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Chandra smiled, "Yeah I'm a midwife. Don't tell me.... my appearance makes me look untrained and pathetic." She rolled her eyes, "I have heard it all before... but I assure you I am fully trained and love my job." She beamed proudly at him before giggling a little about his comment of it scaring him more than a snapper. "I suppose it can get rather scary... you just can't show the mother, it can make everything so much worse. I hate..." she paused and closed her eyes to stop the tears from starting to fall and so she could compose herself, "...giving out bad news."

She started to play with her sash absentmindedly as she watched him and listened. She knew exactly who created the Hraapea, but she would never betray him -after all he gave her the one thing her infertle body couldn't. A child. Rishima. For that she would forever be in his debt, especially if he would be willing to do it again one day.

Yet as he continued to speak about meeting another of them she found herself suddenly curious and worried. Why had been allowed to know she was an hraapea? All the guardians had been told to be discrete and not to reveal the secret.... so how? The look of confusion upon her way was true now, "Who was she? How did you know she was one of these.... creatures you speak of! They sound scary!" It was true, if anyone had told of these beings before she had met Rishima she would have been scared maybe even disguised by the idea. But of course that wasn't the case now. Far from it.

As she took the notepad from him and flicked through it she wondered why he was so intent on investigating them? Did he want one for his own? Why? Why would he seek such a being? "Why have you gone to all this trouble?" She asked, keeping her voice calm and level as she attempted to come across as curious rather than nosey.

Then she heard his poem, and for a moment her heart melted. Chandra had always been a very open person who enjoyed contact with others -it was probably one of the main reasons why she went into nursing and eventually midwifery. There was something off about his voice, something sad about his smile and the look in his eyes. So much so that when Chandra couldn't stand to see him hurting any longer she placed her shopping on the floor and drew him towards her for a hug. He was much larger than her, which was made all the more obvious by their friendly embrace. She spoke softly not wishing to pry or to hurt him further but needing to say something, "I am sorry." It was clear that he felt the words of his poem. Had he lost someone?

Chandra didn't comment further about her proffession, somehow there was something so much more tragic about a new born dying than an adult, a new born was unable to defend themself, unable to fight back, unable to make their own decisions. It was heartbreaking.

"I understand," she said with a smile as he told her how he wished to keep the female hraapea he had met a secret, at least he was trustworthy to a point -though she didn't like the idea that he was sharing this information with others who didn't already know, especially since he had nothing to lose by the information. Yet, the fact that he didn't believe them to be monsters made her smile before she could stop herself. "Angels amoung humans." She repeated as she handed his notepad back to him, "You still never answered," she commented, "... why go to so much effort? What's in it for you?"

As he pulled back from the hug she felt suddenly sad, he was hurting and she knew there was nothing she could do about it. It was obviously a memory from a long time ago, and would not be something he would share with a stranger. Afterall, Chandra was a stranger to him. It was her father that he knew.

She pulled a face at the cigar but pulled a tongue at his comment about bad habits, "We all have them." She said with a smile before adding, "If you need to smoke feel free to." She looked down the street as it reached a fork in the road, "So my good sir, which way now?"

Chandra felt her heart break a little bit, she wanted to tell him something of her self in return. He couldn't tell him about her daughter, it was obvious from her body that she had never carried or given birth -or maybe it was only obvious to her since she saw pregnant woman on a daily basis. Yet at the same time her daughter looked like her and her father despite the fact that the DNA of the feather had been more dominate than her own. After thinking about she said softly, "I am sorry for the pain you have suffered Jonas. I know it doesn't compare since like you said I was lucky enough to have a family that loved me dearly as I grew up...." She sighed softly and looked at him, just thinking about those five years of hell made her want to cry. "...well, I kind of understand your longing in a way. You see, I can't have children of my own for a I was born infertile. When the man I loved and I believed loved me equally in return grew bored of trying to have children he got really drunk and beat me within an inch of my life before leaving." She swallowed harshly as the bitter memory threatened to consume her, then she smiled trying to make light of the situation as she always did and turn it to a possitive rather than a negative. "But... I guess all things must happen for a reason? Right? Just look at who you are today! I am sure if you manage to obtain your own child they will truely love you and not just fake it. You seem like a nice person Jonas."

She wanted to hug him again, or pat him on the back... or something. But she remembered all too well how he had reacted the last time she had tried. Instead she tried to focus on their journey before them.

She clung to her grocery bag once more, having picked it up shortly after Jonas had pulled back from her hug earlier. It was starting to feel heavy but she knew that Rishima would love to see the surprises it held. It didn't seem to take a lot to make her daughter smile, and it was a smile so bright that it took away all the darkness, all the bad memories and made Chandra focus on the goodness and light within herself.

"All pain.... is worthy of some thought Jonas. In a way it is the only way one can truely come to terms with it and move on." She smiled softly and then focused on the path once more.

Something about the way he said 'I would have killed him' reminded her all too much of her fathers reaction when he had found her bloody and beaten. And before she could stop herself she mumbled, "I think my Dad did." She hadn't exactly gone looking for Alistair, the man who broke her heart but she hadn't seen or heard of him since. She was grateful for that.

Although Chandra hadn't left Aerr because of Alistair it had certainly been a bonus. Getting away from a past that troubled her, moving forward. Here in Nuan she could be anything she wanted to be, no one knew her, and although they judged her on her appearance she didn't care. Now with Rishima in her life she was finally starting to feel complete. Something that felt so alien she was only just getting use to it.

