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 Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2013 5:45 pm
If you want to put the base line here you can
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Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2013 6:37 pm
Aiden watched in awe as the servants came in placing trays of food around them. He wondered what it would be like to have this everyday. To have someone wait on you, it seemed so strange to him now. "Twice a year? How do you get water for the rest of the year?" Aiden questioned. He wondered vaguely if he would be able to see the rainfall. He was still unsure how long he was staying in this country.
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Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2013 7:20 pm
Mikael smiled behind his wine glass at Aiden’s awe. Shrugging at the question, he took his time in answering. “Some of us are lucky enough to have control of an oasis or two, others have found wells that are deep enough to get water. You save as much as you can from the rains, and you find other ways. There are old techniques using the heat of the sun to create water, a little at a time.” He explained. “And many don’t drink water. Camel milk is very good for the commoner.” He added. Enjoying some fruit, he smiled. “You’ve never been to vast deserts like this have you?”
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Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2013 7:27 pm
Aiden listened carefully as Mikael told him how the common people survived without a constant supply of water. It amazed him so much having never been in a place where water was not readily available. This was his first trip to a desert and Mikael seemed to hit that thought on the head. "Yes, this is only the fifth time i've been away from home. I figured a smaller country would suit me better. I wouldn't quite get lost in the crowd." Aiden answered taking a piece of fruit and inspecting it. After a few moments he popped it into his mouth chewing slowly, savoring the flavor.
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Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2013 7:54 pm
Mikael arched a brow at his admission. Only the fifth time? Interesting. “No, not many crowds to get lost in, just dessert dunes.” He smiled. After a moment of looking over Aiden, he gave a charming smile. “Why don’t you stay in my palace while you are in the country? I have more than enough space and I would like to hear more of these places you have seen and come from in return for the hospitality. And when you wish to go on an adventure, you can be escorted by one of my guards or servants. They are more than capable of keeping you safe and showing you all there is to see. “
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Posted: Tue Jun 04, 2013 8:11 pm
Aiden smiled back as Mikael gave him a charming smile and felt himself flush a bit. "I couldn't possibly do that!" Aiden exclaimed in surprise. "I mean I would love to tell you of where i've been but I couldn't possibly stay here in your palace. I mean i'm nothing more than a commoner by anyone's standards. To have guards and servants follow me around it would be so strange and unnecessary. I'm not worth anything to anyone here." he continued.
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Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2013 7:53 pm
“It is my palace and my guards to do with as I wish. If I say you may stay, then it matters not what your status is.” Mikael said quickly. “And contrary to your belief, you are worth something. We do not get many foreigners here, and fewer still from as far away as you are with your complexion. Should you get captured…..you would be a very high priced commodity for the wealthy in my kingdom and elsewhere.” He said. “Besides, I can assure you, you will find no better place to stay than here.” He added, continuing to eat as if nothing was going on.
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Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2013 8:11 pm
Aiden shrunk back in embarrassment when Mikael told him that he could do what he liked with the guards and about his status. He flushed even brighter when the king stated that he was worth something. "Me get captured? Whatever for? No one would pay for me, my family has very little money and i'm not even sure they know where I am." Aiden protested. He couldn't believe that he would be kidnapped. "I am sure that there would be no better place..." Aiden continued but he knew he was losing this argument.
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Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2013 8:28 pm
Mikael laughed slightly at Aiden’s words. “No, not to return to your family. You would be owned.” He said simply. “I believe your people have a name for it, but I don’t recall.” He shrugged. There were some terms that Mikael’s people never learned or used because they had no need of them, or they thought differently of things. “No, one as interesting as yourself should enjoy my hospitality, besides, if you were never in the palace, when would I have time to hear your stories?”
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Posted: Wed Jun 05, 2013 8:50 pm
Aiden frowned in confusion when the man said that he wouldn't be returned to his family. That he would be owned. "You mean like a slave?" Aiden exclaimed in surprise. He didn't know that there were still countries that allowed such things. "I suppose that is a good reason. However I can not spend all my time here. There is still much I would like to see here." Aiden sighed finally giving in.
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Posted: Thu Jun 06, 2013 7:14 pm
“Yes, I believe that is the term.” Mikael replied. Shaking his head, Mikael offered a small smile. “Of course not, but I would enjoy your company here when available.” He continued. Offering a glass plate piled high with sweet breads to Aiden, he watched him closely. “Tell me of your home.” He demanded more than asked, but his tone was still light and relatively polite.
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Posted: Thu Jun 06, 2013 7:54 pm
Aiden frowned hearing Mikael confirm that he would become a slave if he was captured by whoever would try such a thing. "Of course I would be happy to keep you company for the time you wish." AIden smiled accepting some of the offered bread. It was sweet and surprised him at first before he smiled to Mikael in thanks. "My home? There isn't much to tell, I used to live in a big city where you easily got lost in the crowd. Nobody ever notices you." Aiden explained.
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Posted: Sun Jun 09, 2013 9:08 pm
Mikael frowned at Aiden’s description. “That is very big indeed. And it is like that all the time? The largest crowds we have are during festival bazaars or should we have to go to war….” He said slowly, trying to wrap his mind around the sheer number of people. “Is this also one of the cities that have the buildings that touch the sky? I have heard stories that some even allow you to look down upon the clouds some days.”
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Posted: Sun Jun 09, 2013 9:27 pm
Aiden nodded as he had taken another bite of the bread. Chewing quickly so he could swallow and speak once more. "No with the cities so many people live so close together that its always crowded. No one really talks to one another unless they already know each other. In the markets there, there isn't any haggling for prices. You just pay what is asked for." Aiden explained before nodding again. "Yeah, we call them skyscrapers. I don't know about the clouds, I don't much care for heights." Aiden laughed a bit nervously. He loved traveling to new places for the places but the plane trip almost always made him want to back out of it.
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Posted: Mon Jun 10, 2013 10:04 pm
Mikael shook his head. He didn’t like the sound of these cities. It sounded like to many people to allow him proper respect and notice. And to be unable to haggle for prices, it was absurd, how was one to keep the peddlers and vendors honest? Tilting his head at the admission of fear, Mikael hummed. “Every man has a great fear to surpass in life.” He said simply. “The towers of my palaces are the tallest structures in my kingdom, though some sand dunes offer large drops in the deep parts of the desert.” He said lightly. “I don’t think I like these cities. How is one to feel comfortable and gain position in a place so big that no one sees you? And how are you to keep people in place is you cannot haggle and barter? They could demand whatever they want! Do you just deal with it and do nothing?”
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