The Happy Inquisitor: A Restaurant

[Just-A-Stick she/her]

2 minutes ago, Part Of The Narrative said:

Kaladin sat for a moment, then realized he was staring at Ash. Storms. I'm still trying to analyze her, aren't I? She was going to get creeped out if he didn't watch it. He hurriedly looked down and ate a few bites of stew.

"Its good." Ash whispered, taking another bite. 

[Part Of The Narrative she/her]

Just now, Just-A-Stick said:

"Its good." Ash whispered, taking another bite. 

Kaladin chuckled. "Yep. This is what brought people together back in the bridge crews."

[Just-A-Stick she/her]

Just now, Part Of The Narrative said:

Kaladin chuckled. "Yep. This is what brought people together back in the bridge crews."

Ash was silent, but looked at him with some interest. 

[Part Of The Narrative she/her]

1 minute ago, Just-A-Stick said:

Ash was silent, but looked at him with some interest. 

"That's right. You didn't hear any stories?"

[Just-A-Stick she/her]

Just now, Part Of The Narrative said:

"That's right. You didn't hear any stories?"

"I don't remember any..." 

[Part Of The Narrative she/her]

2 minutes ago, Just-A-Stick said:

"I don't remember any..." 

Kaladin ate some more stew. "Would you like to hear some?" He asked as nonchalantly as possible.

[Just-A-Stick she/her]

1 minute ago, Part Of The Narrative said:

Kaladin ate some more stew. "Would you like to hear some?" He asked as nonchalantly as possible.

Ash nodded and continued eating. 

[Part Of The Narrative she/her]

2 minutes ago, Just-A-Stick said:

Ash nodded and continued eating. 

Kaladin sighed, thinking. "When I came to the shattered plains, I was a slave. I was handed over to the bridge crews, where we ran out in front of the army during assaults and carried the bridges." He looked down, remembering. "People didn't survive the bridge crews as long as I did. No one survived the bridge crews."

[Just-A-Stick she/her]

2 minutes ago, Part Of The Narrative said:

Kaladin sighed, thinking. "When I came to the shattered plains, I was a slave. I was handed over to the bridge crews, where we ran out in front of the army during assaults and carried the bridges." He looked down, remembering. "People didn't survive the bridge crews as long as I did. No one survived the bridge crews."

Ash winced. "But you did." She said simply 

[Part Of The Narrative she/her]

Just now, Just-A-Stick said:

Ash winced. "But you did." She said simply 

Kaladin met her eyes. "I did," he whispered. "The only one. They hated me because of it."

[Just-A-Stick she/her]

1 minute ago, Part Of The Narrative said:

Kaladin met her eyes. "I did," he whispered. "The only one. They hated me because of it."

"Hated..." Ash seemed lost in thought for a moment. 

[Part Of The Narrative she/her]

4 minutes ago, Just-A-Stick said:

"Hated..." Ash seemed lost in thought for a moment. 

"Yeah." Kaladin stirred his stew. "Hated."

[Just-A-Stick she/her]

2 minutes ago, Part Of The Narrative said:

"Yeah." Kaladin stirred his stew. "Hated."

"I do not like being hated." She mumbled. 

[Part Of The Narrative she/her]

8 minutes ago, Just-A-Stick said:

"I do not like being hated." She mumbled. 

Kaladin smiled dryly. “I didn’t either. I needed them, if I wanted to escape. I tried to win them over. Conversation, songs…until I got Rock and Teft on my side. I still think it was Rock’s stew that did it.”

[Just-A-Stick she/her]

Just now, Part Of The Narrative said:

Kaladin smiled dryly. “I didn’t either. I needed them, if I wanted to escape. I tried to win them over. Conversation, songs…until I got Rock and Teft on my side. I still think it was Rock’s stew that did it.”

"It's good stew. But not that good." Ash was skeptical. 

[Part Of The Narrative she/her]

1 minute ago, Just-A-Stick said:

"It's good stew. But not that good." Ash was skeptical. 

“It was more than the food. It was the connection. The people. The talking. The stew’s just what began it.” He eyed her slyly. “I thought it would be a good strategy for today, huh?”

[Just-A-Stick she/her]

Just now, Part Of The Narrative said:

“It was more than the food. It was the connection. The people. The talking. The stew’s just what began it.” He eyed her slyly. “I thought it would be a good strategy for today, huh?”

Ash shrugged. "Whatever." 

[Part Of The Narrative she/her]

57 minutes ago, Just-A-Stick said:

Ash shrugged. "Whatever." 

Kaladin shrugged. “It worked. More and more people started coming in. The crew became a community. We changed. All of us.”

[Just-A-Stick she/her]

Just now, Part Of The Narrative said:

Kaladin shrugged. “It worked. More and more people started coming in. The crew became a community. We changed. All of us.”

"Change is a bad thing. It... hurts." Ash winced, setting her spoon down.

[Part Of The Narrative she/her]

1 minute ago, Just-A-Stick said:

"Change is a bad thing. It... hurts." Ash winced, setting her spoon down.

“Sometimes,” Kaladin admitted. “But…sometimes it’s good. I changed in the bridge crews.”

[Just-A-Stick she/her]

Just now, Part Of The Narrative said:

“Sometimes,” Kaladin admitted. “But…sometimes it’s good. I changed in the bridge crews.”

"And you're probably worse for it." She said shortly. 

[Part Of The Narrative she/her]

Just now, Just-A-Stick said:

"And you're probably worse for it." She said shortly. 

Kaladin leaned over, holding her eyes with his. “Not mentally. 
  
“It was bad in the beginning. It took such a toll on me…don’t you get it? I was standing on that cliff. I was staring into the darkness, wondering how easy it would be to step off the edge. 
But now? Now I’m so much better than I was when I came to the plains. Of course it’s still a struggle, but my experiences changed me. The bridge crews changed me.”

[Just-A-Stick she/her]

2 minutes ago, Part Of The Narrative said:

Kaladin leaned over, holding her eyes with his. “Not mentally. 
  
“It was bad in the beginning. It took such a toll on me…don’t you get it? I was standing on that cliff. I was staring into the darkness, wondering how easy it would be to step off the edge. 
But now? Now I’m so much better than I was when I came to the plains. Of course it’s still a struggle, but my experiences changed me. The bridge crews changed me.”

"I want to go to that cliff... go over it." Ash deadpanned. 

[Part Of The Narrative she/her]

1 minute ago, Just-A-Stick said:

"I want to go to that cliff... go over it." Ash deadpanned. 

Kaladin rested his elbow on the table, leaning his head against his hand. What could he say? That’d been him.

[Just-A-Stick she/her]

Just now, Part Of The Narrative said:

Kaladin rested his elbow on the table, leaning his head against his hand. What could he say? That’d been him.

Ash took another bite of her soup, staring at the table.