In the Garden (Ben)

[D'rorah Philosophy]

D'rorah sat beneath her favorite willow tree. As usual, she was surrounded by a complement of thick tomes in varying texts and languages. Their yellowed pages stirred languidly in the occasional breeze that drifted through the courtyard. She looked much the same as she would any day, deep navy robes stiffly buttoned up to her throat, intricately embroidered sleeves flaring slightly and reaching just past the palms of her hands. Feet shod in sensible black boots were folded carefully beneath her. And crowning her head was a mass of waist-length hair that had once been blonde and was now a motley of silver and gold, carefully pinned up so that not a single strand could stray into her face.

Her face was calm as her quill danced and leapt across pages of parchment in her notebooks. Neither a smile nor a frown graced her features... but her eyes were sad. She had just finished reading an account of a previous Shadow Warrior whose stories had shared similarities with her own... a Shadow Warrior of Wind who had also lost her parents. Though she was not typically the sentimental type, reading such a vivid account of the tragedy of another made her ache over the fact that anyone else had had to endure such a thing.

She wouldn't cry, she was too disciplined for that most of the time... and one never knew who might approach unexpectedly. However, her eyes were dull with memories and the corners of her lips twisted ever so slightly downward as she read on. The emotion didn't appear overpowering and would likely be missed by the normal Hogwarts student, but it was there for anyone who looked closely enough. Her quill slowly came to a halt, the last sentences of her translation slowly spinning out in ink across parchment. She shivered slightly and pushed her own sordid memories away before pulling an extra overcoat more securely about herself for warmth.

It wasn't cold outside today. In the distance, she could hear students enjoying what appeared to be a deliciously warm spring day. Her body, however, would have felt almost icy to anyone who reached out and braved a touch. It seemed that just as she began to acclimate herself to her lowered body temperature, it would drop by another half degree or so. She had taken to monitoring the decline of late... the last check had shown a temperature of 30C/86F... obviously it wasn't real hypothermia or she would have ceased functioning normally long ago. She had taken to searching other accounts for any similar occurrences in the past, scouring through transcripts of other Shadow Warriors who had survived and resisted corruption... but couldn't find any mention of a drop in body temperature. She knew the chill that crept through her veins was a Shadow Chilll, she could almost feel the darkness coursing through her. She couldn't tell that it had affected her in any way other than physically, but she also knew she couldn't afford to ignore it and have the problem develop into something which might be dangerous for herself or the other Lightfighters.

As she traced an account to yet another dead end, she shivered yet again. Somehow emotional attachment was a key to this. She had noticed before that strong emotions tended to inspire warmth... such as when she had been with Dylan before he had disappeared only to come back and mangle her heart. It had been around that time that her temperature had begun to drop more steadily. She noticed that it stabilized with Kerridon around and when she could focus on him... in response, she had taken to spending more time in the training room so she could think of him freely without worry that someone might pick up her thoughts and discover their new relationship. Even in unspoken thoughts, one never knew who might be listening. It had helped to slow the progress, thankfully... but she still had to task herself with finding something to reverse her cooling trend. She couldn't very well spend the summer wandering around Ecuador in a parka for the sake of her own comfort without drawing attention to herself.

Of course, thinking of Kerridon wasn't purely something she did for the sake of warmth. It was something she rather enjoyed... though they had only had a very limited amount of time together, her mind had been increasingly creative in coming up with ways to remember and savor each moment. It was nice to know that she had a kindred spirit... someone who shared the way she saw the world and who could understand her past. It was a comfort to know that his steady support was never very far away, even if they were forced by the current circumstances to keep to the strictest secrecy. And yet, the distance forced between them was another layer in the sadness she felt now. She stared at the pages before her blankly for a moment, trying to clear her head enough to continue on with the task at hand.

[Benjamin Ellis]

Having just left his usual spot sitting in the courtyard watching everything go by, Ben had decided that he was probably in need of some exercise... It was something he had always heard about everyone else doing when he was younger but never really been able to join because of not being able to see the football coming flying towards his face, or the track he was supposed to be keeping to while running. For the latter, his cousin had often helped him sometimes by leading him by his arm, but they couldn't go too fast for risk of unexpected obstacles that might make him trip and bring both of them tumbling down to the ground – something that had happened on more than one occasion anyway. He still had a scar just below his knee from when they had turned a corner a little too quickly and he had stumbled, leg scraping across some sharp gravel and a piece getting stuck into his leg. After that, their antics had been watched a lot more closely.

