Welcome to Gaia! ::

So someone had talked about governments and all that? That was good... Shaka had almost no clue on how to run anything much less a land! But he knew they needed leaders, strong people to keep the Obans from walking over them again.

He paused in his weeding when she asked that last questions. He was silent for a bit but continued to weed after a brief pause.
"Five... six years?" He mused to himself. Oba hadn't had winters for him to count... not really. "I got taken before I started really growing... and it'd been about 5 seasons of wet over there." It seemed longer. The time he'd spent as a slave overshadowing his much younger and brighter years.
He looked up at her, a shadow in his eyes. "Lemme put it this way. I was being sent of to a... reeducation place. Where they would break me or kill me. That ought to tell you how my time there was." He'd never bent, never stopped trying to escape. Always back talking, always pushing. If he hadn't... he was afraid he'd become those shadows of matori who had no spirit, no light in their eyes.

Then he sighed and shook his head, making his pony tail snap. "Sorry. Ah oughtent say that. Shouldn't snap at you. It was bad. Painful. Dark. Gloomy. Thats about it. No good memories, nothing nice. Just periods of less work."

Well.. since she'd asked... "What about ye?"

Shaka had known others who'd been slaves all their lives, never having the brief moment of 'freedom' as a child before the slavers came to harvest more meat. he did not wish that on anyone, and was glad that she'd had decent masters at least. Perhaps that was why her food tasted so nice.. she wasn't filled with anger and could cook food happily....

Shaka was surprised when he saw the sun was setting... apprentice far more time had passed than he was aware and he'd missed that ship! Ah well.. I can always walk across this island and then swim to the next one... not really in any rush anyways.

"Ah didna realize the time passed so fast!" He chuckled. "Apparently doing work Ah want to makes the time go by faster!" His stomach growled loudly. "Hmm.. think Ah can ask fer another meal? Not that I spent a lot of energy today or actually need it... but Ah'm liking having enough food so my bellies not trying to eat my backbone!" Hunger had been a constant companion.. but he was certainly enjoying not being hungry and finally having all the food he wanted! Plus she made tasty food.

Mynshaka watched as she made food; he'd only ever known simple cooking. Put things in pot and stir or spear meat and cook it over a fire and hope it didn't burn. Watching another cook was almost as enjoyable as eating!

"Thanks! Ah'll come back one day... visit after Ah find my family if that's okay?" He asked. It would be nice to know he cold come and visit.. have a friend... and more food of course. It'd be something new.. something to prove that things were different and he could just go and visit a friend if he wanted to. Proof of freedom.