Questions by moonlight (LE, The Desert)

[Lamis Naaji]

(expecting)

Lamis waits, not far outside the walls, stroking Janan's nose gently as she waits. It was too good an opportunity to give the horse a run, and test how much her injuries would hamper her on horseback for the next few days. Besides, he might not come. This wasn't a trusting town, and it sure might look a bit odd wanting to speak outside of the crush of walls and the dubious safety of having people all around you.

[Faruq Al-Farhan]

(expecting)

Lamis waits, not far outside the walls, stroking Janan's nose gently as she waits. It was too good an opportunity to give the horse a run, and test how much her injuries would hamper her on horseback for the next few days. Besides, he might not come. This wasn't a trusting town, and it sure might look a bit odd wanting to speak outside of the crush of walls and the dubious safety of having people all around you.

Come he did - venturing outside the walls holding his robes around his body and covering his face along with the well-known chequered Keffiyeh, and with a bit of a limp, but otherwise looking as usual, his serious face easing a bit into a weak smile as he sees the nomad.

"Masaa‘ al-khayr, Rafiqa", he says in a deep, low voice.

[Lamis Naaji]

For herself, Lamis has a cloak over her usual caftan against the chill of a desert night. She turns at his voice, one hand resting on Janan's neck. Her smile dims slightly at his limp. "A good night to you as well, Rafiq. Thanks for...humoring me."

Still favoring her hip very slightly, she steps forward, letting Janan follow at her shoulder. "Has anyone tended those wounds since the competition?

[Faruq Al-Farhan]

For herself, Lamis has a cloak over her usual caftan against the chill of a desert night. She turns at his voice, one hand resting on Janan's neck. Her smile dims slightly at his limp. "A good night to you as well, Rafiq. Thanks for...humoring me."

Still favoring her hip very slightly, she steps forward, letting Janan follow at her shoulder. "Has anyone tended those wounds since the competition?

He nods as he walks closer to her, apparently not minding the limping much. "No thanks needed, Rafiqa - it's good to breath some fresh air for a change." He pats his thigh softly "One of the Dahabi who were present helped me. Did a fairly good job too", he adds, looking at the bandage.

He then looks at her arm and hips. "And how are you faring, Sayyeda? You were smarter than most of us, it seems", he says with a soft chuckle.

[Lamis Naaji]

"Less stubborn, maybe? Less...attached to the place, so I don't have a reason to send them messages, hope they'll change." She pauses there, fingers twining in coarse mane, as she leans into the horse who is a dark shadow in the thin light.

"I'm fine though. The hip will twinge a bit for a few days. But you? Do you think your message got through? Was it worth it?" For a moment, she looks like she'll keep letting words tumble out at this speed. Then she holds up, leaving him space to answer.

[Faruq Al-Farhan]

"Less stubborn, maybe? Less...attached to the place, so I don't have a reason to send them messages, hope they'll change." She pauses there, fingers twining in coarse mane, as she leans into the horse who is a dark shadow in the thin light.

"I'm fine though. The hip will twinge a bit for a few days. But you? Do you think your message got through? Was it worth it?" For a moment, she looks like she'll keep letting words tumble out at this speed. Then she holds up, leaving him space to answer.

He lets out a silent chuckle. "Eh. Not sure I have such hopes that they'll change, rafiqa. But... you may be right on the 'Stubborn' mark there"

Taking one limping step ahead, he tries stretching his arms and back a bit, taking a deep breath of the night air, but soon stopping and reeling a bit from the pain.

"I... don't know, really. Not to her - maybe thankfully so. But the others... that I have some hopes for. Though hopes may be all they are."

He keeps looking at the horizon for some time. "You see, Sayyeda... I've heard a fair deal of stories of heroes when I was a kid. Dad used to tell us quite a few, back then. Just... I've learned seeking so-called heroes in real life can be... frustrating." She can see emotion flickering in his eyes again - but this time pain is clearly there too.

"I try to take the Prophet's teachings to heart, though. Awaken courage in common men. Does that work? I'm not sure. Is it worth it?"

He finally looks back to her. "Well... it brings hope. In the shadow, or from the shadows even. It's not much, granted. But... it's something."

[Lamis Naaji]

Lamis nods as he speaks, gently stroking Janan's neck out of habit.

"More fresh air is good for you, you know? And the City isn't all there is, or the only place plans and hope might survive," she says quietly.

He hand pauses, just resting against Janan's warmth. 'I'm not a silver-tongued merchant or court flower, so I'm just going to ask....Would you come away from here with me?"

She laughs, nerves obvious in the sound. "You're skilled and kind, and if you can't shoot or ride better than a half-grown child, well, you've the courage to keep trying till you get the hang of it, I think. Your people came from the Sands. I'd like you to come back with me."