Setting a steady pace, he had began to jog aimlessly towards the forest, not intending to go too close and turning soon enough to loop around the quidditch pitch. Occasionally his eyes would catch a bird or animal out of the corner of his eye and break into a sprint, pretending to race it until he lost sight of it and slowed again. Since it wasn't too hot and there was a pleasant breeze in the air, he didn't break into too much of a sweat and was free to look everywhere he could without discomfort, taking in all the sights around him and eventually slowing as he neared the castle once again. Jogging towards it he noticed one of the Ravenclaw prefects sitting under a tree with numerous books surrounding her, looking very serious.

He had heard all sorts of rumours recently concerning some sort of attack that had happened in her past – her parents dead, and her injured in some nasty way. He always did listen to the forever churning rumour mill at Hogwarts, despite how annoyed it sometimes made him that people discussed such things so heartlessly, in case he heard anything about someone who might need some cheering up. D'rorah, by the sound of it, was one of those people. Approaching closer, he saw that she did indeed look a little sad – but as if she was trying to hide it. Over the last four years at Hogwarts since he had gained his sight, Ben had trained himself to look for subtleties in people's faces and actions. It had been difficult at first, learning just the basics of what counted as happy or sad, but he had continued past where most people usually stop looking until he had it worked out for the most part. He still made mistakes, but they were much less frequent now.

He approached her still at a jog, stopping just in front of her and sinking to his knees, making sure not to dislodge any of her notes or books and offering her a charming smile and noticing at the same time that she seemed to have paused in her note-taking. [red]"Hello,"[/red] he greeted her, moving to cross his legs beneath him to make himself more comfortable, looking around at all the books as he did so. There certainly were a lot. Surely this couldn't be homework... Although he couldn't quite understand the commitment with which some people put into studying, he did at least acknowledge it and to some extent admire their dedication.

[red]"Do you need any help?" You look kinda lost."[/red] Although he seemed to have a tendency to speak without thinking, Ben did in fact do just the opposite. He never said anything if he thought it was actually going to hurt or offend somebody, but just spoke with a casual air in an attempt to put people at ease around him. It usually worked, even if he wasn't quite sure if it would in this case due to her generally stern demeanour.

[D'rorah Philosophy]

D'rorah heard approaching steps, but didn't look up, assuming they wouldn't be for her. However, the footsteps approached her and stopped, a young man taking a seat before her as he greeted her. [blue]"Good day,"[/blue] she replied absently to his 'hello', barely glancing up from her books. She caught the movement from the corner of her eyes as he crossed his legs, apparently making himself comfortable. Apparently he planned to be here for a while.

[blue]"I assure you, I am quite aware of my surroundings,"[/blue] she answered in response to his next question. She set about carefully closing her books, annoyed with the interruption, but deciding it would be better to come back to these accounts later anyway, when she wasn't so emotionally pulled by them. [blue]"Are you lost?"[/blue] she queried. [blue]"Perhaps you have mistaken me for someone else... someone you actually wished to speak with?"[/blue] she added, wondering what new torment might await her now.

She had already put up with the stares and rumors ever since Dylan had humiliated her in the Ravenclaw Common Room. Even the library no longer felt like a safe haven with people constantly whispering and glancing over at her. It took a lot of concentration to block out the thoughts surrounding her... and it took even more concentration to do so when her name was mingled in with those thoughts.

Her eyes passed briefly over the boy in front of her. Another happy specimen, no doubt--with few cares in the world. Still, she wondered why in the world he had chosen her section of the garden to enter. Why he had come to sit directly in front of her... her lips pursed slightly as she continued closing texts, waiting to see what this new encounter would bring.

[Benjamin Ellis]

Ben glanced about in surprise as she began closing her books, not having wanted her to think that she couldn't carry on while he was there. [red]"You don't have to stop,"[/red] he tried to reassure her, the happy smile still perched merrily on his face in another attempt to encourage her not to stop because of him. She seemed very wary of him... most people were generally surprised when he just walked up to them and started speaking, but not usually wary and they got over it quick enough anyway. It seemed like this girl might take a bit more effort than usual.

