To Change Time

[Kaisaan]

Ronin had to laugh.

Of all the questions she could have asked, Anya chose the game. It rather pleased him, though, because it showed just what kind of person she was; considerate, a bit naive, eager to learn, intelligent, compassionate, kind. All admirable traits and the more the traveler learned, the happier he was that he'd brought the blond from the past, glad he'd whisked her away from her fate and frankly, he wasn't looking forward to returning her anytime soon. But soon was a relative term when one had a time machine.

Yes, he was very glad for her and still more thankful that he was allowed to change the subject for a time. Karen was...still a topic that hurt to speak of and just how he could use the power he had was...complicated. Both things were not something he WANTED to discuss in a hospital bed. In the time machine, where he had distractions, felt comfortable and safe....fine. He would speak of it, but...not here.

So instead of his life-story.....Ronin explained the game of tag.

--

The traveler felt relief once they were on the jet and the plane was taking off. Their pilot was very polite and professional, but he and Anya were left the whole of the plane to explore. Ronin, upon arriving at the airport, had declined the airline services that Maheem had been so thoughtful to leave behind. It was a nice gesture, but some topics were best left to discussion without listening ears. Besides, anything he or Anya needed, they could easily get themselves.

So it was that the two found themselves lounging back in first-class style seats, snacks scattered around them, some open and most not at this point, but soon or later they would be devoured, too. There were other things in the service area of the plane like cold sandwiches in the fridge, yogurts, juices and the like, but for now snacks were working just fine.

They'd been flying for about an hour and Ronin had exhausted explaining every game - present, future and alien - that he knew to Anya. He now leaned his head on the pillow resting on the armrest - getting to the plane from the hospital had tired him out far more than he'd thought it would, but that made sense as it had been some time since he'd used his powers - and shrugged with a grin, hair in his pale green eyes.

"I don't know anymore. I swear! Stop the interrogation, I don't know!" he exclaimed with laughter in his voice, holding up a hand in mock surrender.

 

[redblood]

Anya could relate a little bit to the first game he told her about. Even when she had been a kid they had played something similar, even though they hadn't had a name for it at that point. But the more games he told her about, the less she recognized them from her own time period. Some were completely alien while others were a modified version of something she recognized. Even on the plane she kept on asking if there were more games he knew about, and eventually his knowledge came to an end.

"Are you sure?" She asked him with a fake puppy expression. "There must be something more." Anya couldn't help but crack up in a smile at the end of the sentence. "I think you're just hiding the most interesting ones from me because you want to have all the fun for yourself." She accused him with a grin. It didn't make much sense as most of the games he had described was for two or more people. Even the ones that could be played with only one player would definitely be more fun if there was more people involved.

Looking out of the window she shuddered slightly. It was beautiful, but she still hated the height. If she got to decide, this would definitely be their last time at an airplane. There's nothing wrong with boats. "How long do you think it will take before we get back to your time machine?" She asked Ronin, finally letting him rest from the game naming challenge.

They were finally done with the saving and could go back to enjoying themselves. Would they stay a bit longer in this time period? Go to the next one? Or would he let her off at home again? The last thought was slightly depressing. What if he realized after this first trip that she didn't seem fit to be traveling with him? She had been pretty useless during this mission. Ronin had done all the work, while she only had stood beside him unable to know what to do. Her mind was unable to realize what contributions she had given to the mission. But considering her partner was such a gifted and experienced man, it wasn't too weird that her own contributions became quite bleached in comparison. While she pointed towards a hiding place in the back of a car, he were able to teleport them out of the building.

Maybe her distressed thoughts showed a bit too much on her face as she forgot the world around her for a moment.

 

[Kaisaan]

Ronin sensed the change in mood almost immediately. Such skills had been honed by time and danger, circumstances, trial and error and he'd needed it more often than not - to know when a situation was growing dangerous or when someone was about to do something that would cause a great amount of damage. Of course, this skill transferred into other things, such as this situation. Relationships only benefited from a skill like this and the traveler knew without having to ask what it was that had made Anya grow somber.