[Faruq Al-Farhan]

Lamis nods as he speaks, gently stroking Janan's neck out of habit.

"More fresh air is good for you, you know? And the City isn't all there is, or the only place plans and hope might survive," she says quietly.

Faruq nods easily at her first words about fresh air, but his eyes seem a bit unsure, maybe saddened, as she mentions the City not being the only place in the world.

Not that that wasn't true, of course, but...

The hand pauses, just resting against Janan's warmth. 'I'm not a silver-tongued merchant or court flower, so I'm just going to ask....Would you come away from here with me?"

She laughs, nerves obvious in the sound. "You're skilled and kind, and if you can't shoot or ride better than a half-grown child, well, you've the courage to keep trying till you get the hang of it, I think. Your people came from the Sands. I'd like you to come back with me."

As he hears the next thing, he goes completely still, except for one of his brows raising slightly. Very slowly, the left side of his lips curl into a very slight smile - her kind words did not go unnoticed, after all. But he was still so confused with the offer that the smile seemed a bit out of place, as the rest of his face seemed to try to figure out what it should do or look like while his mind tried to make sense of her proposal, and what he actually thought of it.

After what seemed to him like an awkwardly long time - even though it was probably no more than half a minute - he blinked, looked at Janan, then back at her eyes, and finally managed to speak.

"Oi, Sayyeda, I... I'm beyond honoured by your words and your offer! Not just a little surprised, I should add - but still!"

He looks at the horse again, then his eyes turn towards the city.

"You're spot on in that I'd have much to learn", he says, his eyes still on the entrance to the City. "Not that I mind learning. And... I'd have someone very skilled to learn from, eh?", he says, looking at her again with a kind smile, although his eyes seem somewhat worried.

He falls silent for a moment, and the worry in his eyes slowly spreads through more of his face.

"That all said, Sadiqa* ... I've got some ties... things I feeI I must do before I could leave." His eyes lower to the ground as he says this, but she may see some hope in his eyes. "You remember I mentioned my sister? I... have some hopes of finding her", he says, a weak smile on his lips. "And... there's something else, but... I might be able to handle that by returning here from time to time", he says, partly thinking to himself.

He then shakes his head. "Asif, Sadiqa Lamis. I..."

He looks at her again, a smile managing to hide most signs of a still worried face. "Would you leave right after the end of the festival? I... I'm seriously considering your kind offer. Just... trying to conciliate it with some loose ends on my part."




OOC:
*Sadiqa would be a "closer friend" than rafiq, based on what I've seen at least, so he's using that to suggest more closeness and/or respect, at least that's the idea!

Also - sorry for the long delay!

[Lamis Naaji]

She nods, the edges of her headscarf shifting loose in the dry breeze, lips curling into a modest smile. "A few loose ends...hmm. Well If you're coming, I'd need to take a few days finding a decent horse to spend some of these winnings on. So I guess I might linger a few days..." She'd nodded at mention of his sister. "If you have some lead on finding your sister, well, family's important. And it'd be hard to leave that thread dangling."

The smile fades as she ducks her head and takes a deeper breath. "But there's still a little you should know before deciding for certain. Nothing criminal, but it might make a difference. And...I kind of expected you might need some time to think on it all after an acquaintance of a few days anyway. That's only sensible."

Janan gives her shoulder a shove, apparently bored of standing around, being ignored. With a small laugh, Lamis gestures. "Come, sit. I have water. We're both injured. The night is chill. No reason to stand in the breeze for this conversation."

Lamis urges Janan down again, the mare making herself a windbreak and warm backrest for a couple of seated humans. She talks as she settles the horse, and herself. "I'm not born to the Naaji, you see. Have ridden with them the past year, and their cousins a bit before that. It's where I'd like to stay, and they've welcomed me enough to let me use their name here, where it might earn them some reflected reputation."

"But," she adds, passing over the waterskin to Faruq--whether he sits or stands, "prospects to marry in are...not great at the moment Returning with the goats I can buy with these winnings? Might be enough to secure a place, but I'd still be looking at eventually finding a husband in one of the other families."

"A few less goats, one more horse, and husband who's trained as a healer? That's probably worth a place. But it's not a guarantee, and you should know that." She fidgets with a handful of sand, letting it slip slowly through her fingers.

**********
OOC: Male form Sadiq?
No worries. Life gets busy, and this is wrap up, so it can trundle along.

[Faruq Al-Farhan]

She nods, the edges of her headscarf shifting loose in the dry breeze, lips curling into a modest smile. "A few loose ends...hmm. Well If you're coming, I'd need to take a few days finding a decent horse to spend some of these winnings on. So I guess I might linger a few days..." She'd nodded at mention of his sister. "If you have some lead on finding your sister, well, family's important. And it'd be hard to leave that thread dangling."

