Far Longer Than Forever [Shizzy]

[Anonymous]

Aisha clutched the cover of the book as if it would save her from answering yet another awkward question, but of course it didn't. She had no idea what Chaucher's vision on love and all things connected was, but no doubt it was different then hers. And the weird thing was that she actually cared about what he would think. But not telling him would be a worse idea... or so an ominous feeling in her gut told her.

"Phocas is... the man I've been living with for the past three years," Aisha sighed. Let's see if he still wants to hear more after this, she thought both cynically and fearfully. "He's what you would call a general of the army in Thanatos, and he has a wife whom he absolutely despises. So he was in need of a mistress, and after 18 years in a damn church I was happy to oblige."

She said it as if she didn't care what Chaucer would think, but her eyes, looking away from him and at the floor, betrayed her discomfort, that and her voice, which was just a little too harsh to be careless.

[Anonymous]

It would take an idiot to miss the fact that this was an incredibly sensitive line of questioning. He wasn't sure why, he had no idea that she feared what he may think, positive or negative. In truth he didn't understand why his opinion would mean so much to her. He was just someone that had stopped her from making a terrible mistake, and bribed her into visiting his house and giving her a book to read.

No big deal right?

Now, Chaucer understood what the word wife meant, and mistress, but the concept of marriage wasn't really there for him. He understood a union of love, and he also understood, vaguely, the idea of lust and finding an outlet. Of course, he had never met a mistress before, and he couldn't say with any undue certainty that it was supposed to mean a lot to him. It seemed to mean a lot for her though.

"So...did he love you, or was it purely out of need for sexual release?" He really didn't know much about it, he'd never been in love after all. There had been some twinges once in a while, deep inside of him that he ignored at times when he saw a particularly beautiful looking woman. There was no need to explore such things though.

[Anonymous]

Aisha thought about it. In the beginning, she had thought she was falling for Phocas, but after a while that passed. She had searched the darkest corners of her soul, but there wasn't one spark of what she thought was love for him, and she was quite sure he felt the same way about her. Slowly, she shook her head.

"No... no love. We just have similar interests, and I suppose we enjoy each other in bed... But I never loved him and he never loved me. I'm not sure he's even capable of love. It's just a ... mutual understanding, I think. We let each other go and don't bother with the things the other one does. I know he has to see his wife every once in a while, since he has a duty to produce heirs, but I really can't care any less about that."

She felt better now that she saw that Chaucer apparently wasn't judging her. "And I know he's just using me, don't worry. But I'm using him too, and he knows that as well. He has someone who will always be there when he needs them, someone who won't be troubled with pregnancies, and I have a very comfy place to live and all the money I could ever need. And my freedom," Aisha added. It was heaven compared to the first 18 years of her life, but often she forgot there was more to life than just comfort and wealth. Something occurred to her.

"So tell me, do you Arkmast people just drop from the sky? Cause if you are forced to live in solitude, how do you ever reproduce?"

[Anonymous]

It took her a moment to speak up, and Chaucer waited. If it was going to be a difficult thing to talk about, she could take as long as she wanted. He sat there patiently, eyes staring intently at her. The yellow triangles that were his irises grew larger and smaller, dilating slightly in the flickering light of the fire.

He wasn't surprised that she didn't love this Phocas. Love was supposed to be special as he understood it. It was a deep thing, and therefore it would be a rare feeling to have. She was a nice enough woman though, she he hoped that she found someone to love eventually. That would be a nice thing right? It was still a little sad that she was unable to have children, but at least it was to her advantage in such a relationship. She wouldn't have to worry about creating any children that may not be loved or cared for.

"I do not worry about that." Chaucer told her simply. He didn't care if she was being used, or if he was using her. She didn't seem altogether unhappy about it so that was just fine. As long as the two of them hadn't been hurt by their actions and feelings then...there was nothing wrong.

"Don't be silly. When I am to die, I pray really hard and I burst into flames, then a new Arkmast crawls from the ashes." He teased, looking at her with a sly smirk. "We are not all isolated. We have...underground colonies where Arkmast live mostly normal lives. They are scattered all around Fell, so they can train new Guardians like myself. Some parents give away their children to the Masters for training, while others just...grow up and lead normal lives. It is a very small percentage that become guardians, so we will not a dying people." He explained carefully, as best as he understood it when it had been explained to him. Not all of it made sense when he was younger but...as time went on, it made a lot more sense.

[Anonymous]

Hmm, Aisha thought pensively. It was easier talking to him about sensitive subjects like these than she had imagined. Perhaps he wasn't so much extremely conservative as ignorant of the world outside his own. She wondered if he would ever be with a woman, with how much he lived in isolation. There probably wouldn't be anyone who wanted to spend eternity in this place with him, but if he stepped over his own borders... who knew what he might find.

The girl pitched her ears when Chaucer started about the underground colonies. Immediately all her muscles flexed and her eyes went wide. Oh, what she wouldn't give to go there with him! She tried to swallow her enthusiasm, but it came bubbling right up again.

"Tell me more!" Aisha blurted before she could stop herself, unaware that she had gotten to her feet with dazzling speed. "I-I mean... Please tell me more. I want to know everything."

[Anonymous]

Chaucer needed the proper motivation to leave. He'd have to find a way to contact his people and tell him that he would be gone...Would he have to lie? He didn't want to be known to his people as a deserter, as someone who left their sacred duty. It would have to be something big and something very personal that made him leave, that made him leave the service of his people.

Who knew what that might be of course.

Chaucer gave a very sudden and surprised start when suddenly Aisha was at her feet, excitement in her eyes, and a very enthusiastic tone in her voice. It was...incredibly confusing to say the least, and he could only blink in mild confusion at her. "That...is a lot to know, and a lot to tell...but I can try to tell you as much as I know." Chaucer closed his eyes for a moment as he tried to think hard about what he would say.

Gathering what knowledge he could remember, he opened his eyes and smiled. "All right...well, as I said, my people live underground. We...live normally I suppose. From what I hear, it isn't different from any other place. My people gather food on the surface, and have found ways to grow crops underground...at least some crops. It is a humble life, but we have some semblance to the outside world I'm told. We live in fired clay or dirt structures that hold the heat and the cold well, depending on the season. Most people will grow up and die in their colony, but there are those like me who are chosen by the masters. They are...teachers of the guardians...they have been around for many...many years. They pass their knowledge to only two kinds of people...Guardians, and those who would become new Masters in their place." It sounded really boring to say honestly.

He hoped that she didn't mind that sort of thing. His world hadn't been incredibly complex, well...until he became chosen for a guardian anyway.