Did someone say chocolate?

Had she realized Dani was Alfarinn’s familiar? Probably not, although it made sense now that she knew. She’d been about to counter about not being able to do everything from behind a good computer when Aishe brought up the dancing. No, she would not laugh.

“Vedi Veni dansé?”

Very simply, Pak did not speak Latin and had to revert to French for the last word. Still, how could you let a comment like that slide? You couldn’t, it would have been criminal not to say something about Artemis’ dancing that evening. Very probably, she would never let him live it down.

The car alarms; one had to admire him for shear nerve bringing that up. However, Pak winced at the results it had created for Aishe but at the same time, it made her want to laugh. Something, hoped, had been hidden with some success behind a little cough.

But now that she knew just how effective the pen could be Pak was already plotting meeting disruptions and other games. After all, some of her colleagues and clients could be deathly dull.

“You just need a shorter dress for the next ball. Something that can’t get trod on. At least I’m guessing someone stepped on it.”

Following the others back to the table Dani had claimed, Pak slid in to a seat tucking the car and remote safely under her chair, and for the first time noticed –exactly- what Artemis had ordered. She winced slightly and then shook her head in good natured disbelief.

“I asked for that didn’t I?”

Dani listened to Aishe recounting the car alarm incident, glad that she seemed to take the whole thing with good humor.

“I think security jumped half a mile at that; I’m just glad it all turned out to be…mostly…harmless.”

She quietly thanked Artemis for the treats and took a cup in each hand. Fatty needed no encouragement to follow her to the table and they were there and settled in short order, Dani in a chair and Fatty on the floor next to her. Seeing that Nic was still standing, she pulled out one of the remaining chairs, next to her.

“Grab a seat!”

Taking some napkins from the table, she set them in a neat square on the floor and placed Fatty’s bowl on top of it. Fatty wasn’t likely to make much mess but sometimes such things couldn’t be helped and she figured it was better to head it off at the pass. Turning her attention to her own desert, she took a dainty spoonful and grinned at the unique flavor.

It took a great deal of effort not to laugh at the outcome of his mischief at the ball. he would have loved to have seen that, but saying so seemed in poor form while on a date with another woman. Artemis looked at Pak and grinned. Apparently his dancing was going to become the stuff of legend and mocking. Artemis chuckled, he could only imagine how funny it must have looked.

" Yes, something like that. We Italians can apply that philosophy to anything, even ice cream and whipped cream. Better watch out."

He wiggled his eyebrows at Pak as she and the other ladies moved past him and Nic to take their seats. Once all of the items on his tray had been handed out, he left long enough to hand back the tray. Upon returning, he took a seat next to Pak and began drinking a bit of his rum and coke.

(ooc: you know if you say rum and coke fast enough it almost sounds like Roman coke. Ha! I kill me.)

Apparently Dani had been around some members of this clan far too long as she had hit the nail on the head with that comment.

“Mostly harmless. I think that’s the best way to look.”

It did all depend on your sense of humor and Pak thought it was damned funny. Still not wanting to dwell on that thought too long, lest something be given away, she picked the cherry up off the enormous Sunday and ate it. On a good say she could tie a knot in the stem, but that trick would wait.

“Conquering, dancing, ice cream etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.”

She smiled at the joke, a small one, but one told at her own expense. Why that was the only ‘exposure’ so many people had to her homeland was beyond Pak; but if she could mock, who had said Vedi Veni Vicci, Caesar and which one, she could mock a Hollywood portal of Mongkut. She wouldn’t go into her issues with the movie, that wouldn’t be fun for anyone.

((OOC… random side not for anyone who is interested, Pak is left handed don’t ask me to explain why I am sharing that but it just sort of hit me))

No matter how much he would have liked things to be different, the truth was Nic was still an outsider here. The sad fact was all this could be over in the blink of an eye, if Ellis chose to deal with Nic. At least that was the impression he had, from some of the things Kem had said. And Nic obviously believed Kem...he was still sticking close to Evenhet, wasn't he.