He'd be lying if he said he'd not thought about it, about taking her back to her own time, but it wasn't for the reasons the blond would think. No, it was for her safety solely that he pondered the option. It wasn't her reaction to the danger or her skill in handling it that worried him. It was the fact that he knew Karen would use Anya if she could, now that she knew she existed. There was still time to keep Anya safe, to put her back in her own time and have Karen completely baffled as to where Ronin might have gotten his companion, but that chance was going to fast slip away if he kept Anya with him. They WOULD run into Karen or her followers again, guaranteed, and Ronin didn't know that he could protect the blond each time it happened.

She'd be constantly in danger if she was with him and he'd...God forgive him, he'd known it from the moment he'd invited her on board. He'd been unable to resist, though, something about the brave and yet naive Anya making him throw every argument he'd constructed to keep him from doing exactly this out the window.

And now that he was thinking about it....the truth was that the rule book was still out the window and flying off in space somewhere because when he looked at her, green eyes so serious, holding such an edge of sadness - though, he didn't think she meant for him to see that - Ronin knew he couldn't take her back.

He didn't WANT to.

The traveler smiled and leaned back in his seat with a shrug, subtly lightening the mood. "A day or so, but we'll be there before you know it." He gave her a narrowed-eyed look, playful. "This time I get to pick the destination, though." Ronin feigned a thoughtful look. "Perhaps something more...ancient might be a better idea. You might actually feel less lost!"

And that, right there, would answer her silent question about whether he intended to take her with him, just as Ronin had intended it to.

 

[redblood]

A day until she might be forced back home. Anya was far too nervous about returning to the time machine. What if he truly sent her home? It didn't make her feel better when he suddenly narrowed his eyes and decided to choose their next location. Oh no. He would definitely send her home now. She hadn't been able to convince him that she could be of use. She hadn't been able to learn about strange things fast enough for him to accept her. If she returned now...

The thought hadn't even been able to form completely before Ronin continued to speak. Ancient... Her time didn't count as ancient did it? Not from her time period at least. How far into the future were they? Only a few hundred years. A few hundred years back from her time didn't count as ancient, so the chances of her time counting as ancient in his time period wasn't very likely. So she could stay with him? He weren't thinking about leaving her? Anya weren't sure why he would want to keep her with him. She hadn't done anything of value on the mission. She had followed him around like a lost puppy. In her own mind, she had been useless. But even so, she felt happy. Ronin wouldn't abandon her just yet.

"Make sure it's some place warm. I don't want to be reminded of my first flight experience one day after it happened." She told him with a straight face before releasing a held back smile and laughed slightly. She would surely prefer something warm, but anywhere would be fine as long as she didn't have to return home any time soon.

"How come..." Anya stopped herself. Should she really ask him that? Maybe there weren't anything behind his choice. What if anyone would have sufficed. Did she want to know the truth? Of course she did. "How come you chose to bring me with you? Except for you friend, you haven't traveled with anyone else, right?" The green alien might have been scary, but she had also provided quite a lot of information. How long had Ronin traveled all alone, and why did he decided to pick up a partner all of a sudden? And why Anya of all people? History was filled with great minds that could be of more use than a small town girl like her.

"Why me?"

 

[Kaisaan]

"Your wish is my command, my lady." Ronin teased back, but the glimmer of mischief in his pale green eyes faded away as Anya continued to speak, hesitantly, but she did eventually get her question out and for the first time in a long time, Ronin wasn't sure what to say about a topic. Even when he didn't WANT to answer about something - like his powers or Karen - he knew HOW to answer. This...this was different. He had no desire to avoid the topic, but rather, he didn't quite know how to address it, how to make what he felt make sense.

Or was it that he didn't really know WHY he'd chosen Anya?

No, no that wasn't true. He knew why, he just didn't know how to put such a knowledge into words. Besides, it wasn't like he'd actually chosen her. She'd chosen him. But he doubted she'd understand that. He hardly understood it. The traveler knew he could hardly expect Anya to grasp the concept if he couldn't even explain it to himself.

He'd stick with something a bit simpler for the time being.

Ronin sighed and it seemed his body curled a bit more into itself at his initial words, at the reminder of Karen. She was a painful subject and the traveler wasn't sure if that would ever change. "No, I haven't traveled with anyone since Karen. I...there wasn't....no one was...right." He stopped there, pale green eyes slowly moving beneath a curtain of dark hair, searching for the words, for the explanation she'd understand. The word 'right' wasn't going to cut it, he knew.

