Friday
June 10, 2017 CE
18H00
Port of Nuremkastel
Kana was 24 years old. She had dark coffee toned skin, long curly hair tied in a bun and an athletic build. She graduated from the University of Crystal with her medical degree. She volunteered for Oanaid. She helped clean up the mess after a disaster. She was accustomed to difficult conditions. She was accustomed to eating little, sleeping little and working hard. She was surprised by how cold Kostoria-Obertonia was. When the ship finally made it into the port and the crew were assembled to go over the plans for the trip, she was excited and nervous. They were briefed about what their assignment would entail.
As soon as the ship settled into port, they began off-loading supplies. They worked with Kostoro-Obertonian workers and volunteers. Although they spoke different languages, they understood one another well enough to get the work done. After several hours, the supplies were off-loaded and moved to storage. The volunteers were given fairly comfortable lodgings until they were assigned and deployed. Kana familiarised herself with basic Kostorian and Obertonian phrases. It was difficult to bridge the gap between Oan and the Germanic languages of this exotic country.
She left her barracks after supper to explore the city. It was quiet and cold. The weather and conflict seemed to slow down the pace of people’s lives. She entered one of the few café’s that was still open. She enjoyed her own company and was confident enough to wander alone. She sat at a small table. She tried to decipher the menu, using the pictures as a guide. A waiter came to her table and greeted politely. They engaged in small talk before he took her order and went to the kitchen.
Hans was tall and pale. He was slightly younger than Kana. He was struck by her exotic appearance and the confidence she exuded. He brought her drink and food. He awkwardly hovered around her table until she snapped. She asked him what he wanted and he eventually admitted to finding her attractive and wanting to speak with her.
She gladly agreed. He pulled up a chair next to her and they spoke. She did most of ths talking. She spoke about her country. The weather was warm, the forest was lush, the sea was clear and the cities were tall. It sounded like a lovely place. He became downcast for a moment when he thought that with the war coming, he might never see it. She held his hand in hers’ and smiled at him. When their eyes locked, he knew that he was in love.
★★★
Kana was a tomboy. She did not own cosmetics. She did not wear makeup. She did not giggle. She climbed trees. She played in the dirt. She worked on the farm. She drove the tractor. She milked the cows and shaved the sheep. She caught fish and cooked it over a fire. She may not have been a girl, but she was a woman where it really counted. Hans was drawn to that spirit. He was drawn to her self-respect, and by extension, her respect for others. He spent more time with her as she prepared to be deployed to areas that were or would be undergoing humanitarian crises.
One day, he ate lunch with her. They sat outside the barracks of a military base and ate schnitzel. She spilt her tomato sauce on her shirt and laughed at herself. She laughed a lot and spoke a lot. She spoke about the fish she caught, the peaches she stole from the neighbouring farm and the boxes of heavy equipment she counted. She did not prod him about his personal life or his long term goals and ambitions.
He liked that. He enjoyed not answering to someone. He felt like he was doing too little for his people and his country. In this cold and cruel world, however, self preservation is far more important. Ideals are lovely nonsense to sound smart, but they do not put food on the table, clothes on ones back or a roof over ones head. He told her as much. She smiled. It was a sad smile. It symbolised her resignation, rather than her acceptance of what he said. She was content not to shake people’s views or beliefs. She simply asked him, “Are you saying that to me, or to yourself”.
He was surprised by her question. He thought that it was obvious that he was speaking to her. He wasn’t, was he? He had forgotten that he was speaking to one of the most idealistic people of all: Kana. She was putting herself in physical and psychological danger to help people she did not know. She said little about how she really felt.
He tried to apologise. She asked him not to do so. In fact, she agreed with him. She said, “In Oan, we think we’re better than everyone else. We pretend to be more important that everyone else. It’s not ‘cause o’ money; or power; or race. It’s ‘cause we believe in peace. We generally hate fights and killing people. We talk about it all the time on the telly. We’re no diff’ from other people, though. I’m selfish too. I do this volunteer stuff 'cause I have a plan for myself. He said, ‘Store for yourself treasures in Heaven, where thieves cannot steal them or moths eat them away’”.
Hans asked, “Who is, eh, ‘He’?”
Kana laughed. She packed up the plastic and paper containers that they had eaten in. She threw them in the dustbin, even though the grass and road were strewn with litter. She kissed Hans on the cheek and said “U waye tui. I’ll never see you again”.
[spoiler]Originally posted here http://forum.theeastpacific.com/topic/7009373/1/[/spoiler][edit_reason]Changed the date of arrival[/edit_reason]