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"If it improves your mood, you're not the only one with a troubling back. Another at the school. Her name was..." Anton paused briefly to carefully think, to make sure he didn't get it wrong, "...Rezzo. She needed to take medicine so it only tingled. I cover up mine so it doesn't make trouble." The Post-Human hoped that what he said would cheer her up, but there were certainly no guarantees for anyone, or thing for that matter. And then she spilled. In one long string of speech, Rae pretty much addressed everything that had been bothering her. Not everything of course, but it was all most likely the biggest things. When Anton was alone, he had always wanted to talk to someone, and at one point even started to talk to a funny bird who talked back, albeit only the words he said. Perhaps Rae felt the same way? Maybe she wanted to talk to someone? If that was why, then there must be something he could say to make her feel better.

"I don't think you could have. I have had an arm cut off, and sewn back on. I have been shoved off a cliff and battered against the rocks. I have recovered from each, and sticking to a wall like a swatted fly is small in comparison. And maybe funny." he spoke gently, very gently. Rae was the most curious person to him right now; she was more or less 'created' like he was, but unlike him, bothered by her very birth. Most strange indeed. Anton began to systematically address each of her points, like how he would fight a complex adversary. He knew he was on unsteady ground, but if he slipped now, it wouldn't be him suffering. And chances were, if he didn't, things would get worse in the future. I do not believe in god, but perhaps. Perhaps, I should pray.

Anton thought back to the 'ingredients' he gathered for his successor, Fate. He wouldn't be surprised if similar things were used for himself. He leaned over, and begun to whisper in her ear, "Did you pluck them yourself? Even if you did, the fact is, you are here. With me, and everyone else who cares. And there's nothing you can do about what happened then, or how you got them. You love them. So love them." Anton pursed his lips. So very close to destruction. And so close to making her think logically. He shifted the spotlight off her for comparison, "Did you notice, that I always talk about what happened after I was complete, and not before? Awful things Rae. But, there was nothing I could do. Out of my hands. Yours too? " Anton paused for a moment, and spoke normally again. "I did not have hands at that point, but you understand, correct? Someone gave you something, and I think it is better if you don't look back at how they gave them to you. If you don't. Bad things will happen. Like the other ones. Before even me." Anton tried his hardest to steer Rae's eyes away from herself, and onto him, and what was ahead of her. He hoped that what he hinted at was enough to perk her curiosity. Anton knew his own was unsatisfiable. Hopefully the same would go for her. It is better if you think I'm a worse monster than yourself. Know you are not alone. Go ahead. Ask... At that thought, he looked back at the before time. His stomach turned and growled in both revulsion and hunger. "I'll take a steak. Rare please? Mashed potatoes. Some sauteed spinach too. And can I has cake?" Have I failed?

Rae was more than relieved to hear that she probably couldn't have hurt him. Though, the way he explained things, it's not necessarily that he wouldn't have been hurt, just that it wouldn't have bothered him because he'd been hurt worse before. She wasn't sure if that was necessarily good, for either of them. But some of her anxiety eased, and she was especially glad that it didn't seem to bother him at all. As he continued, she realized he was trying to convince her that she shouldn't feel bad for what she was. She couldn't say that he didn't have a point... There had been nothing that she could do about it, even if she'd wanted to. But it was hard to let go of an assumption when it was forcefed to you every day for eighty years. She'd killed, too... Not just those that deserved it, though she liked to think that no one was an innocent in that place. She'd killed her teacher, the man who patiently showed her how to use a sword, who never called her a name, who only showed her kindness. And he didn't know about the blood-drinking. The fact that she had to run around every other night or so looking for animals to drain dry. Innocent animals that shouldn't have to suffer at her hands. She sighed heavily. "I know... I shouldn't blame myself for where they came from... I can understand that, I suppose. But it's not only where they came from, but what they created... I'm not perfect either, I'm broken in so many ways. Ways that I can't bring myself to tell even you. But I understand. I'll try not to let it bother me as much, if that's what you think is best."