"I never looked for anyone. I just...saw everyone. I saw too much anticipation or too much hesitation. I saw recklessness and I saw timidness. Too much pride or too little self-confidence. I-" Ronin stopped again and this time there was a frustrated sound in his throat, his hand coming back through his hair, revealing a face conflicted with certainty and confusion both. "I brought you with me because I saw you and....you were right, you were what others had not been."

His eyes finally rose to meet her own green ones. "You were brave and intelligent, mischievous and daring, but...there is a fragility and hesitancy, too. There is self-awareness of your faults and your mortality. You...there is just a brightness about you that I can't explain, a pull that drew me in. I haven't felt that in a long time." He faltered again and shook his head, smiling wryly. "I'm sorry, I don't know how to explain it in a way that will satisfy you, I'm afraid."

 

[redblood]

No one had been right definitely didn't cut it for an explanation, and if he had stopped there, then Anya wouldn't have been satisfied at all. But the time traveler continued his explanation. Poor man, he had to explain so many alien concepts to her, and seldom could she understand them completely. But for once, understanding didn't seem to be a problem for the young girl.

"I think that is a very satisfying answer, even though I'm not too sure if I should be honored with words like brave and daring." Anya smiled. She was certain that her cheeks were already colored in a weak pink, as always when someone complimented her like that. It couldn't be helped, even though there was nothing to be embarrassed about, that feeling still decided to creep forward.

"Do not tell my mother that you see me as mischievous. She would certainly send me to a convent for something so scandalous." She then added jokingly. It was true that her mother would do that if she heard that her daughter was acting improperly. But she doubted Ronin would ever speak to her parents at all, so the chances were slim even if she didn't tell him.

Leaning back in the comfortable chair, she relaxed her body. It had been such an eventful day and it finally started to take its torn on both her body and mind. Slightly unwillingly, the girl let out a yawn. "I'm definitely self-aware enough to know that I'll fall asleep pretty soon at least. Take the opportunity to rest before I attack you with twenty new questions." She smirked. There were probably a thousand questions she could come up with at the spot, even in her slightly drowsy state. But she'd rather wait with them until she were awake enough to not forget the answers. Nothing was more embarrassing than to forget the answer to a question one had already asked.

"If we're about to crash while I'm asleep, could you not wake me up? I rather die oblivious." She asked with a chuckle, though there were a slight truth in her words. If she died, she would prefer to just leave without any knowledge of it. Without any pain. Just fall asleep and then suddenly waking up in the afterlife. Hopefully the afterlife would wait for her for another sixty years at least. Anya was rather fond of her mortal body.

 

[Kaisaan]

----

The flight back was uneventful and Ronin didn't need to wake Anya for a crash or anything else. The two had slept most of the flight and even through fuel refills, exhausted and one of them still healing. Still, they were somewhat jet-lagged when they got back to New York and by the time they got back to the time machine, Ronin knew they were in need of some decent food, coffee and more sleep.

Oh, and getting out of New York and this time altogether. Karen wouldn't wait long to try and strike again and the safest place for them was in the time-stream between times.

The time machine greeted Ronin with what sounded like happy hums, colors on the walls pulsing in gentle beats as the machine seemed to embrace them, welcoming them back into her safety. The traveler knew she was doing exactly that and smiled, resting a hand on the walls for a moment, tension easing out of him as he started the engines and put in coordinates, letting them take off with shudders and shakes before evening out as they flew through time once again. Only then did pale green eyes meet Anya's darker shade.

"I do believe I promised you pizza."

A grin crossed his face and he gestured for her to follow him as he exited the control room, heading toward the kitchen. "Come on, you'll love it. I promise."

 

[redblood]

Anya slept for most of the flight. Even so she felt as if she hadn't slept for weeks. Maybe she had been sleeping for a bit too long, that did often make her more tired. How odd that was, sleeping more and still feel less alert. Shouldn't ten hours give more energy than eight? Or eight more than six? Often times that did not seem to be the case.

