(LE River Quarter) Emerald of My Eye (closed)

[Qasim al-Basiri]

Qasim's smile shrank a fraction his expression slowly evening out. It was still pleasant, he could not help but be happy when he was around Sora, but there was a troubled expression, conflicting emotions battling in his mind, questions unasked. He took a breath squeezing her hand briefly "Well it's a start. You have a goal and something to work toward." he brought her hand up to his lips "and I will do anything in my power to help you achieve those dreams." he said softly smiling to her and letting her hand down.

[Soraya al-Menjari]

She frowned slightly as she looked at Qasim, putting her other hand on his, "...you believe this whole thing with Lady Majdala a fool's errand, don't you? Not that I wouldn't understand if you did..."

[Qasim al-Basiri]

Qasim exhaled slowly "Soraya, I think you are an amazing person.i think you have the most beautiful heart I have ever seen. You wish so much for there to be good in everyone, everything." He paused "but I think that purity is dangerous in the hands of someone like the khadi. I mean your devotion to her alone is...troubling."

"I am just worried you are being manipulated again. You are just now finding yourself, who you truly are and want to be, finding people like Raya and me and I am sure others that love you for you. I am afraid you love someone who views you as just another curiosity, a fleeting distraction. I don't want to see you fight from under the grip of your father just to end up under the influence of someone who still seeks to just use you."

[Soraya al-Menjari]

She sighed and reached up, cupping Qasim's face in her hand gently, "I do not wish to hurt you. Or trouble your heart. But I am in this for the long term, unless she changes her mind. And as you say, I really do see good in her, despite my worries. At this point, I would just want to know what you would have me do. Apart from my foolish convictions, there the matter of what I would do if she was seeking to use me; Leave? Just walk out with you and Raya and never come back? Or something else?"

[Qasim al-Basiri]

Qasim covered her hand with his own there was a little pain there. She did not know the extent to which he hated the khadi, not just hers but all of them, to have one he loved so close to one was agony at times but it was one he hid well. While a little pain was there it was mostly worry "What else could I have you do my love? To be used by a creature such as her, it cannot end well. If you are just a passing curiosity, a simple fascination one day she will grow bored with you and throw you away like her bow when the excitement ended with that."

"But if she has plans for you? If she seeks to use you? If you become a pawn of hers in some power play? Then I fear what happens when you outlive your usefulness there, if she confides anything of value in you then she surely won't let you ever leave, at least not alive." The worry in his words was clear

He leaned into her touch closing his eyes for a minute and breathing deeply "Of she is using you what else is there to do but leave?" He ipened them slowly "and why do you make leaving with Raya and I sound like such a bad thing?"

[Soraya al-Menjari]

"Do I...?"

Sora wondered if that was true, if she made leaving sound bad. It'd essentially been what she'd been wishing for all her life; The chance to see far off places with someone she loved. What more could she wish for? If there was something, and it was keeping her here...

"Well, I will assure you I know know secrets about Lady Majdala that no one else would know, apart from perhaps where she is the most sensitive. I do not feel like that would serve anyone against her. But... I mean... you make your fears sound inevitable. Like she is a monster through and through, and I am only there to be used and discarded. Do you believe this because she is a Khadi, or because of your anxiety for my well being?"

[Qasim al-Basiri]

Qasim rubbed the bridge of his nose gently before looking back to Soraya "My love I had not wanted to be so blunt with you, I had hoped over time you would be able to see for yourself but, the khadi are monsters. It is a side effect of their heart being removed, the longer they are without their heart the less they feel and the more their negative and bad traits become who they are. It is not something that can be stopped or changed it is what they are. On top of that they are masters at manipulation and magic, could you know if she was lying to you? If she was manipulating you to think she cared about you?"

Qasim took a deep breath this had not been what he wanted tonight to be about. He had wanted it to be about them but this damned khadi kept butting in "Sora, I love you I truly do and I just want nothing more than for you to be happy. Yes I hope that includes me, I dream it, but even if it didn't I would be ok knowing you were happy. My concern is not jealousy or wanting you for myself my concern is that this business with the khadi will not end well for you."

[Soraya al-Menjari]

"And again... what would you have me do? As much as I love you, I cannot just take it on your world that Lady Majdala is evil and is using me. Let alone that things will go badly for me if I continue to believe in her. I can try to bring up concerns to her, if that would put you at ease, but I somehow think you'd think anything she'd say just more part of her manipulations."

She frowned, looking down at her hands, "Maybe this is why she is so cold and hard to read; I would close myself off to the world as well if everyone warned people to stay away from me..."

[Qasim al-Basiri]

"You cannot compare yourself to her Soraya you are still human. Khadi can barely be called that, you think someone can use dark magic to remove their heart and gain immortality and there are no side effects from that? No consequences?"

Qasim took a deep breath "I just worry, you are a loving and trusting person in the hands of a creature that is a master of manipulation. Knowing that ask yourself could you really know if she was manipulating you? And I further have to wonder when you have so many others who would die for you, who love you so much, why do you show so much loyalty to someone who cannot love you back?" It was the heart of the question he held what he could not understand most in this scenario.

But before she could answer he waved a hand to dismiss the question "I'm sorry. Let's stow the Khadi talk for later. I don't want tonight to be about her." He reached for Sora's hands to hold them gently in his own

"I want tonight to be about us. I want it to be a wonderful night with an amazing woman who I happen to love very much." He said smiling softly to her "we can work everything out in time."

[Soraya al-Menjari]

Sora visibly relaxed as Qasim shifted the topic to something she knew; After all, she genuinely was an idealist, and if Qasim thought everything could be worked out in the end, so did she.

"I did come here for you, Qasim darling, because I think the same."

She reached down and pulled something from her bosom, the thing hidden in her hand.

"I actually brought you a gift of sorts, to help you understand that. If that's all right."