Through a tiny spark of hope, Nic had allowed himself to venture along tonight with Dani and Aishe, and had thoroughly enjoyed himself, shoe issues aside. He wanted to believe there was a future of sorts for him here, at Nachton, but realistically knew the odds for that were not the best.

So lost in thought, he didn't hear what Dani had said, right away. A few seconds later it registered, and he smiled, as he sat down. The others were still discussing the ball, but because Nic's own attendance had been cut short, he hadn't been privy to any of the goings on now being relived.

He again focused on is own plight, and wondered when Arin might hear the story...and then if he demand to see Nic, to discuss the ramifications.

Laughing at Artemis' philosophy and application of such, Aishe dug into her ice cream with pleasure. Nothing like negating a good workout by taking in twice as many calories as you'd just worked off. She wasn't particularly worried about her weight, anyway. She was active enough to keep her figure looking good enough.

She turned to Nic, who looked about as lost as she had been while she was standing on line before, and nudged him gently with her elbow.

"Why the long face? Who's spacing out now?"

Aishe's soft jab broke through Nic's thoughts, and he gave her a small smile. He wished he could confide in her, but didn't think he knew her well enough yet. Of course he'd spilled everything to Kem, but that was more out of need. And while he still felt a strong desire to get more off his chest, he didn't want to burden Aishe. She had already been so kind to him. He looked down at the melting banana in his hands...

"What? Oh...sorry. I...well, suffice to say, it probably wasn't the best idea for me to come along tonight. I really appreciate you and Dani inviting me, but..."

His eyes turned back up to Aishe's and he doubted he was able to hide the pain.

"Have you ever wanted something...in the worst way...but been afraid once you got it, maybe it really didn't belong to you?"

Nic was referring to coming to Nachton, and becoming part of something...a family maybe...but whatever it was...just having the feeling of being a part of something again. He was tired of being on his own...alone.

"I am sorry, I know I'm probably sounding all cryptic, and I don't mean to. Nor do I wish to involve you in my trouble."

Aishe wasn't oblivious to the fact that Nic seemed to be hurting. She empathized with him, in fact, had a good idea how he felt even if their reasons probably weren't the same. She'd thought she was going to be bad company tonight, but instead it had cheered her. It seemed, perhaps, the opposite for Nic, as if hanging out with so many people was only making him sad.

"Have you ever wanted something...in the worst way...but been afraid once you got it, maybe it really didn't belong to you?"

Aishe considered that for a long moment. She wasn't blind to her own faults. She'd come here because she wanted to be with Kem. But there was a whole world here she'd never realized he was part of and she wasn't. That was changing now, but she could understand Nic's words in parallel to her own situation.

She nodded to him, trying not to draw too much attention to what was quite a somber conversation in the midst of such good cheer at their table. "I know how that feels, yes. But your steps lead you forward, not back, so there's no sense dwelling on it right?"

"I am sorry, I know I'm probably sounding all cryptic, and I don't mean to. Nor do I wish to involve you in my trouble."

At that, Aishe laughed again.

"Oh, I think I've gotten involved in plenty of trouble on my own. What's a bit more?"

Lowering her voice once more she added, "Look, if you ever need to just vent at someone, it's all right. I won't judge you for it."

Her offer gave Nic the perfect opening. However, the last thing Nic needed was to bring everyone in the group down. Although, he wasn't sure if his misery might not also be merriment for one or two of the others. He didn't know any of them well, and it wasn't unusual for some to find comedy in watching someone else fall on their face.

He wasn't in the mood to play the clown tonight though.

Tossing the remainder of his banana in the receptacle behind his seat, Nic reached over and lightly rubbed Aishe's hand. He then crossed his arms over his chest, and shook his head slightly.

