Joe turned back to Kukurnal and continue, “Well, I believe that is the last of my questions. I am grateful for the answers you were willing to share.”
Kukurnal sat back with a happy sigh and a nod, “Truly, an excellent conversation can be had with you at all times. It has been wonderful.”
“The free exchange of ideas. It’s downright addicting, isn’t it!”
Kukurnal’s eyes widened at this and even his breath seemed to quicken, “Yes! Yes! Truly! I now understand what you mean. This… your words and ideas have quickened my thoughts and ideas in such strange and new directions… it is… exhilarating.”
“And grows new knowledge faster and greater than it has ever likely done before.”
Kukurnal nodded at this point but didn’t reply, his mind seemingly lost in this new epiphany and Joe simply smiled and waved to the inn keep, calling for some food to give Kukurnal his space. Joe remembered, in that moment, that he’d never asked Kukurnal if he wanted a meal, and felt conflicted, wondering if he should interrupt Kukurnal’s thoughts to ask if he was hungry or to leave him hungry so he could feed his mind. Finally, Joe chose the best of both worlds, and simply ordered for him, sending the waiter back for another meal for Kukurnal.
The four ate in subdued conversation to allow Kukurnal his thoughts and soon finished their meal quite a bit later than Joe was used to, their conversation having taken quite some time. Kukurnal’s meal had arrived by then and Joe had simply taken it and slid it in front of him, sliding his utensils in around the plate / bowl thing. Kukurnal responded on auto-pilot and started eating, still lost in thought and Joe finally felt comfortable enough to leave him in his own thoughts.
Joe stood from the table quietly and sending his apprentices on ahead outside while he stopped by the bar to speak with the inn keep and paid for Kukurnal’s meal on the way out while also asking if the inn keep could offer Kukurnal his greetings and apologies for leaving him.
He then stepped outside and found all three waiting for him before he sent them on ahead to the dungeon. I need to stop by the temple and get my new job! As they turned to leave, Kilniara looked to him and tilted her head in a question before Joe nodded with a smile and she skipped to his side.
“I guess Kilniara will come with me. You boys willing to hold a spot in line for us? I’ll be right back.”
Garnedell nodded happily and Zilnek gave a belated smile and nod of his own before they both took off at a boisterous sprint through the crowds towards the dungeon. Joe shook his head with a sigh of surrender and watched them leave. As he was doing so, he felt a scale slick hand slide into his, fingers lacing into his and he glanced over to see Kilniara smiling up at him brightly. Joe smiled back, then chuckled, laughter bubbling out before he turned and headed towards the temple, also pushing himself to go quite quickly as he pulled Kilniara behind him.
Kilniara yelped in surprise at Joe’s quick slide through the crowds before dashing to his side and began racing him down the street as well. The two were soon speeding through the crowd as each egged the other on with ever increasing speed and competition until Kilniara dropped her hand from his clasp and began to run on her own.
Joe was soon sprinting flat out down the street and could only watch in awe as Kilniara still pulled ahead of him, her body slipping low to the ground and moving sinuously as she began using her hands to add some parkour moves into her movement, sliding and slipping through the crowd like a ghost. Joe’s eyes flicked and began finding his own moves, adding parkour to his own speed as he began bounding off obstacles and buildings to give him additional movement to pierce the crowds ahead of him.
Once he’d begun adding parkour movement, he found himself able to keep up with Kilniara decently enough, but was never quite able to catch up, with several incredibly small deviations left him slipping ever slightly behind. He felt like a bulldozer pushing through the crowd compared to Kilniara’s quicksilver movements, ghost like through the crowd in a movement that made him think she had not a single bone her body.
Moments later, they both burst into the temple square and Joe glided to a stop, laughing heartily with barely a hitch in his breath, happy for the hard exercise. Kilniara turned from her own sprint and leapt back at him, throwing herself into his arms and laughing wildly as well, a soft laughter laced through with a sibilant hiss that seemed loud despite its seeming softness. They rested in each other arms allowing the joy to flow through the moment for a few moments until the both separated and looked up at each other. Joe smiled and turned before speaking quickly.
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“I’ll be right back. Just wait here.”
“Yes,” Kilniara replied her wild exuberance now turning to a shyness that Joe was more used to seeing.
Joe stopped and turned back when he heard her quiet yes, “You know… I liked the wild happy Kilniara who exhilarates in … what she enjoys. Never shy from me. You have no need to be embarrassed with me. Ever.”
Kilniara smiled brightly at that but blushed just as much and dropped her head again and Joe left her at that to give her the moment to think as he ran into his next targeted temple, his next cloak already over him and covering his face.
He didn’t spend long in the temple, wishing to return to Kilniara and the dungeon quickly. OK. Be honest… it’s not the dungeon that’s drawing you back! But… did you see how she moved! Joe let his awe to slip back into his thoughts, remembering once again the way she moved. Gotta ask her that when I get back!