[red]"I'm not lost. And I didn't mistake you for someone else. You're D'rorah, right? The Ravenclaw prefect?"[/red] He almost added 'well, one of them', but remembered in time that a reminder of her counterpart might not be particularly productive right now. [red]"Or Dee. Except I heard you don't like being called that cause it's only one letter or something. What about Dee-Dee? Cause I'm sure I'm not pronouncing your name right."[/red] He had indeed fumbled while saying it, unsure of the pronunciation and not wanting to keep messing up her name. He had met people in the past who found it very annoying that he couldn't pronounce their names properly, despite his best efforts.

He watched her carefully just as she watched him, blinking occasionally and with his usual lack of reservation about staring. He didn't want to continue speaking until she had replied in case his presence really was unwelcome, but since she appeared cautious rather than particularly hostile he wasn't too concerned. Although her face didn't portray much emotion, he had a feeling that if she wanted him to go away she would probably make it clear enough – or just leave herself.

[D'rorah Philosophy]

[red]"You don't have to stop,"[/red]

[blue]"I believe I am finished for the moment,"[/blue] she replied, continuing to carefully close and put away the texts all around her. No one was that happy, she thought as she glanced up at him again. No one simply walked around with a smile all the time as though the world was all goodness and light. The last thing she needed was to have some strange Gryffindor nosing around in her research all because she'd been too slow and careless about putting away her notes.

She clenched her jaw slightly as he alluded to the seemingly popular nickname for her at Hogwarts. She had to admit, it was certainly preferable to several of the names that had found her at Falstaffs. [blue]"D'rorah Philosophy,"[/blue] she confirmed, arching an eyebrow slightly at his pronunciation.

After a moment of him watching her in return, she arched her brow yet again. [blue]"Was there something you required my assistance with... Mister...?"[/blue] she trailed off, unsure of his name except that he was another Gryffindor among the masses. He seemed like he was waiting for something from her, but she had no idea what it might be. Surely, he had better things to do than simply watch her while she put away her texts. And yet, he sat there unmoving. Curious.

[Benjamin Ellis]

Ben watched her for a few moments more as she continued closing books, before eventually deciding she might need some help judging by how many there were and turning to pick up a few books that rested behind him, closing them and beginning to put them in a slightly haphazard yet stable pile in front of him for her. He didn't bother trying to read them – he could tell just by glancing that half of them were in different alphabets, and he had never quite learnt the art of reading upside down or sideways. It took far too much concentration. Even now he preferred Braille books to those written out, despite the small amount – it was just easier for him. [red]"These are all very old..."[/red] he commented, able to tell from the rough texture and crinkly pages as he moved them.

He listened carefully as she pronounced her name, trying again to pronounce it. [red]"D'rorah... D'rorah..."[/red] Nope, still not correct. He could hear the difference between what she was saying and what he was saying... he just could not make his mouth say it the right way. It was frustrating, but he couldn't really do anything about it. [red]"Can I not just stick with Dee-Dee if you dislike Dee so much? I can't say D'rorah properly..."[/red]

D'rorah seemed a little unsure of him still, and his suspicions were confirmed again by her question. [red]"No. I'm Ben. Benjamin Ellis. I just came over cause you looked kinda as though you needed cheering up..."[/red] He continued to watch her carefully for a reaction. He didn't know what had caused her saddened expression, but was sure it had been there whatever she said.

[D'rorah Philosophy]

[blue]"Dee... Dee..."[/blue] her lips pursed slightly. [blue]"I suppose if you must, Mister Ellis,"[/blue] she conceded. She watched as his hands moved over her texts, thinking back to his comment on the ages of them. [blue]"They are quite old,"[/blue] she confirmed, gathering them into her satchel. She gave no further comment on them, not thinking it would be a good idea to go down the road of what the texts were or what they contained. That would only lead to more and more questions, which would undoubtedly become more and more complicated if they were allowed to continue.

His last remark caused her eyebrow to arch sharply and she looked up at him in disbelief. [blue]"I looked like I needed..."cheering up"?"[/blue] she asked incredulously. Now would be the moment... he'd ham-handedly try to seek out some thing or another that was disturbing her and use it to torment her. Who came up to a complete stranger just because she looked like she needed to be cheered up?

[blue]"I am familiar with how this cycle works, Mister Ellis. Shall we just suffice it to say that I bared some innocuous detail to you, you found some passably witty way of exploiting it, and you can go back to your friends and pass on the fact that you too have found a way to make sport of the strange Ravenclaw girl?"[/blue] Annoyed, she packed the last of her things into her satchel, and stood up, hoisting the heavy bag onto her shoulder. When would this school year ever end? Every day lately was starting to feel like eternity. All she wanted was to find a quiet space to carry out her duties without further molestation.

