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Post by Lili Walser on Jul 11, 2012 13:15:52 GMT -5
Lili tilted her head, contemplating his words. Yes, she knew he was a pirate captain... and that pirates were dangerous... yet she'd never once felt unsafe in Arthur's presence. Just the same way she trusted Uncle Toni, and Gilbert, and Francis, she trusted this man across from her... and... and Alfred. Was that what he meant? She wasn't sure, but she wasn't sure that asking and telling him these things was wise, either, especially not with Sarah there. Before, she never would have batted an eyelid at telling Sarah anything... but things such as these didn't need to get to Gilbert before she'd had half a chance to puzzle them through on her own.
"O-oh." Yes, that made sense... people (and her among them) tended to be more afraid of what they didn't know. That was why she was glad that Gilbert had taught her to shoot, that Uncle Toni had begun to show her how to escape being tied up. She'd been afraid, yes, when she'd been shoved into that room and bound... but she'd known what to do. Likewise... with the gun that Alfred had tried to use to frighten her... it hadn't been hard to take it to pieces when he'd diverted his attention.
"People... p-people certainly try... N-noblewomen are supposed to act and be a certain way, after all..."
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Post by Cpt. Arthur Kirkland on Jul 11, 2012 13:50:13 GMT -5
"And Pirates are meant to pillage and rob others. I guess I do that from time to time, but I don't just pick an area and go mad. Pirates aren't meant to look after homeless children." He shakes his head, and a fond look appears in his expression at the mention of them.
"I've met some very strong women over my time as a pirate, Noble or not. You do not have to listen to people's expectations, just be prepared to ignore what they in response to what you do, too."
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Post by Lili Walser on Jul 11, 2012 14:07:08 GMT -5
"Homeless children?" The girl couldn't help but be curious about that. She didn't fault him for his pillaging and robbing... if he had no other means of survival... then... well... well... but... Oh, but he wasn't a bad person... He wouldn't have assisted her if he were... not as freely as he had. "Wh-what about homeless children...?" She questioned.
She didn't have to do what others expected her to? ... Gilbert had been saying the same thing for years about Tante... but... but how could she completely ignore what others wished? Her Mutti and Vati had had expectations of her... wasn't she just ignoring their wishes if she began to do exactly as she wished to do? She didn't know. Hesitantly, she peeked at the other. "A-Arthur..." She started, then stopped. How could she put this...?
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Post by Cpt. Arthur Kirkland on Jul 11, 2012 14:54:13 GMT -5
Arthur nods.
"I wasn't brought up in a home. I never had any family and was homeless. I ended up on a Pirate ship by chance. I... I sometimes wish I never had got on one when I had done, but..." He sighs. "I've brought up other homeless people in my time, I guess as a sort of atonement... but of course, they don't exactly repay it back..."
His gaze turns hard, before blinking. It softens.
"Hm? It's okay, you can say what you want."
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Post by Lili Walser on Jul 11, 2012 15:03:36 GMT -5
"Oh... Oh, I'm sorry..." Lili couldn't help the automatic apology. He'd never had a family? Then... then how could she honestly ask him what she'd meant to a moment ago? How could she...? She watched his face as he spoke, curious about his changes in expression but too well mannered to ask. What did he mean, they don't repay him? Who was they? All of the homeless children he raised? Only some?
But as his look softened and he spoke, reassuring her that she could say whatever she liked, she bit her lip for a moment. "... A-Arthur... my... my parents... The Ruthians..." She had to stop and steady herself. "The Ruthians killed my parents when I was younger... th-that's why Gilbert is my guardian. They... they had plans for me... if... if I ignore those plans, a-aren't I dishonoring them and their memories...?"
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Post by Cpt. Arthur Kirkland on Jul 26, 2012 16:21:26 GMT -5
Arthur gives a soft nod, thoughtful.
"I suppose it depends on whether they consulted you first. I mean, if you were too young and they didn't, I'd say it was stupid that you're afraid to not pay attention to their plans. Things and time changes. I don't know much about family, but I know if they made plans for you as a child and you decided that it wasn't for you and you wanted to take your own life in your own hands... well, if your parents wouldn't have supported that then they would be crap parents."
He sighs.
"Don't be afraid to be who you want to be. Forget about past promises and expectations. The past needs to stay where it belongs; in the past."
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Post by Lili Walser on Jul 26, 2012 23:48:27 GMT -5
"I-I don't remember them discussing my future with me..." And she would have, she thought. She'd been thirteen... Surely, if they were going to, they would have done so by then. But... was it good, or bad, then, that they hadn't? Gilbert surely had... to, well, to a degree. He'd been at least much more open and considerate than she was sure Tante would have been.
The past needed to stay in the past... "J-ja..." She liked that ideal. The problem was... didn't everyone's past come back to haunt them? How was she to escape from the stigma of what had happened, how could she move past this whole thing? Gott...
"But, Arthur... Arthur... h-how can you say it as though it's so simple? H-how can we keep such things f-from coming back to us?"
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