"Not now...it wouldn't be appropriate. I might take you up on the offer later though, if you need a good bedtime story. Thank you though...very much."

Trying to be unassuming, and he again smiled, a bit larger this time. But it really was no use. His mood had been dampened, and before he drew any more attention to that fact, he decided it was time to take his leave.

Standing, he waited for a lull in the conversations, and offered his good night.

"Dani, Aishe...I'd like to thank both of you ladies, for your warm welcome to the Towers today, and for including me in your little excursion tonight. It has been most enjoyable."

He delivered that to both ladies with a sincere smile, and a wink to Aishe. Then turning to the remaining two, he again smiled.

"Pakpao, Artemis, it has been a pleasure. I hope to see you both again soon. However I find I need to address some things back in my room, before I turn in. Thank you all."

And with a nod, Nic began retracing his steps, back to the towers, and whatever fate awaited him there.

(ooc - Nic out, pending any responses.)

Artemis paused where he had been poised menacingly with an extra spoon over Pak's ice cream. The exchange between the others caught his attention. After existing for over 1600 years, he certainly understood heartache and longing. The winter anniversary of his marriage usually hit him pretty hard. It was only recently that the season didn't lead automatically to drunken sobriety and unconsciousness. Yes, He understood the feeling. Artemis didn't know what was troubling the young man, but he sympathized. He gave Nic a reassuring smile.

"It was nice to meet you. Don't worry, whatever is troubling you it is bound to get better I am almost certain."

After watching Nic leave, Artemis turned and in a not so stealth move stole a bite of Pak's chocolate ice cream. With a mischievous grin, he waved his rum and coke at her in an offering. Still laughing, he turned to Aishe.

"What brings you to the towers, if you do not mind my asking?"

She hadn’t meant to eaves drop, not really, but the tone of the conversation between Nic and Aishe was different and rather caught her attention. Not completely, not so that she caught every word, but enough that she had an idea that something had changed Nic’s mood. To her it seemed like a sudden change. She wondered what caused it. Although it sounded like Nic knew and she envied him that, it was always good to know what was bothering you.

“Like wise I’m sure. Have a good evening.”

Her attention was diverted when Artemis attacked her ice cream. Evil, give a gal far too much ice cream only to steal it. Actually, she wasn’t really concerned about it and had rather hoped he’d help her eat the enormous sundae, but she enjoyed playing the part and scowled suspiciously. The scowl, however, quickly dissolved into a smile.

Accepting the offered drink, she was impressed with how understanding the ice cream place was. Of course, she also found it ironic that the place would make a rum and coke but probably try to flay her if she attempted to light a clove. Crazy double standards.

Not feeling a need to repeat the question, she just smiled over at Aishe.

Aishe considered Artemis' question for a moment as she scooped the last bit of chocolate from her sundae cup. Sucking thoughtfully on the end of the little plastic spoon, her first inclination was to tell the story she'd been telling since her arrival, that she was checking up on a friend. It sounded wrong to her ears, though. And at any rate, the point of being here was to try and find help in accomplishing her goal. How was she to do that if no one actually knew why she was here? She'd just met these two, sure, but both Artemis and Pak seemed quite friendly. In addition, she'd never actually had a chance to tell Dani her entire story.

Still, the mood was so light at the table they sat at... she didn't want to kill it with her own troubles. She chewed lightly on the spoon before making up her mind. Truth, perhaps, with some discretion.

"It's a bit of a long story," she said truthfully. "I'm not exactly sure where to begin. It still sounds a bit surreal even to me. But then again, things have been a little crazy for the last few weeks. I've been here for about a week and a half now, I suppose. I sort of followed Kem here.

"We've been seeing each other for over a year, and it hadn't exactly escaped my attention that there were a few unusual things about him. Aside from the obvious."

Aishe put the plastic cup down and spread her hands helplessly. "I figured it out," she said. "To make a long story short I found out about him a long time ago, and even though it was hard to get used to, or even to believe, in the end it's not what he is but who he is that I... love." Damn, she still wasn't used to saying that word, but it did feel good.