Slightly drowsy she stepped into the time machine, barely noticing the strange noises it gave off when the two of them entered. In the middle of a yawn she heard Ronin speak.

"Pizza?" Anya mumbled confused. It took her a few moments to remember what he was talking about. Some sort of food, was it? He had mentioned it at some point, but considering all that had happened, food was the last thing to pop up in her mind. Especially after all the strange things she had already been shown. Strange bricks called phones that were used to speak with people over far distances, music in boxes only one person could hear at a time. She couldn't remember the name of that thing though. Flying machines called planes, and horseless carriages called cars. After being shown all that, how could she possibly remember the name of something she hadn't even seen yet?

The girl followed Ronin, wondering if it truly was as good as he implied. Usually when people told her she would love something, it was rarely better than okay. "So this pizza. What is it made of? Is it like baguettes or something similar?" She asked, still thinking bread. Had he explained to her what it was? If he had, then she had forgotten about it. Considering she had been threatened by a human sized lizard, she could certainly be forgiven for forgetting some details.

 

[Kaisaan]

"Baguettes? Uhh...well.....no....but yes, sort of. No, not really. Well, there IS bread in pizza and I suppose that baguettes are similar in that regard, but the shape is all wrong. Though, technically you could make a pizza any shape you wanted. I should try that..."

Ronin was prone to rambling, but Anya should have been very well aware of that by now and the traveler flashed her a grin even as they entered the kitchen. It was painted a lively blue and was somewhere between modern and rustic, different machines and such giving it an eclectic feeling. He moved around the island in the middle of the kitchen and gestured for Anya to sit as he rummaged about in a cupboard.

"Oh, and that fatigue you feel is called jet-lag. It comes with changing time-zones so quickly as you fly from one end of the world to another. For example, if you flew to Europe from America, you'd land a day ahead of America and possibly at night when your body still thinks that it is early afternoon. Then when you fly back, your body had to adjust to the time changes all over again. Flying just makes you tired anyway." he supplied before popping up with a cutting board.

"Aha!"

For speaking about jet-lag and time-changes, Ronin himself seemed to be filled with sudden excess energy and the reason why was only privy to the traveler himself as he set about making dough, ingredients at hand and containers at the ready. It would take longer, but it would taste so much better, too.

"Pizza, to answer your question, is a combination of thin, but fluffy bread crust with red, tomato-y sauce spread over it and then cheese over that. You can add any kinds of other things that you want; like pepperoni, a type of meat, pineapple, bacon, olives, mushrooms, sausage, peppers, anchovies, tomatoes....anything you want, really." Pale green eyes looked up with a grin. "You will like it, I swear."

 

[redblood]

Anya sat down while listening to his rambling. She weren't sure what to think at that point. It was like a baguette, but it wasn't. It wasn't the same form, but it could be. So far he had done nothing but confuse her. Maybe it had a bit to do with her extreme tiredness. It did slow down her brain a bit.

"Jet-lag?" She mumbled. How could one travel to one part of the world and be one day ahead? She hadn't really read much about science and geography, so time zones was an alien subject for her. She didn't get much time to ponder on it though, neither did she have the energy to think too much about it at the moment, before Ronin went on to the subject of pizza again. He clearly was an expert on changing topics mid-sentence, wasn't he?

"Wait... Why put tomatoes on a bread that already has a tomato sauce on it?" Anya asked confused. "Shouldn't it already taste tomatoes either way?" The future was a strange place. Having tomatoes on tomatoes when it already tasted tomatoes. Wasn't it enough with one or the other? "Is it normal to put anchovies on bread with tomato sauce? That does sound rather strange I must say." The blonde wasn't a big fan of fish, but if she ate it she certainly wouldn't have it on bread, nor with any kind of tomato sauce.

"I guess anything is fine, as long as there are no olives on it." Anya finally said. Olives wasn't good in any dish. She would refuse them until the day she died.

Looking at him working, she started to become slightly restless. While she still felt a bit tired, it seemed to be wearing off slowly. "Should I help you with anything?" She asked the time traveler, slightly curious if his time period even used any of the kitchen items she was used too. At the very least he had a cutting board, which meant he would be using a knife. That was one thing their times had in common.

