Guilty or Innocent?|Haven, Ilyamen

[Northen Light36]

"A pain in the neck," replies Acqua with a laugh. "No, seriously I wouldn't have it any other way. Having Alethia, Amaro and Talon means that no matter what happens, I've always got someone to turn to if I need something. I guess it's kinda like having parents, except that some of the time siblings are willing to get into trouble with you rather then tell you off for getting into trouble."

[Kender Bard]

"Except in Amaro's case it would seem," Taurus mused. "I've always wondered, though; your sister has more or less raised you, correct? That being the case, doesn't she act more like a mother than a sister?"

[Northen Light36]

"Amaro's not above getting into trouble," Acqua comments with a grin. "It's just a little more rare in his case. As for Alethia..." Acqua falls silent and considers the question for awhile. "I wouldn't know," she points out at least. "But... I don't think so. She never tried to keep me out of trouble as a kid, like a parent would, she just let me do what I want and helped me if I got in over my head."

[Kender Bard]

"Interesting," Taurus mused. "Well your whole life is an interesting case story, honestly. But I won't pry further." He blushed and grinned. "It's my nature, and sometimes I forget to be tactful."

[Northen Light36]

Acqua laughs. "I'm getting used to it," she tells him. "Besides, Talon can be just as bad sometimes." Acqua covers her mouth to hide a yawn and asks, "What's it like living in your comunity?" Grinning she adds, "Bet it's more peaceful then living in Flux..."

[Kender Bard]

"Well I should hope so," Taurus said dryly, then looked thoughtful. "Well you saw it - it's pretty small. That's why our homes are little more than apartments. We like being closed to each other. The communities are like one giant family. And like any large families, you have some favorite 'relatives' and some you can't stand. There's competition, rivalry, but lots of love and happiness too. Growing up there, you never need to fear getting hurt by a stranger because nobody is a stranger. There is some trepidation about getting hurt by a rival, but most Minds don't stoop to something like that." He chuckled darkly. "No, no murder for us. Just screwing with heads."

[Northen Light36]

Acqua snickers, amused. "Mind games can be more dangerous then a knife in the back," she points out. "At least tthat was one thing that didn't happen too often in Flux." She laughs bitterly. "Most people didn't stay sane enough for mind games. Either that or they didn't live long enough." Acqua shakes herself out of her memories and gives Taurus a rueful smile. "Sorry... This is why I don't like to stay inside city walls much. It brings back memories."

[Kender Bard]

"I see," was all Taurus said; it was all he could say. There were no words to console someone who had seen the closest thing to hell on earth and lived to tell about it. So, he walked on in sympathetic silence.

[Northen Light36]

Acqua walks along with Taurus in silence for a long while, lost in her memories until the pair are out of the city. Once the pair are past the gate, she begins to visibly relax as the change in surroundings lets Acqua distance herself from her past. Glancing over at Taurus, Acqua gives him a smile and says quietly, "Thanks for coming out here with me, Taurus. I'm sure you'd rather be sleeping instead of wandering around."

[Kender Bard]

"You'd think," he chuckled. "You don't know how many nights I've headed home telling myself that I need to sleep only to spend the whole night reading and writing reports. I kept telling myself 'one more hour can't hurt' until I ran out of hours and fell asleep at the desk."

[Northen Light36]

Acqua laughs. "Well if you're not tired, care to visit one of my favourite places around here? It's a little less then half an hour's slow walk from here..."

[Kender Bard]

"Sure!" Taurus enthuses, looking quite curious. "What is it?"

[Northen Light36]

Acqua grins. "I'll show you," she grins, not saying anything more then that as she leads the way to a small river lined with soft grass covered banks and with crystal clear water, it's well off the usual paths taken by people traveling to or from Ilyamen and is the sort of place a water type would find perfect for relaxing or training in private. A handful of willow trees dot the shore providing a shady spot to nap on a warm day or to get out of the rain if someone needed to. Grinning, pleased that there's no sign of anyone having found what she likes to imagine is a place only she knows about, Acqua flops down onto the grass and pulls her shoes and socks off before soaking her feet in the water, giggling softly at the feel of it washing over them.

[Kender Bard]

Taurus smiles, slipping his hands in his pockets as he strolls up and down the length river, admiring it and the beauty of the place. "This is a really swell spot, Acqua," he said. "I guess what they say is true."

[Northen Light36]

"What do they say?" asks Acqua, grinning and playfully manipulating the river water to splash Taurus.