The smile fades as she ducks her head and takes a deeper breath. "But there's still a little you should know before deciding for certain. Nothing criminal, but it might make a difference. And...I kind of expected you might need some time to think on it all after an acquaintance of a few days anyway. That's only sensible."

Janan gives her shoulder a shove, apparently bored of standing around, being ignored. With a small laugh, Lamis gestures. "Come, sit. I have water. We're both injured. The night is chill. No reason to stand in the breeze for this conversation."

Lamis urges Janan down again, the mare making herself a windbreak and warm backrest for a couple of seated humans. She talks as she settles the horse, and herself. "I'm not born to the Naaji, you see. Have ridden with them the past year, and their cousins a bit before that. It's where I'd like to stay, and they've welcomed me enough to let me use their name here, where it might earn them some reflected reputation."

He hears her out with great attention, but his usually serious expression seems to be at least a bit lighter than usual. He nods and accepts her suggestion to sit down by the horse, slowly letting himself relax as they settle on the ground. He doesn't seem troubled by her story that she's not originally one of the Naaji - given his own story, he understands circumstances may lead one away from home and towards other connections - but he keeps his attention focused on her. If he does accept her offer, after all, it would be best to understand the situation as well as possible - for both of them, in fact.

"But," she adds, passing over the waterskin to Faruq--whether he sits or stands, "prospects to marry in are...not great at the moment Returning with the goats I can buy with these winnings? Might be enough to secure a place, but I'd still be looking at eventually finding a husband in one of the other families."

"A few less goats, one more horse, and husband who's trained as a healer? That's probably worth a place. But it's not a guarantee, and you should know that." She fidgets with a handful of sand, letting it slip slowly through her fingers.

Sitting besides her, he accepts the waterskin with a nod and a smile that shows some worry, but also interest. His being compared to goats makes him grin and almost let out a laugh, but he keeps it in, just nodding at her again.

"I'm not sure I understand all the implications of the.... economics involved, Sadiqa", he says still with a grin, his voice in a much lighter tone than
his usual - which suggests no hurt feelings or anything of the kind. "I do understand the place among the Naaji is not guaranteed. Although if that happens... we could try somewhere else. Or return here", he adds, thinking.

"Speaking of which... I should probably say a bit more about those loose ends of mine too, if we are to go ahead with this."

He hands the waterskin back to her and shifts how he's seated, stretching his back and looking towards the walls of the city. "As I've mentioned, I've lost contact with my family long ago. It was a hard time for us all, and... I felt baba and mama were having a hard time keeping us all fed. So I... went out to a place where I might be fed and have something to do without being a weight to them." He shifts his eyes to her for a moment, then looks up. "As it turned out... those in this place weren't as kind as I had always heard. When I left, I almost died..." his words trail off for a moment, as if reliving the experience, but he takes a breath and recovers his calm - even if there's some fire that seems to keep burning deep inside his eyes.
"But you see... I managed to get back on my feet, in time. Finally had the courage to search for my family again, or someone who knew where they might be... but found nothing." His eyes meet hers. "Until this morning."

He pauses for a moment, taking another deep breath. "With some help, I've found an old friend - a friend of my sis', actually. And from what she said... it seems like the people who had taken me in.... told them I was dead. Paid them to move. Which... well, they are probably much better off now than they were when I left. Which was what I had hoped, in fact...". He seems conflicted for a moment. "I've been thinking about this the whole day. I want to see them again, I really do. But... my so-called 'death' gave them a better life. So I'm not sure what to do, and how to do it."

He falls silent for a long time, starts fidgeting with the sand himself, getting handful after handful and letting it fall in a mound beside him. He then finally shakes his head and looks at her again, a weak smile back on his lips.

"Anyway... there's that. And there's... I'd like to at least come back to the city from time to time. To help some, if possible, and..."

His face suddenly seem more serious again.

"And... there's something important I need to keep an eye on, too. Something that... may be a danger to all good people here. Maybe even in the desert." He extends a hand to her as he shakes his head again . "I... know how this might sound, Sadiqa. Asif. Just... I'll ask you to believe me - this is important. So... I'd have to come from time to time. Come back with you, even, if you want - I would certainly enjoy the company. But I'd like to ask now if that would change your mind on the offer. I wouldn't want to surprise you with the need for these visits later, after all."

**********
OOC: Male form Sadiq?
No worries. Life gets busy, and this is wrap up, so it can trundle along.

OOC: Yup! male form Sadiq, plulral asdiqa or sudaqa! - https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%D8%B5%D8%AF%D9%8A%D9%82
And oof, that was a loooong delay. But finally on the way to wrapping this up