 

[Kaisaan]

Her question about the pizza and tomatoes brought a laugh to Ronin's mouth and he grinned at the blond, true delight in his pale green eyes. Her further comments only brought more mirth and it was only when she asked to help that the traveler got his chuckles and even giggles under control. He knew that part of his reason for laughing was that he WAS amused, but the prolonged amusement was more hysteria then true happiness. Yes, he'd been dealing with things like this, like Karen and rescue missions and near-death for years, but that didn't mean he was immune to them.

His own breakdown would come in time - hopefully out of Anya's sight - and Ronin knew that, carefully pulling his mind back from the edge it had been tiptoeing, his throat clearing as he gestured to the jar of sauce and ingredients he'd gotten out, including the pot to put it in. "You can help with the sauce. I'll tell you how to make it."

As she made her way around the island counter, he spoke up to her initial queries. "The sauce is not purely made of tomato and it doesn't taste like tomato. The tomatoes on the pizza usually go with other toppings, too. It gives it more flavor." He flashed her a smile. "I happen to agree about the anchovies. Nasty things, but some people like them."

That said, he proceeded to direct her in the making of the sauce and when that was done, Ronin easily started explaining what he was doing, directing his companion to which things he needed on the counter and then stepping back on occasion to let her try her hand at something. Explaining the uses of many things in the kitchen took up their time, too, and in this way did they pass the time while the meal cooked.

The smell of pizza soon filled the kitchen and Ronin rushed to get it out of the oven when the timer went off, thoroughly feeling starved now. It wasn't long before it was cut, on plates, cooling and the traveler was looking at Anya, brow raised.

"Well, you going to try it?"

 

[redblood]

Anya wasn't sure how to take Ronin's at times almost maniac-like laughter. Somehow it didn't seem as if he was laughing at what she was saying. It didn't even seem as if he was laughing because something was funny. So why was he? Maybe it was just how he was. She didn't know him well enough to know if this behavior was normal for him or not. She just had to wait and see what happened.

Finally she got something to do with her hands. Making tomato sauce wasn't as hard as she had imagined, but she had a great teacher by her side so it shouldn't be such a big surprise. The time traveler explained various things while they made their food and time just seemed to fly away. Even when they didn't have anything to do but wait for the pizza to finish in the oven, he still kept explaining about various kitchen tools and how to use them. It all seemed incredible. The future held so many miraculous things she never could have imagined.

Out of the blue something started to ring. The girl jumped high into the air, startled by the sound. She had completely forgotten about the timer Ronin had told her about. It would ring once the food was done. The future sure was loud. No silence anywhere, not even inside. She walked up to the counter and looked at the round piece of bread. "It smells delicious." She complimented while he cut it up, though she did leave out what she thought about the look. While it didn't look unappetizing, it didn't look completely appealing either. Maybe it was because it had such a strange shape and was made of things she would never think about putting together. If one had grown up with something, then of course it would look better to them.

"But, haven't we forgotten the dinnerware?" She asked, wondering which drawer might hold them. Her mother had told her to even use a knife and fork while eating bread, so it was a natural response for her.

 

[Kaisaan]

Once more Ronin found himself laughing, though, it was more of a chuckling variety this time and even as he did so, he grabbed two plates - and for Anya's comfort, a fork and knife - before coming back around to where she was, serving the pizza before he replied. "Pizza is a type of food that doesn't require forks and knives, or even plates if you don't want to bother with them. Most people eat pizza like this."

Blowing on his own slice after picking it up, he took a bite and as he chewed, gave a shrug. He didn't mind in the least if Anya chose to eat hers with a fork and knife - he had met people who did that already. Still, she wanted to know how people did things in his world, and Ronin had no problem showing that, too.

Thoughts of his time versus her own took his mind to another topic on the same path of thinking; where was he going to take her next? It would have to be somewhere for her enjoyment, safe for the most part this time if he could help it and a place Karen would not think to look so soon in the game. Having such criteria lowered the options considerably to a few hundred places. And that was a small amount considering they had all of the past to choose from!

