Welcome to Gaia! ::

Richard quickly steadied himself but was unable to prevent the event of his wife's death from cycling through the back of his mind. The girl was so sentamental it was making Richard's mind turn down paths which were usually sealed. His went to his chest where under his shirt hung his wife's wedding and engaugement rings.

Amaya's statement of gave him a spring board to get away from the those memories. Erica had hated religion after all, it had just been an excuse for injustice to her.

"You can't rely on that I'm afriad. You have to make things alright for yourself." The words were surprisingly bitter, In his mind eye, Richard saw the suffering he had seen in the Congo and Iraq. They made him angry and shut away the sadness. Many of those people, were never going to be alright.

Richard was sorry he had snapped at the girl "Its alright," He sad quickly as a form of an apology.

Richard resumed building his structure as an awkard silence enveloped the two of them. The repetive motion soothing Richard's jumbled emotions. He was nearing the end now, On his seventh deck of cards the structure was unmistakablly similar to one they both knew.

Richard placed the last card and stood back. Richard blinked. He actually hadn't realized what he had been building. "Heh well what do you know? I guess there is a resemblance."

Richard had learned how to build with card so long ago that he had internallized the process. It was like scuplting clay.

"I can always build another." That might not be a true statement, but Richard refused to dwell on it right now.

"Its just like everything else." Richard reached forward and plucked a card off the structure. It wobbled a bit, but didn't fall. He placed the card in front of him. Jack of Spades.

"They all fall down eventually."

Richard plucked another card. The King of Diamonds. The stucture did not wobble but instead began to fall into itself. Slowly at first. Then the entire thing gave way in a explosion of cards that seemed to flow across the table like water.

Richard chuckled to himself a little. Things were clicking into place in his head. He turned to Amaya, "What about the people who help Him. His staff, his guards. Why do they do it. Why do they help him?" Richard's mood had shifted again.

Richard sighed. Turned back to pick up the cards, it would take awhile. "Thanks."

"How long can it last? We can't escape. We'll just have to wait until the whole thing implodes on itself. Too bad I can't snatch cards out of labs." Richard was mumbling to himself, kneeling on his hands and knees. Picking up the cards that had fallen around the table.