Joe quickly changed and returned, eager to question her on her movements before settling in beside her and heading back to the dungeon. As he turned to go, she once again slipped her hand in his and he glanced down at their hands before looking up at her and smiling.
Turning his head back to make sure they didn’t bump into one anyone else, he asked her about her speed, “So. Where did you learn to move like that? It was amazing!”
Kilniara looked up at him in shock before shaking her head and replying, “It’s what any Acokzau is naturally capable of. This is normal.”
“Truly? That’s amazing! It was… just beautiful. There may be some few of my people who might be able to keep up with you, but I do not think many could ever beat you! Your skill… I have no other word but amazing.”
Kiliniara looked up him with a trace of confusion and humor, shaking her head slightly before replying, “You were able to keep pace with an Acokzau. How am I amazing?”
“Bah! You beat me. That’s not normal! You beat me without any training or skill. I’ve been training for all my life and I still couldn’t keep up. I felt like a friggen’ bull in a china shop watching how you threaded through the crowds and bounced off the environment. Just… wow!”
Kilniara wasn’t very sure how to respond, simply looking at Joe and not responding at all.
“Well? Where did you learn to run like that?”
“I’m Acokzau.”
“And Acokzau naturally can do that?”
“Yes.”
“Hmm… And what you did was fairly normal?”
“I think so, yes?”
“Is your brother as good as you?”
“I think so, although we’ve never raced through the city before, so I don’t know.”
Joe stayed silent, his mind whirring in thought for a few moments and took almost the entire trip in thoughtful consideration, which Kilniara didn’t seem to mind. As they continued their walk, Kilniara sidled closer to Joe, shifting her clasp of his hand into one where she wrapped her arm around his. He shifted automatically, lifting his arm up at the elbow to allow her to rest her arm on his and they walked up on the dungeon line and Joe glanced towards Kilniara when he felt her shift back from him, releasing his arm and hand.
Joe smiled and spoke softly, “I’m OK if you want to keep holding hands.”
Kilniara shook her head, saying nothing as she moved away and Joe let her leave, a small space between them now as they walked up the line to where Zilnek and Garnedell awaited. Oh! Right… maybe it’s the ‘ask the man of the house’ thing that I need to do first? I still need to … Joe’s thoughts petered out as his nervousness grew and the two settled into the line but Zilnek and Garnedell both turned to them, both smiling and excited to see them. Seeing Zilnek’s easy acceptance, Joe felt his own fear nervousness drop as it seemed the three began excitedly speaking amongst each other leaving him to his peace. While it didn’t bother him that they pretty much ignored him, it did bother him that they didn’t speak with him. With his calm, he then remembered Kilniara’s amazing parkour and turned to Zilnek.
“Zilnek! How good are you at parkour?” Joe asked with some excitement.
Joe waited patiently for his reply, although he was now speaking almost twice as fast as when he’d first changed to the criminal job and was able to respond pretty quickly, “I’m decent, I guess.”
“Are you as good as your sister?”
“Maybe? I don’t know.”
“Are you sure? She’s amazing! You should have seen her running to the temple square! She was amazing!”
Zilnek looked to his sister with appraising eyes while Garnedell also glanced over, but with a bit more awe, “Truly?”
Kilniara, however, shook her head, “No. It was a simple run, nothing more.”
“Seriously! How can say that? It was amazing!” Joe countered.
“It was normal, Joe. I am simply an Acokzau.”
Garnedell and Zilnek nodded at that point, with Garnedell replying first, “Joe. Acokzau have excellent agility and movement. It is simply their strength.”
“Really? But she just… it was amazing.”
Kilniara shook her head again, fighting a blush and denying it, “No. I was… normal, at best. Master was truly the amazing one. He was able to keep up with me easily.”
“No. You still edged ahead of me by a step or two. I wasn’t able to stay with you. You’re faster and more agile.”
Garnedell interjected, “Of course, Joe. She is Acokzau.”
Joe paused at that point to considered, “But still, I have much more training, but…” Joe trailed off, uncertain how to continue at that point.
Kilniara started again, “I was not the amazing one. I told you, Master was able to keep pace with me.”
Garnedell then turned to look at Kilniara, but said nothing. It was Zilnek who pressed though, “But, Joe is our Master and greatly skilled. Of course he could easily keep up or even pass you.”
Kilniara shook her head, looking at the other two meaningfully, “He did not use any skills.”
With this, Garnedell, and Zilnek slightly delayed, both looked at Joe in shock, Garnedell crying out first, “You kept pace with an Acokzau without skills!?”
Joe was taken aback by Garnedell’s eruption and actually spluttered a bit, unable to respond and then was interrupted again by Zilnek’s later shocked shout, “You raced and almost beat my sister!?”
Joe replied a bit taken aback, “Yeah? And…”
Garnedell began to gush immediately, “That’s amazing! How did you do that! How could you keep up with an Acokzau without any skills. Wow! I wonder…”