Hmm...Rome? Greece? Dinosaurs? No, no...bad idea for second journey. Hmm...King Arthur? Alexander the Great? Persia? Israel? Perhaps Scotland... He really couldn't choose, one thought going into another, presenting more details until he was wrapped up in many different webs of pros and cons that led to yet another choice. In the end, Ronin thought it best to perhaps just ASK his companion where she might be interested in going and his pale green eyes looking up from their contemplation, that was exactly what he did.

"I told you the past was our next stop, but is there anything you'd like to see?"

 

[redblood]

No silverware? What an odd way of eating. The only thing she would ever think about eating with her bare hands was bread, even though her mother had a bit of a problem with that. But part of the pizza was made of bread. Though it did look a bit gooey. She watched Ronin for a moment as he picked up a piece and started to eat.

Well, when in Rome do as the Romans do. She too picked up a piece with her hands and tried to eat it as smoothly as possible. It wasn't easy when the yellow whitish goo on the top stretched out when she lowered the piece, making a couple of strings go from her mouth to the pizza. With one hand she pulled on the cheese string and until it finally broke. Half of it fell back on the pizza while she tried to get the other half hanging from her mouth get into her mouth. So much for eating gracefully.

"Pizzas must be the future girls worst enemy." Anya mumbled. "It's so good but takes away all your dignity and grace." Not because she cared much about those things. At least not as long as she wasn't eating in public, or with her mother. She would definitely embarrass herself if she tried to eat that kind of food among people. Ronin was a friend though, so she didn't mind. Especially since he himself didn't mind.

Anya thought about his question for a while. Where did she want to go next? She had just assumed that Ronin already had a plan, but maybe he had a hard time deciding. She wanted to see something that she could relate to, something that wasn't too strange, but still were different from her own time period. Then she knew exactly where she wanted to go. "I want to see the knights." She exclaimed excitedly before realizing how childish she must seem. So she calmed down and started again. "Once I read a book in which there were these heroic knights from the middle ages. I know they were just fictional, but as a kid I always dreamed about meeting and speaking to a real knight." Anya explained, hoping it didn't seem too stupid. Of course she hadn't dreamed about those kind of things in ages, but now when she had the chance she could as well make the child inside herself happy.

 

[Kaisaan]

Her enthusiasm was infectious and Ronin grinned, the expression remaining even when Anya calmed herself and explained her reasoning. To be honest, he didn't care about the reasons. Oh, he listened and remembered and absorbed, but the reasons for why she wanted to see knights was not as important as the fact that she wanted to at all, that she was so excited about it, so happy at the prospect. Yes, that was what the traveler cared about and he laughed when she was done, a joyous sound, not a mocking one.

"Then knights you shall see, my lady! Who said they were fictional?" He made a scoffing sound that suspiciously mimicked a snort. "Some historians who want to take the fun out of everything, I am sure." He took a bite of pizza, chewed hastily and swallowed just as quickly. "I assure you, knights were real. History doesn't always leave clear prints for people who come after to study. It's only fools who say that because we can't see the footprint of the past it couldn't have or didn't exist."

Realizing he was going a bit too deep and a bit too off-topic, Ronin pulled his overactive mind back on to the discussion at hand, the smile coming back to his face, to his pale green eyes.

"How would you like to see King Arthur and his Knights? I haven't visited there in a while..."

Of course, they knew him not as time-traveler, but as a wizard. It was their only way of explaining the things he did and knew. Ronin was just grateful they'd not started calling him Merlin. THAT was NOT his role to play, thankyouverymuch!

 

[redblood]

"King Arthur?" Anya asked, not sure if she had heard about him before or not. The amount of books she had been able to get her hands on were extremely limited, so even if he were known in her time period it was a big chance she had missed it. No one she knew liked to discuss neither history nor novels. Such a pity. They didn't know what they were missing.

She took some more chews on her pizza while thinking about it. King Arthur. Had Ronin truly met a king? Wow. Usually they wouldn't let common folks close to the castle. At least that was what she had heard. Did he just take the whole time machine into the castle? That would have been rather interesting to see, but she doubted that was the case. Maybe he had saved the king from aliens and he became indebted to Ronin. That was a thing she had gotten from her books. When a king was saved by a stranger, it was his duty to repay that debt. Maybe reality was different though.