[Benjamin Ellis]

Ben smiled at her concession in allowing him to avoid saying her full name badly any further. [red]"Thanks. And don't call me Mister Ellis... it's Ben, please."[/red] 'Mister Ellis' made him sound old... and he really wasn't. It also wasn't particularly helpful in forming casual conversation when he was addressed in such a formal way. [red]"How old? And where are they from, the library? I've never seen books this old in the library before,"[/red] he replied, trying to draw her into some sort of conversation. She had seemed very absorbed in these books so it seemed reasonable that a conversation about them would be something she would be interested in.

He nodded, the smile still on his face and neither lessening nor growing at her incredulous statement. She apparently wasn't used to people coming up to her because of such things – although not many people were, to be honest. At least she was turning to the more traditional surprised emotions rather than wariness. Perhaps he was getting somewhere. [red]"You looked sad when you were reading, and I passed and saw,"[/red] he explained further, hoping that would help her understand. Judging by her next words, apparently not.

A slightly confused expression crossed his face at the 'cycle' she described, having never taken part in or heard of such a thing. It did sound like something certain people at this school might do. Brushing away the annoyance at those people, sure they wouldn't do it if they knew what it felt like to be on the receiving end, he waited for her to finish before speaking. [red]"Yeah... no. I don't know what you mean. How do I exploit an innocuous detail?"[/red] His mind wondered for a moment on how exactly he might go about that before continuing. [red]"And anyway, why would I do that?"[/red] He stood with her, finding himself about an inch shorter than her and ready to walk with her wherever she decided to go. [red]"Do you want me to carry some of those books? Your bad looks a bit heavy..."[/red]

[D'rorah Philosophy]

[blue]"They are mine,"[/blue] she replied, conveniently glossing over the question of how old the books might be. She just wasn't figuring this one out. Why did he seem so interested in cheering her up of all people? How far did he think he needed to lure her into whatever tangled web he was weaving before she got to the sticky threads and the spider ate her? Even though he looked confused as the described the cycle of torment she had come to expect from other students, she didn't let it sway her. She had encountered a litany of convincing actors throughout her academic career. Though, most of them had been at Falstaffs. Here, people seemed more wary and less inclined to torment her directly.

[blue]"People find many justification for foolishness,"[/blue] she replied as he asked why he would do that. [blue]"I have given up on attempting to understand it, afraid I might contaminate the workings of my own mind by doing so."[/blue] She looked over at him as he stood with her, offering to help with her books. Yes, she'd seen that one in action before... she'd be chasing him through the hallways trying to retrieve the texts... or he'd find some way to accidentally damage them.

[blue]"No. Thank you. I believe I have them well in hand,"[/blue] she replied, her eyes narrowing slightly in suspicion of his motives. [blue]"I am more than accustomed to their weight."[/blue] She couldn't put a finger on this boy... and now that she'd stood up, she had no idea where she was going. The library was out, she hadn't want to go there to begin with. And the common room... too likely she'd have to put up with Dylan or his insipid little wretch, Amy. It didn't leave very many places to escape... not if she left the garden. She wished she could think of something more quickly and briefly considered the idea of heading into Hogsmeade. She had her cottage there... but then, she had also gotten annoyed with the other Lightfighters on more than one occasion for venturing off in a similar manner alone.

[Benjamin Ellis]

Ben found that apparently D'rorah didn’t want to talk about her books; she replied to one of his questions with three words, and completely ignored the other. Maybe she was just a bit shy and didn't know how to continue the conversation... He tried again. [red]"Where did you get them from? I've never been to a bookshop with books that old before... although they don't really have old Braille books... but still. And what language are they in? Or... languages?"[/red]

He wondered how many people had teased D'rorah for her to apparently think he would do such a thing. She really didn't know him... then again, he was nobody special. Lots of people had never heard of him when he first introduced himself but he was usually friendly enough to put them at their ease despite his occasional odd antics such as staring at anything and everything that caught his attention. D'rorah seemed still wary and confused though, he thought to himself as he kept his eyes pinned on her. Sometimes his staring unnerved people a little, but again, they usually realised soon enough it was just part of his normal behaviour and nothing to worry about. He hadn't liked to mention his blindness too much when he first joined, despite the obvious difficulties he was having with reading and writing. He was much more at ease with it now and the subject did sometimes come up, but not particularly often.