"At any rate," she continued, "Kem decided to take himself on a guilt trip and ran here to Nachton. I think he felt bad about my getting involved in all of this, with him. But he shouldn't. I make my own choices. And that's why I'm here now. To level the playing field, as it were. The next time I see him, hopefully he'll realize that my commitment is absolute."

Aishe shrugged, toying with the little spoon, bending it this way and that. "I'm hoping he doesn't find out I'm here until that happens, if it does. He'll try to get me to leave and I don't intend to. Not unless it would really be the right thing to do."

She laughed a little nervously, then. "This must sound disgustingly pushy of me. I hadn't realized what I was asking for until I started meeting people around here. You're all so close. And I don't want to be the interloper, but if there's a chance it can happen, I'll take it."

She hated this next part, the sitting there waiting for whoever she'd just told to react. Although no one had really reacted badly to her tale yet, she knew it couldn't always be completely understood, couldn't it? One of these days someone was going to take offense to her, and her goal. It would... well, it would really suck when that happened, but she couldn't imagine it would change her mind much.

Dani gave a nose crinkling smile at Pak’s play on words and nodded to Nic when he eventually sat down. He seemed, however, to have gone into mope mode, and she wondered whatever was the matter.

Her guess was that he wasn’t ready, or wasn’t comfortable, talking about his troubles just yet. In her experience cloaking one’s problems in hypotheticals was a clear indicator that you weren’t quite prepared for solutions or consequences, but merely wanted some assurance.

“Hope things get better Nic; my office is open if you need to talk, MARI can tell you where it is. Good to meet you.”

She started to give a little wave but Fatty chose that moment to make a beeline for the trashcan. Apparently he resented the remainder of Nic’s banana going to waste and had decided to take that matter into his own paws.

Well, she doubted his thinking was as sophisticated as all that; it was probably more along the lines of ‘people food people food get it get it get it!’ but she felt perhaps Fatty deserved a little more credit than all that.

She jumped up to intercept the inevitable and stumbled over Nic’s empty chair, but managed to get there just before Fatty realized that getting to the tasty treat would involve knocking over the trashcan.

Either that or he was too lazy to go through the work of getting it out; hard to say with Fatty. In any case, she scooped him up with a reproachful look and staggered over to the table with a double armload of fat dog.

“That was very bad. No running off.”

She shook her finger at him after setting him down by his ice cream, which he dove into, unconcerned with her attempt at discipline. Well, to be fair it wasn’t a very good attempt. Brushing her hair out of her face, she sat back down and rolled her eyes in a half amused apology.

Meanwhile, it seemed Aishe was explaining her situation to the group, and in far more detail than she had heard before. She listened with interest, though there were times she worried she had missed something. What had she meant by leveling the playing field? There were a few possibilities there but most likely she needed more information.

She was half inclined to tell Aishe to give the poor guy a break and pick up the phone, but in the first place she wasn’t sure if Kern was even reachable right now and in the second place if Aishe didn’t think he would be receptive, who was she to say how he would respond. She knew how –she- would respond if some guy traveled half way around the world to be with her…but then again, if she knew anything about people, it was that sometimes they were really weird.

“Don’t worry about being an ‘interloper’. You’re quite welcome here and frankly I’m rooting for you guys.”

Pak grinned and laughed silently at Fatty’s actions. See this was why she’d never had a dog. She was rather fond of her fish and had thought about getting a cat but had never acted on it. For now that she was content to be amused by Fatty and impressed that Dani could pick him up.

Listening to Aishe, she was impressed with the woman’s determination. She’d never been overly romantic herself but that kind of dedication she respected. On the other had she also thought the occasional guilt trip was a good idea. It would be interesting to see who would win and she found herself agreeing with Dani.

“There isn’t anything wrong with the occasional gamble. They do pay off.”