Then she realized that she was assuming a lot of things. Ronin had only told her he had visited that time period. So far he hadn't really mentioned to her that he had actually talked to or befriended king Arthur or the knights. Though one could assume he had.

"Well, since you've visited there before, it will be easy to find our way." She finally replied. "So, have you actually met this king Arthur and his knight, or were you just passing by them?" Of coursed she hoped for the former. That way it would be easy for him to introduce them to each other. Otherwise they would just have to hope they would care to spend some time with the commoners around them. "How were they? Heroic as in the tales? Do they go out on quests to save imprisoned maidens? Do they actually kill dragons?" The last question was pretty stupid as she knew dragons didn't exist in her time period, nor were there proof that they had ever existed as far as she knew. But she was slightly excited and had to ask about everything that had been in the book she had read.

 

[Kaisaan]

Well, he should have seen THAT question coming....and the ones after the first, too!

Ronin held up a finger, finishing the bite of pizza he'd taken before he tilted his head back and forth just a little, thinking as he swallowed. With a slight clearing of his throat, a subtle thing, the traveler answered. "I have met the King and his Knights, yes. We are...well, friends to be truthful." He shrugged a little, almost self-consciously as if to admit such at thing was embarrassing or perhaps meant to be a secret, though, it was no such thing. Ronin simply wasn't used to bragging and as much as he talked about things he knew and loved to be of help, he didn't do it in such a way as to make himself look good. It just wasn't who he was. Saying he was friends with a King just seemed entirely too conceited for him.

It was quickly that the male went on to answer the other questions.

"Well, I can't speak for all Knights, but Arthur's are very heroic indeed. Some of them are a bit...well, reckless than others, some have tempers, others don't think before they let their hearts guide them, but they are men, just like any other. They ARE exceptional men, however. Don't let their faults blind you to that. The bravest, most loyal and pure of heart you will ever meet. There never will be and never have been any to equal the devotion they show to their King and their people, and Arthur is truly the greatest King who will ever live. The legends of his wisdom and fairness, courage and loyalty are all true, I assure you." Now that he was talking about others, Ronin was far more animated and it was clear he held a great fondness and loyalty to the Knights and King himself. Sure, he was biased, but the traveler had seen a great deal so it would be fair to say he probably knew what he was talking about in regards to the character of historical figures he'd met.

"They have saved many people, maidens among them, but I'm afraid I shall have to disappoint you on the dragon front. They hardly kill them. Arthur has a treaty with the dragons. It's only when his reign ends that dragon hunting comes back and rather than thinking that a good thing, I honestly abhor it. Yes, some dragons needed killing, but not all. Most were rather content to leave humans to themselves. Men just see one evil among a race and assume the whole lot is bad. It's simply not so."

Ronin smiled, pale green eyes glittering. "Arthur is a wise enough man to see this flaw in humanity and move past it."

 

[redblood]

There was so much information to take in, so Anya completely missed the part she should be the most shocked about at first. Once her brain caught up to it though, she choked on her pizza. After some coughing she was finally able to breath again and she looked up on the time traveler with an unbelieving look.

"Dragons? They're real? As in, they did exist?" Suddenly the thoughts of knights had completely left her mind. Not even King Arthur could get her interest back on track again. Her focus was completely turned to the dragons. "How come they are considered legends if people hunted them just half a millennium ago?" It was closer to a full millennium in Ronin's time period, but no matter where she were, she couldn't help but think about the years she usually spent her time in.

Anya did wonder if they had found any dragon remains in Ronin's time period, or if every evidence for their existence were erased. But how could you erase them from history? Even dinosaurs had survived the test of time, even though all that could be found was bones. Though the concept of dinosaurs was fairly new in her era, a lot of people still thought it was a hoax of sort. Anya wasn't too sure about that though. "Does that mean other legendary beings also has existed once? For example... Unicorns? Sea monsters like the kraken? Mermaids? What about griffins?"

It shouldn't be completely impossible that more of them existed if one once had walked the earth without leaving any trace for upcoming generations. But how would normal folks ever figure out which beings were made up and which weren't in that case? Without physical proof it wouldn't be possible to know what was historical facts and what was made from peoples fantasies. Well, physical proof or a time machine.