Yet as Jonas spoke Chandra found herself stopping and placing a hand firmly on his right cheek. She looked him in the eyes with a fierce intensity that she would likely have set him on fire if she had the power to. "I do not believe you. You have shown me nothing but kindness." She paused for a moment to watch his reaction before contining, "Jonas, like it or not, you feel. You have a heart, and because of that you are decent and good. My father where he here would say 'only those who follow their heart can feel pain and saddness but with that comes the pleasure of joy and happiness'." And although Chandra had only known Jonas for a short while he seemed to be very much a creature of heart. The sadness in his voice and eyes screamed out to her very soul.

Scars. She knew of scars, both physical and emotional though she tried to keep them to herself. Some things where too personal to drag up again and again, and every time she did it broke her heart just a little more. She really wanted to just heal them, or forget the past. But that would do no good. It was from the past that our futures are formed. Like it or not, what happened happened. Though she had to admit.... she hated Alistair for hurting her so.

As Jonas's spoke, she felt her heart break for him. This poor man had felt so much pain that he couldn't even admit it all to himself. He obviously had his vents, the smoking and the alcohol, and for that he saw himself as a bad person. The fact that he needed such vents proved to Chandra just th opposite. She didn't wince as he spoke of killing, after all she wasn't niave. Her father had killed and he was still a good person. Sometimes people where ordered to do terrible things, sometimes they chose to with good reason... it was not for her to judge the past of others.

She looked into Jonas's eyes and then smiled softly, it was a smile that lit up her entire face and seemed to make her eyes sparkle. "I scare you?" She said with a soft giggle as she watched him. "Thats not something I expected you to say! She said as she lowered her hand from his face and continued to watch him carefully for a moment before her face softened into less of a smile. "Why..... why do I scare you?" She asked. Part of her was worried about his responces, she couldn't recall ever scaring someone before... ok so that probably wasn't completely true, her eccentric outfits and manner often scared people but she felt Jonas meant it in a different way.

There was something almost playful about Jonas and the way he spoke now, yet at the same time she could tell he was being honest. She smiled softly and rolled her eyes in a playful 'whatever' kind of gesture. "What can I say... I'm unique! You'd never find another one like me no matter how hard you looked!" She winked at him playfully before turning ever so slightly away from him as she adjusted her bag once more.

"So... nothing modest about you then. Mr. I know I'm hot so bow at my feet!" She said as she cocked an eyebrow to him. If she didn't know any better she would have accused him of almost flirting with her, if he was she suspected that it was likely another defence of his. Treat them mean, keep them keen... but out of reach.

She sighed softly and gave him a sweet innocent smile before finally saying, "I am sorry I scare you. Is there anything I can do to make you more comfortable?"

She froze a little as he mentioned a crane feather, of all the birds he could have picked why did he pick the one that made up part of Rishima's DNA? Was it pure concidences? Or had he somehow found out she could be connected? Did he know about Rishima?

Trying to act as 'normal' as she could she smiled and shook her head, "Thank you for the offer buts its ok. I will put it down at the store and then go straight home... I am sure it won't be too hard."

For God and The Ladies.... it was a saying that Chandra had to admit she didn't understand, she supposed it could have been interpretted in two ways. One that the men where sworn to protect what they where fighting for, God and the Ladies. On the otherhand it could be seen that they where more 'lady killer' types. She didn't know which it was, nor did she really want to find out.

"Well then, I am honoured," She said with a smile before she started to walk to the fabric store once more. She suspected they where not far now.

As they walked she listened and continued to watch him, there was something about his expression that told her she really didn't want to know everything he was thinking. Almost like she was his latest prey and he was just figuring out his plan of attack... or maybe if he should hunt her in the first place. Pushing the thought to the back of her mind she focussed on his spoken request instead, "Cake? She chuckled softly, "Well I can certainly offer you some cake. I would have to bake a fresh one though so it couldn't be today." She offered him a smile, she wasn't blowing him off she just didn't have cake to offer.

Plus, part of her thought this could all work to her advantage. If he came to her home he would meet Rishima... maybe this would be a good opportunity for her to test her outfits for Rishima. Maybe if she could look 'normal' to someone who already seemed to know so much about the hraapea maybe she would have a pretty good chance of blending in with the outside world.

"I won't," she chirped. She had always helped her mother with the shopping growing up so was use to carrying heavy bags for a long time. Though she found it very knightly of him to offer to come to her aid.... but Jonas had already done too much, offering directions to her was more than she had expected.

"I... I... didn't mean it like that!" She stammered and stumbled over the sentence as a soft rose blush covered her cheeks. She placed both arms around her bag and pulled it close to her as a comforter.

As he spoke of her mothers cake she felt a beam of pride, "Oh don't say that.... that's a lot of pressure!" She smiled at him and giggled sweetly before adding, "I will try my best but my mothers cakes will likely always beat my own. Anyways..." She thought about her schedule and how long it would take her to bake the cake and make Rishima a custom kimono from the material she was about to buy. "How about.... Friday if you are free?" It was currently a Tuesday, and considering Friday's where usually more acceptable for socialising events she thought it would be fitting. "When we get to store I will write my address down for you if you like?"