Artemis had been intent on his musings of Aishe's story that he had almost missed the comedy that was Fatty. He smiled at the dog and owner before returning to his line of thought. Found out about him. Not what he is but who. Level the playing field. Artemis put the pieces together. He had asked her a direct question and had gotten a direct answer. He supposed that he and Pak should be honored that she had chosen to be honest. Still, Artemis shook his head slightly and marveled at the directness. At least she had tried to be discrete. It could have been worse. It's not like she walked into the towers and said 'Hi, make me a vampire.' With uncharacteristic seriousness, he considered his own turning before speaking quietly.

" I certainly understand leveling the playing field. My own reason for doing so was vengeance. Love may be a better reason, but the choice still requires a bit of soul searching."

Artemis turned and smiled at Pak warmly before returning his attention to Aishe.

" The step you are thinking of taking is long term. I have only recently begun to consider what happens after. Have you? You will want to do so before doing something irreversible. You will also want to think hard on what the decision truly means for you, even without Kem. What you will become. How you will survive. For myself, at that time, it didn't matter. I chose not to think about it. I had a single goal in mind. There are not many here who would assist you, unless you are certain the consequences are those you can live with."

Artemis wanted her to truly think about having to drink the blood of another. That was not an easy concept for everyone. He smiled kindly, hoping his age didn't show too much.

" I only know of Kem through Alfarinn really, but he seems reasonable. Perhaps you could try talking to him about how you feel. He can't force you to leave Nachton. Besides if you truly feel that way about him, you will have to talk to him eventually. Short of giving you a shove down the shady path, I will do what I can to help."

After looking over his shoulder and around the room, he grinned and winked at Aishe as he leaned in to whisper. Serious Artemis had gone.

" Oh, and you might not want to tell that tale to just anyone. Not everyone here are believers.

Aishe smiled with no small amount of relief when Dani and Pak seemed to answer without resentment but rather with support, although she wasn't sure if they'd completely understood her intentions. She silently thanked Fatty for drawing some of the attention away from her, and gave the dog a pat on the head as he was escorted back to the table.

Artemis, on the other hand, seemed to see past everything straight to the heart of her story. And as she peered at him, she wondered if her imagination was acting up again, or if she saw on his face and in his eyes a similarity to Kem, that strange sense of timelessness and depth that bespoke years beyond what looks would indicate.

His words too, kindly but sensibly put, were the essence of the thoughts that had been crossing Aishe's mind since her arrival in Nachton. Although talking about it, telling her story, still made her uncomfortable, she did not see the value or productivity in clamming up. She listened, glad for any information that came her way, and then thought for a moment more.

"I have been considering what it might be like if I did this and discovered it was unwanted," she said softly. "It's the people I've met since being here who have shown me that even if that is the case, this," she gestured to their group, and then again to encompass the area in general, "is something I could grow to enjoy very much. I am... aware of the changes that would take place, and I realize that nothing comes without a price."

Aishe glanced at Pak, recalling her words on gambling. "It is a gamble," she agreed, "but it's a gamble I'm willing, and hoping, to make."

As Artemis spoke more, she nodded along with him. She had a hard time explaining why she couldn't simply confront Kem. Preferably with a baseball bat in hand, or perhaps a 2 by 4.

"I'm not afraid to speak to him," she said with a small laugh. "It's more that I think I understand where he's coming from, although I don't agree at all. I think he would like it if he and I were... the same. But he won't ask me to give up what I have now; quite the opposite. If anything, he has encouraged me to live my own life to its fullest. If I were to make this step on my own though, with no urging or asking on his part, without his even knowing, then he can't feel that he is somehow at fault for whatever I may give up in the process."

She gave a little half-shrug with one shoulder. "I don't necessarily agree, as I said. As you can see I tend to blunder right on into a thing once I have my teeth in it."