[red]"If you're sure..."[/red] he trailed off, not convinced but not wanting to push her too much. His comment made sure the offer was still open in case she changed her mind. Still staring up at her, he waited for a few moments for her to move before realising she wasn't going to in the near future. [red]"Where are you going?"[/red] he asked, attempting to prompt her into making a decision of where to go.

[D'rorah Philosophy]

[blue]"Many bookshops specialize in older and rare texts,"[/blue] she replied. [blue]"The closest one here is in Knockturn Alley."[/blue] Of course, her books had mostly come from China, or had been collected by her father and came from one of D'rorah's own libraries. [blue]"They are in a litany of languages... Jurchen, Hebrew, Ugaritic, several others,"[/blue] she replied, trailing off as she didn't intend to give the entire laundry list of languages covered by her texts. She looked at him questioningly as he mentioned them not having old Braille books. She thought she recalled hearing of a student who had been born blind and had had his vision magically restored before coming to Hogwarts.

That would help explain the habit of staring somewhat, which was making her feel more inclined to be cautious. [blue]"Do you stare at people often, Mister Ellis? It is somewhat unnerving,"[/blue] she remarked in her typical emotionless manner. His next question, however, gave her a moment of pause. She really had no idea where to go. She was running out of safe havens to inhabit here at Hogwarts... the gardens, the library, the common room, the astronomy tower, each one had become unsuitable for one reason or another for the purpose of uninterrupted study.

[blue]"I do not know,"[/blue] she admitted finally, immediately wishing she had lied instead. [blue]"Somewhere quiet,"[/blue] she remarked, not even realizing the words had been said until they were already out of her mouth. Allowing her satchel to slowly slide to the ground, she sank back into her seated position and sat there blankly. She couldn't think of anywhere she really wanted to go that was at Hogwarts... and she couldn't very well go sneaking off... especially given that Ben was here. Where had this sudden lethargy come from? All she wanted was to find a quiet spot and hide for hours, perhaps nap a bit... perhaps just sit quietly and contemplate. It was an odd feeling... and she was already beginning to characterize it in her head as a moment of laziness. Whatever it was, it was odd and she wasn't used to it.

[Benjamin Ellis]

[red]"The closest is Knocturn Alley? That's quite a way away..."[/red] It certainly didn't sound to him as though "many" bookshops specialised in such things if that was the closest. He blinked in surprise as she reeled off a series of languages – only one of which he had heard of. [red]"You can understand all of them? Where do they even speak... Jurchen... and the other one. Ugar... something."[/red] Again he could hear that his pronunciation was off from what she had said.

Apparently his staring was unnerving her, and as soon as she said so he turned his head away from her so it was facing just over her shoulder. He couldn't prevent his eyes darting back to watch her occasionally though. [red]"Sorry. Bad habit."[/red] Finding himself doing it again, he purposely turned his head away and stared instead at a bird twisting a path for itself above the quidditch pitch, ears still focussed on D'rorah.

He didn't stay like that for long, though, snapping his head back to stare at her when she eventually admitted she didn't know where she was going. He tried to keep his gaze from being too strong this time, although it was difficult. He lowered himself at the same time as her as she sank to the floor, folding his legs underneath himself again. She really did look lost... He tried to think of somewhere that would work with her request for quiet. [red]"Well... it's not really that loud out here, but the ballroom's quiet,"[/red] he suggested.

[D'rorah Philosophy]

[blue]"Yes, I understand them,"[/blue] she replied. [blue]"Jurchen is an ancient language from what is now China... that area in Asia. Ugaritic is an ancient semitic language... spoken around the Middle East and Africa. I am not surprised you have not heard of them. They have passed out of speaking some thousands of years ago."[/blue] Who cared? Why did he care what she was reading? Most people were sufficed with seeing her surrounded by texts. They could conclude for themselves that she was a boring workaholic, and move on with their lives. They didn't care what the languages were, or what was in the texts... well, most didn't. And those who did were easily deflected by a few clipped statements. She couldn't even get her fellow Lightfighters to enquire so keenly into her pursuits... no one ever asked to peruse her notes, no one ever approached her for training... and any moves she made to initiate regular training of any sort were quickly enough given up by the other party. Only Sam had keenly fallen into her training routine, and that was largely because he wanted to protect his brother... and because he would never allow himself to say that D'rorah had driven him to exhaustion or overworked him in any way. He was as stubborn as she. As much as he annoyed her at times, she wished the other Lightfighters were more like him.