She waited patiently while he and Sophia ordered food, thinking things over in her head. He didn't want her to feel guilty over the creatures that died in order to create her, but she wasn't sure if she could let it go. It was... A large part of her, and the memories of lying on the table next to dead birds while they did horrible things to her were some of her most vivid and frightening nightmares. "I... Thank you. I think I understand what you mean. Maybe we can talk about this again sometime, when we aren't eating food, and trying to be merry in general?" She hummed lightly in pleasure under her breath, finally moving on from her internal agitation enough to appreciate the fact that he had been trying to help her feel better. It seemed she hadn't been mistaken when she'd chosen him to be a friend. She smiled up at him genuinely, now. She heard Sophia talking about cake, and her pupils dilated slightly when she turned to look at her. "Are you sure we shouldn't be waiting to eat cake until after we eat? I mean... It could ruin our appetites... At least, my mom used to say that when I was a kid..." She wasn't sure how she was going to avoid eating the cake if it came out first. She could always say that she didn't like it, but honestly, who didn't like cake? Maybe Anton could eat her piece... She eyed him curiously, wondering how much he really could eat.

Her attention was drawn by Sophia again when she mentioned stopping at her room to get clothes that Rae could wear. Looking down at her only dress, she sighed lightly. She'd never needed anything else. Smiling back at Sophia, she blushed lightly with happiness. So many people doing nice things for her, she wasn't sure how she was ever going to be able to repay them. "Um... Thank you. I've never worn makeup or anything before... And I confess my hair might be a bit too much for even you. I don't... Do anything to it. But if you'd like to try it, I think it might be fun. And um... I'll wear any clothes you think will work, but I'll return them as soon as I can." She kept smiling, pleased with the people she'd taken up with, until the cake arrived. Happy-waitress delivered with a flourish, and Rae's stomach flopped over almost audibly. She swallowed hard, and waited for everyone else to eat before she'd even go near it. If she could avoid touching it and avoid the puking and inevitable refill later on, she would be eternally thankful to whatever deities might be smiling on her to cause that.

"It is not bothersome at all." he talked slowly."At least for me. Considering the nature of my own creation, this is not disturbing to me in the least." Clover suddenly started ordering her dinner, and the cake as well. Cakes, plural. Two cakes. This was starting to get scary. Vanilla? Coconut? German? Chocolate? What the hell? What were all those? At that, Anton started to look horribly confused. Wasn't cake just cake, like a steak was often just a steak? Apparently not. "Uh. I wouldn't know much about cakes Sophia. I'm not the resident expert. I'll just leave it up to you. You seem to know better." he replied somewhat sheepishly. "You are right Rae, we can talk about it later. But what are you going to order?" At that moment, Togire ordered his food. Now that Anton thought of that, the last time he had it was when he was in a hurry out in the woods. Was he a traveler from afar as well? Most probably. "Pardon, where did you come from?" he simply asked. Ruin appetites? Cake? Most curious...

It seemed that everything was going to be alright. Rae was not being sad anymore, and everyone was going to get to eat, and try 'cake' too. And then afterward, Anton could go to the inn with Sophia and Rae to get his own room as well. And then after that. Anton's chain of thought froze. The sea? Were they all going to the sea, the one with water? NO. He wouldn't think of it now. No. He was going to sit here and ENJOY being with his new friends. Anton banished the dark thoughts and fears water brought on to him...and ironically took a sip from the glass of water before him. So this is what a 'cake' is? Anton tightly grasped a fork but merely looked at it. How do I eat it? He cautiously hovered his fork, ready to stab at the strange morass of colors and flavors. He pursed his lips in intense concentration, and speared the cake with his fork. A bit of frosting flew across the table from the sudden attack.

((I'm sorry I couldn't post yesterday...I was forced to photograph some cos-players at a theme park))

Tgoiretogire had dropped his menu and had sat himself to listen to the others conversation. Yet so where not the case for the lad at the table seemed willing to find out more about him. Now of course he couldn't say exactly where he was from but to lie about it was unnecessary. "I'm from the east of here. Near the Grand Dragon valley. Not a safe spot, but it's home." Truth be told there where villages in the Grand Dragon valley and there wasn't just a few small towns or villages but some bigger places as well.

Now he wondered how quick he would get this food in, for he was quite hungry. When eating a human portion a dragon had to eat far more often then usual. Well at this place he was a human with odd eyes.

((I am at the moment in two places here and beach))

((OOC: CK, what happened to you! crying ))