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Post by Pietro Maximoff on Sept 4, 2007 16:55:49 GMT -5
::Pietro didn't doubt for a moment that she would solve it with ease. She had a good head on her shoulders, and his riddle was traditional rather than a puzzle. Yet, it was an important riddle for him.:: "What can you keep after you've given it to someone else?"
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Post by Aqua on Sept 5, 2007 2:29:09 GMT -5
Emily thought about it for a few seconds. The question was clearly a pun, and her mind instantly offered several solutions to put two its ends together, but she chose the most obvious one. "A promise, I guess," she said, "though there can be other options."
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Post by Pietro Maximoff on Sept 5, 2007 8:13:05 GMT -5
::Pietro nodded once; she had gotten it instantly, as he expected her to. The riddle had meaning to him for the answer, not for difficulty, as it was not.:: "Yes."
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Post by Aqua on Sept 5, 2007 8:27:56 GMT -5
Emily smiled, pleased with herself. "I used to do a lot of riddles. My dad wanted me to learn some logical tricks, not just straight-lined thinking taught at school, and one of the first things I'd learned about such puzzles was that the best way to think is not to look for an answer, but start by looking for a way out of the question."
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Post by Pietro Maximoff on Sept 5, 2007 8:57:33 GMT -5
"Was he demanding?" ::Pietro asked almost automatically. With his own experience with his father, he was forever curious about how others had been raised.::
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Post by Aqua on Sept 5, 2007 9:22:01 GMT -5
"No," Emily shook her head briefly. "It was fairly random, if you mean his intervention with my studies. And if you mean generally, me and my brother were left to our own devices more often than not."
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Post by Pietro Maximoff on Sept 5, 2007 9:26:21 GMT -5
::The first part of her statement seemed par for the course with most parents and study habits. The second part, however, could be interpreted two ways, and Pietro had to ask for clarifcation.:: "But not neglected?"
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Post by Aqua on Sept 5, 2007 9:30:28 GMT -5
"No," Emily laughed. "Our parents give us a fair amount of quality time..." She found it was a bit hard to summarize and describe in just a few phrases. "Just get distracted by their business every now and then. Which can be unpredictable at times."
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Post by Pietro Maximoff on Sept 5, 2007 9:37:52 GMT -5
::Pietro nodded, having an idea of what that might consist of. However, she said that they, for he most part, gave both her and her brother enough attention, which was important. Children should not want for the affection of their parents.:: "But they are supportive?"
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Post by Aqua on Sept 5, 2007 9:41:36 GMT -5
"In their own funny way, yes," Emily said.
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Post by Pietro Maximoff on Sept 5, 2007 9:43:57 GMT -5
"Funny?" ::Pietro queried. He could not imagine anything slightly amusing about supporting one's children.::
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Post by Aqua on Sept 5, 2007 9:51:30 GMT -5
"They're hard to describe," Emily said simply. She wasn't going to try and give an authentic image, especially seeing as she wasn't good at descriptions. "They're art people. My family is weird, Pietro - but nothing to worry about."
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Post by Pietro Maximoff on Sept 5, 2007 11:07:26 GMT -5
::Pietro accepted that at face value. Although at that age he had been reluctant to speak of his home life, and still was, he did not lie about it. And with their recent conversations about truth, he knew she would not lie either. If they were artists, they were entitled to be eccentric, as long as they cared for her. He nodded once as he spoke.:: "Good."
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Post by Aqua on Sept 5, 2007 11:18:59 GMT -5
Emily studied him with curiosity for a few moments. There was something about his attitude that didn't seem realistic to her. Something that wasn't supposed to happen where Emily Blaine was concerned. She hadn't been able to put her finger on it until now, but after the past half an hour or so it seemed clearer to her, especially after his last response. What surprised her was the thought that Pietro wasn't just being polite, but was genuinely interested about her life and actually cared about how things went with her in the past and would go in the future. When did that happen to her last?.. If at all...
She realized that asking about it would probably be a bit blunt, but she decided it was worth a try. After all, he wouldn't lie to her, that she was certain of.
"Pietro, why do I get the feeling," she started cautiously, knowing all too well that a clumsily formulated question could bring her problems rather than answers, "that you actually care and are not just being polite?"
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Post by Pietro Maximoff on Sept 5, 2007 11:47:14 GMT -5
"I'm not being polite," ::Pietro agreed bluntly. He could not remember the last time he had been accused of affecting politeness. Not that he condoned outright rudeness, but politeness in this context implied insincerity for the sake of conversation. He left that to his more talkative sister. It was easy enough to tell when he was disinterested. His questions were terse and answers came only with persistence on the part of the others he spoke with. Now was not one of those times, neither here nor at the tavern.
He spent most of his time in his own plane; Wanda the only bridge between his life and the world around him. Certain social cues in speech could be lost on him. As far as he had seen, Emily was intensly shy, unused to attention paid to her. Doubting herself, and it reminded him of himself at that age. The fact of the matter is that he wanted to take her under his wing, help her, guide her so she could be all she could be without shame for who she was.:: "And I do care."
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