Aishe toyed with the end of her braid, having twisted her little plastic spoon into submission. "We all have our demons," she murmured. "It's not for me to judge him over his."

The smile she gave Artemis was nothing less than thankful, for he had been realistic and honest with her as far as she could tell, and she appreciated it. For all that her story sounded romanticized even to her own ears, she was hardly of a romantic nature. Practicality normally ruled her thinking, and she had a far easier time relating to that than anything else.

When Artemis' serious demeanor seemed to fade and he offered her a wink and a grin, she returned a nervous laugh at his advice.

"I'm fairly certain I might just be capable of spouting crazier stories than that. If nothing else, being an archaeologist is excellent fuel for creativity. Although imagination was never my strong point, I think there are some fossilized UFOs in Peru, and there's an extra-terrestrial skeleton being excavated at this very moment in Nepal."

It was tough to say with a straight face, but she managed.

"Is that what you meant."Â?

She said it very quietly almost to herself. For all her love of puzzles, people were often a puzzle Pak couldn't find all the pieces to. However, listening to Artemis and Aishe she realized now that Aishe was human. The girl wanted to change?

Absently sculpting the sundae, Pak frowned. That was a very big gamble and it still might well be worth it but... The thing was no one had asked Pak how she felt about immortality and living off others and even a few hundred years later, she found that it could still be difficult and all of those thoughts colored her point of view. Perhaps it would be different if she'd had a reason, any reason, to become what she was. Although Artemis' reason gave her pause and she cast him, one quick questioning look before returning to her art project and her own memories.

Feeling herself starting to laps back into her earlier mood, she made an attempt to shake it off and looked up again, just in time to see Artemis' smile. She smiled back at him, almost thankfully, that was twice in one day he'd saved her from her brooding.

Guiltily she noticed the artistic bent her ice cream had taken and was tempted to smash it, but took just a bite instead, leaving the rest. The advice that was given, was right, and there really wasn't anything more to say until Aishe talked to Kem.

"Gambles go bad, you can't undo them. You're holding fourteen be sure you know what the dealer has."Â?

Of course if Aishe didn't play Blackjack that would make little to no sense, but she'd worry about that later.

It seemed the mood was shifting again, and the conversation returning to lighter topics. She half laughed at Artemis before stopping herself.

"That right you and I don't exist so Dani and Aishe are just having very realistic hallucinations."Â?

Helping herself to more of the sundae, which looked like it hadn't been touched, Pak grinned and turned quizzically to Aishe.

"What is it about UFOs and archeology that always seem to go together?"Â?

It seemed both she and Pakpao came to the same conclusion simultaneously; at the same moment Dani silently comprehended what ‘leveling the playing field’ was supposed to mean, Pak was stating her realization out loud.

Her eyebrows went up a bit while she considered Aishe’s outlook; the sentiment worried her. In her mind Kern hadn’t run away because of Aishe’s humanity; he’d run away because he was an enormous dweeb when it came to matters of love.

All due respect, of course.

Nevertheless, love was indeed not the worst reason to want to turn. She wondered at Artemis’s reasons for his choice; what terrible thing might have brought the cheerful engaging scientist to such a quest for revenge? Had he succeeded?

Whatever the initial reasons, though, he had found a purpose in Evenhet; Artemis was doing breakthrough work for Meridian and making a difference. While Aishe’s motivations were different, driven by a desire to spend an eternity with the one she loved, Dani thought there was something else there as well.

She absently set the remainder of the pumpkin ice cream on the floor so that Fatty could lick the nearly empty bowl, a task which he set to with renewed gusto.

“We are, I think,” she said as she righted herself, “an idea. Something you can be a part of, whatever you ultimately decide to do. And part of that idea is the belief that the playing field –is- level, that two kinds can coexist and make each other’s lives better.”

She gave a self depreciating smile as she continued. “I’m not trying to give a party line and certainly not trying to change your mind.” She made an expansive gesture in imitation of Aishe’s, “I just got the impression you saw the same things I did when I first came here…’this’ means a great deal to me.”