 

[Kaisaan]

Ronin's grin really couldn't have gotten bigger if he'd tried.

He'd forgotten how much he liked this; sharing knowledge that was unknown, seeing the wonder and delight on someone's face when they realized their dreams were true, that they'd been right to believe, a happiness and excitement that couldn't be replicated, only enjoyed in the moment it happened. Seeing it on Anya's face was truly a delightful privilege for the traveler and he answered her questions with seemingly never ending patience and understanding of her hungry need for knowledge.

"They existed, yes. In fact, in some parts of the universe, they still do, but here on Earth, no. See, dragons were not native to Earth but rather came from another world entirely. Over time, though, even they forgot their root origins and adopted this planet as having always been their own. Many alien creatures did as they did; adapted. The Faerie and Mermaids are among such creatures, and, in fact, still dwell on Earth in my time. They are simply very good at remaining unseen. Creatures such as the Griffins, Centaurs, Vampires and Dwarves simply chose to leave this planet when it became harder for their species to survive. Such is why there is no record of them. When an alien species does not wish to be pursued or known by another species that has been hunting them, they hide the evidence of their existence."

Ronin truly hoped he wasn't moving too fast, explaining too much for Anya to process, but there really wasn't any other way to say it and he was trying to be simple about it. He continued after a moment, letting her process that not only had dragons lived here on Earth, but so had many other species of legend.

"Other species like Unicorns and Elves actually originated from this planet, but were so closely related to other creatures like horses and humans that evidence of their existence is muddled. As for dragons, well, when they die their bodies completely disintegrate. They can not be fed on, their bones cannot be used as trophies and they don't leave any fossil record. I know it seems overly simple, but it's a rather genius defense mechanism on their part."

Pale green eyes met dark green then and Ronin tilted his head, dark hair brushing at said eyes as he smiled just a bit, almost mischievous. "Would you like to meet one?"

 

[redblood]

The strange food called pizza had since long been forgotten by the girl. Now she was far too drawn into the time travelers explanation to remember that she had to eat.

Mermaids? Could they truly be real and live among them even to this day? Did that mean she might have a chance to see one even in her own time period if she chose to return before meeting one with Ronin? Fairies too, according to him. It seemed too unbelievable to be true. But Ronin hadn't lied to her before. On top of that he had sworn to never lie. It would be odd if he started now simply to make her happy.

Anya did doubt, because she had grown up with them being nothing but fairy tales. Just changing her beliefs simply because someone told her they truly did exist, even a time traveler, was hard. But there was a big difference between Ronin telling her something extraordinary existed, and anyone else saying it. He could prove it. He could show her no matter which time period or even planet they existed on. That's why she never let her doubt get in the way for her excitement. She could get any proof she wanted if she followed him.

"A dragon? Do you even have to ask?" She asked, almost jumping from her seat. "Let's go immediately." She suggested excitedly, almost as if the dragons would disappear from history if they didn't hurry. "Wait... How can they even communicate with people?" Anya then asked, as the thought hit her. He had told her that Arthur had some kind of agreement with the dragons, but for that to happen they must have been able to either speak a human language, or at the very least be able to show the knights what they wanted. "Can they speak as you and me?" That shouldn't be possible. Maybe they could show if they agreed or disagreed with different gestured and understood what humans was saying. But the thought that they would be able to speak was kind of crazy. On the other hand, she was traveling in time, that in itself was more than crazy.

"No, don't answer that. I want to be surprised. The less I know about them the better." She then decided. Why spoil the fun? The future wouldn't have been as entertaining if Ronin had told her everything she would see beforehand. "Since all of that exists... Is there any chance wizards and witches exists too? There was an evil wizard attacking the land in the book about the knights I read." Her curiosity once again arouse. In the book, the evil wizard had been defeated thanks to a brave knight whom had been able to tame a dragon. Without the dragon, the evil magicians magic could not have been defeated. Even she found it a bit funny how she denied certain spoilers but begged for others. While one part of her wanted him to tell her more, the other part was more than ready to go. She wasn't even sitting on her chair any longer. Instead she stood leaning over the counter, waiting for either more information to feed her interest or for them to get going to their new destination.