She watched as he purposely moved his eyes away from her after apologizing for staring. Her eyes followed his line of sight until she found a bird flying over the quidditch pitch. Apparently he just felt the need to look at something, anything, even if it was of no particular importance. Perhaps she would feel the same if she had spent the first eleven years of her life unable to see.

However, his gaze moved back to her quickly enough as her tongue betrayed her by admitting that she didn't know where she was going. She had intended to simply get away from Ben... but he seemed an innocuous enough sort of presence. Perhaps he was just a nice person. But that would be all the more reason to have him keep away from her. Bad things happened to people around D'rorah. She had witnessed it on more than one occasion... and a nice person like Ben would likely be open to anything that came his way. Still not trusting his sincerity fully, she brushed the edges of his thoughts as lightly as she could with her mind, finding nothing there but concern and confusion. Almost immediately after she had done it, she chastised herself... but then, how was she supposed to trust anyone around here? The actors and the rude players had done their damage. She didn't like bringing new people into her life. She could find a million reasons not to trust someone even with putting forth almost no effort. Caution was easy, it was necessary, it was habitual for her.

[blue]"I do not wish to go to the ballroom,"[/blue] she replied quietly, running her fingers through the grass before her. There were no pleasant memories to be had there... memories of having been summoned away from the first formal dance by Dylan's patronus to find him in the infirmary and badly injured... memories of having danced happily with him on Valentine's Day, receiving a ring... and then being discarded like an old newspaper. No, the ballroom would be loud as well. The garden was still quiet. Even if people insisted on constantly interrupting her, it was the quietest place she could find at Hogwarts. [blue]"I suppose I should remain here,"[/blue] she added, beginning to unfasten the hasp on her satchel, but pausing as she did so.

[Benjamin Ellis]

Ben listened carefully as D'rorah explained, not realising he had begun staring again as he focussed on her words, making sure not to miss any of it. At least she was speaking in longer sentences now... perhaps he was getting somewhere. Her words spurned another sequence of questions as his face displayed his eagerness to hear what she had to say. [red]"What was China called then? And if they stopped being used thousands of years ago then how do you know them? Are those books thousands of years old?"[/red] he asked quickly, his quick-working mind jumping to that conclusion however nonsensical it might have sounded.

With his gaze back on her, he concentrated on the tiniest hints of emotion that occasionally flickered across her face. It was so much more difficult to work out what she wanted or was feeling than anyone else usually was. He wondered if there was a specific reason behind it or whether she had always been like this. Then again, with all the rumours he had heard of spinning about concerning her it was hardly surprising that she didn't show what she was feeling like most people did. He certainly wouldn't want to be the focus of such words.

[red]"Okay,"[/red] he nodded in response to her statement that she did not wish to go to the ballroom, waiting for some other reaction or suggestion. Maybe one of the towers? They were usually quiet... just not the owlery. Non-human sounds probably didn't count as quiet, although he found it quite calm up there usually. He watched as she began to unfasten her bag then paused, wondering what had made her do so. In usual form, he asked. [red]"What's the matter?"[/red]

[D'rorah Philosophy]

D'rorah found her thoughts racing so much that she was uninclined to answer Ben's questions as he continued on the subject of her texts. Why did he watch her like that? What was he looking for? It was, as she had said earlier, unnerving. She wasn't accustomed to this sort of friendly interest. Kerridon watched her when she spoke to him; Dylan had been adept a deciphering her emotions when they were together... but who was this boy?

As she paused in unfastening her bag, it could not go unnoticed by Ben. She looked up at him. [blue]"I am not certain I wish to research right now,"[/blue] she remarked quietly, her eyes locking with his. What was it about his staring that invited her to stare back? She was good at observing people... but she usually did so surreptitiously. It was far more advantageous to watch people who did not know they were being watched. Grasping for anything to say, and not being adept with idle conversation, she picked up the fragment of conversation they had dropped earlier.

[blue]"Jurchen was spoken by the Tungusic people in Manchuria until around the seventeenth century,"[/blue] she remarked blankly, slowly bringing herself more into focus as she continued speaking. [blue]"Some of my texts are originals, but many are reproductions. I have been studying languages for many years... my father always thought communication was the key to diplomacy."[/blue] She smiled slightly at the memory, remembering the exact tenor of his voice and the cadence of his speech as she heard the oft-repeated sentiment in her mind.