Turning to Pak, she grinned and raised both eyebrows in an innocent attempt to answer the question at hand.

“Well, both are rooted in discovery, in possibility.” She gave Fatty a pat on the head. “Anything is possible.”

Artemis smiled and nodded as Dani spoke. She was quite clever and of a good heart. He often wondered what decision Alfarinn would make when the time came. Artemis was fond of Dani, she was like the little sister he never had. Which is why he had not been overly fond of the idea when she became Alfarinn's familiar. There was a reason why none of Artemis's assistants were human, aside from the obvious danger of things going boom. He knew when he had met her that he would become attached.

"That is very well said and quite true. I think Aishe will find that all of this means a great deal to those on both sides of the playing field."

Artemis considered Aishe's words again. For him, Dani was the symbol of the ultimate sacrifice that his kind had to make. All those years ago, his reasons for remaining human had been brutally taken from. At that time, he had been in no condition or mood to consider the future consequences. He would of course make the same choice if he could do it all again, but Aishe's situation was different. Love sounded good and noble, but turning for that alone,especially in this manner, was unnecessary. This was all one sided, the girl really should speak with Kem. Artemis again smiled kindly at Aishe.

" You have no doubt guess that Pak and I both play on the same team as Kem. So, please understand when I say that the sacrifices that you will make to join that team are not a one time thing. You will make them every day for the rest of your life. Dani is quite remarkable, I am sure you would agree. If you play for this side, you will meet many who, like Dani, a special in one way or another. And you will have to let each one of them go. There are no rules against loving a member of the other team. I understand your reason for not speaking with him. On some level it would seem to make sense. If he knew the degree of your devotion, you might be surprised at the sacrifices for love he would be willing to make. That is of course assuming that he feels the same way. Are you absolutely sure you know his reasons for leaving? A young girl with a dangerous crush can be a very compelling one. Is it wise to switch sides without being certain? You now have a fairly good idea of the price. Before you make up your mind, I would advise you to be certain it is one you are willing to pay alone without Kem, in the event that your feelings are not returned. If it is not, then you should speak with him first to know how he feels and if he will be there for you."

Artemis sat back in his chair and casually draped his arm on the back of Pak's. Turning, he smiled at his fellow hallucination. She no doubt still had questions about the Creation Ball. This conversation was bound to have raised a few more, It now occurred to him how much he had not told her, and how much he did not know in return. The smile broadened and he again shrugged off the serious mood with a bit of levity.

"On a lighter note, I did spend some time in Giza. It could be that is where I left my frisbee."

Aishe steeled herself against what seemed like a flood of caution and gentle opposition from her companions. It was all well-meant, she knew, but how was she to explain that her mind was made up, when to them she was still new to these ideas?

It had taken months of quiet observation for her to really understand Kem, and she was still fairly certain he hadn't known then that she knew his 'secret.' She hadn't made any of her decisions lightly, and while she appreciated the words of caution, she wasn't going to back down.

She took in the three people at the table with her, offering a gentle smile and wishing they could read her mind. It might make things easier.

"I really appreciate everything you're telling me," she said. "I can't promise I'll change my mind, but I can promise you that if and when it happens, it will be because it's the right choice in more ways than one. And I hope you won't hold it against me, my initial reason for coming. I like it here. And I like the people I've met. It's too soon to say, perhaps, but even without accomplishing my goal, I think I would... very much like to stay in one capacity or another."

Aishe was quiet for a few moments, feeling very sad all of a sudden, and more than a little lonely. But when Artemis mentioned losing his frisbee in Giza, she tried gamely to raise her spirits and summoned a weak laugh.

"That would, indeed, explain the whole UFO theory insofar as it relates to ancient Egypt. Not to mention it would set back the date of the frisbee's invention quite a few thousand years. It's too bad you're not really here!"