was more than willing to share), and he'd never been a fan of the taste or the effects of coffee. Now, especially, with Nate's explanation of what he'd felt at the bar, the last thing he needed was to be wide awake and jittery through the night.
Now, as he started a small pot of coffee for Nate, he was left in the kitchen with Old Sara herself, a situation that always left him with a sense of awe and respect for the woman. She stood a little over 4 feet tall, her long silver-white hair only slightly thinning. She always had a cane in her hand, but nobody honestly believed she needed it. The light wrinkles that marked her face combined with a kind of sly glimmer in her green eyes to give one a sense of monumental age and wisdom. She claimed to be 'only 97', in a tone of voice that seemed to hint at a belief that this was truly a young age. No one had ever argued to the contrary.
Now, as Nate relaxed in the den, he and Sara were talking about the night's events as they moved around the kitchen. She'd been making herself a cup of tea as the pair had arrived back at the house, and had invited herself into their conversation, with the kind of grace that only she could manage.
"Do you think there's really something to worry about?" Taka asked, keeping his voice low.
Sara smiled slightly at the young man's efforts to hide their conversation. "That all depends what point of view you've got, child. To anyone other than Nathan, I'm sure it sounds like a tall tale if there ever was one. To him, though...he's been around the block a few more times than yourself, boy, don't forget. He knows what he's talking about."
Taking a small sip of her tea and deciding it needed a little more time to cool, she continued. "Knowing Nathan, though...I don't think it would be the worst idea in the world to be a little more cautious than usual, at least for a little while."
Taka nodded, still not entirely sure. Nate had used his ability to share the feeling from the bar with himself and Sara, and while it certainly explained his own unease in the place, he apparently lacked the experience or the context to fully grasp the situation. "I don't quite get it, though. I get the hatred part, and I'm not exactly comforted by the fact that it was directed so strongly at me. I just don't see why it's got him shaken up like this."
Sara nodded. "That's because you weren't born until after the War was over. I remember when this City used to be a grand place. Hell, there's days I almost think I could remember its name. When the war came, though, everything changed. For 40 years, this City was full of almost nothing but hatred for the Reyonites, hatred not all that different from what Nate picked up tonight. They were the enemy. No one asked why...I think they were all scared of what the answer might be."
Taking another sip, Sara decided the tea was good enough, and took a long drink from the cup, setting it down slowly when she was done. She sighed at the comforting warmth of the liquid. Remembering before the War always gave her chills, and her tea always did the trick to warm her back up. "40 years of hatred, child. Look at this City now. No one here even remembers its name. That's the kind of force hate carries, and that's the kind of force that was directed at you tonight."
A shiver ran down Taka's spine for reasons he couldn't put words to. Following the old woman's example, he sipped his tea, immediately grateful for its warmth, and the way it seemed to replace that which his body seemed to have lost so quickly.
His feeling of unease had returned. This time, however, he felt it might have come to stay.
Now, as he started a small pot of coffee for Nate, he was left in the kitchen with Old Sara herself, a situation that always left him with a sense of awe and respect for the woman. She stood a little over 4 feet tall, her long silver-white hair only slightly thinning. She always had a cane in her hand, but nobody honestly believed she needed it. The light wrinkles that marked her face combined with a kind of sly glimmer in her green eyes to give one a sense of monumental age and wisdom. She claimed to be 'only 97', in a tone of voice that seemed to hint at a belief that this was truly a young age. No one had ever argued to the contrary.
Now, as Nate relaxed in the den, he and Sara were talking about the night's events as they moved around the kitchen. She'd been making herself a cup of tea as the pair had arrived back at the house, and had invited herself into their conversation, with the kind of grace that only she could manage.
"Do you think there's really something to worry about?" Taka asked, keeping his voice low.
Sara smiled slightly at the young man's efforts to hide their conversation. "That all depends what point of view you've got, child. To anyone other than Nathan, I'm sure it sounds like a tall tale if there ever was one. To him, though...he's been around the block a few more times than yourself, boy, don't forget. He knows what he's talking about."
Taking a small sip of her tea and deciding it needed a little more time to cool, she continued. "Knowing Nathan, though...I don't think it would be the worst idea in the world to be a little more cautious than usual, at least for a little while."
Taka nodded, still not entirely sure. Nate had used his ability to share the feeling from the bar with himself and Sara, and while it certainly explained his own unease in the place, he apparently lacked the experience or the context to fully grasp the situation. "I don't quite get it, though. I get the hatred part, and I'm not exactly comforted by the fact that it was directed so strongly at me. I just don't see why it's got him shaken up like this."
Sara nodded. "That's because you weren't born until after the War was over. I remember when this City used to be a grand place. Hell, there's days I almost think I could remember its name. When the war came, though, everything changed. For 40 years, this City was full of almost nothing but hatred for the Reyonites, hatred not all that different from what Nate picked up tonight. They were the enemy. No one asked why...I think they were all scared of what the answer might be."
Taking another sip, Sara decided the tea was good enough, and took a long drink from the cup, setting it down slowly when she was done. She sighed at the comforting warmth of the liquid. Remembering before the War always gave her chills, and her tea always did the trick to warm her back up. "40 years of hatred, child. Look at this City now. No one here even remembers its name. That's the kind of force hate carries, and that's the kind of force that was directed at you tonight."
A shiver ran down Taka's spine for reasons he couldn't put words to. Following the old woman's example, he sipped his tea, immediately grateful for its warmth, and the way it seemed to replace that which his body seemed to have lost so quickly.
His feeling of unease had returned. This time, however, he felt it might have come to stay.