Lethe Hostel Waves crashing in the evening, ever moving on

[Markus Eldridge]

Markus shook his head in anger as Kai mentioned what he had been through, and not knowing what caused his amnisia. Knowing such cruelty was heartbreaking, and the redhead still struggled to believe anyone could be so evil.

“I am sorry, man,” Markus said sincerely, looking at the other man. “I am happy to help in any way. Thank you for telling me, but I am sorry you have to relive it.” He meant what he said, and though he wasn't sure how to help, he would be happy to do what he could.

[Kai Mahuta]

Kai shrugged and contemplated whether or not he wanted another tea.

“Its okay,” he said and gave Markus a slow smile. “It happened. That'll teach me to go exploring by myself, far away from the pod, though... I guess if anyone else had been there, they might have been captured, too..”

He lightly pinched the bridge of his nose with two fingers as he placed his memories of the event in rapid reply, looking for the umpteenth time for a reason he had suffered amnesia. It was probably a combination of all the things he had mentioned to his friend, though he suspected shock and the blows to the head were high on the list of 'suspects'.

“They stripped me, too, as part of the torture, probably to humiliate me, but of course, I have no problem being naked.” He removed his fingers and sighed. “I don't miss the baseball bat. No idea why someone on a fishing trawler had a baseball bat. Maybe they beat up the new crew members as part of some initiation or something...”

Kai cleared his throat. “Anyway, not something to dwell on with such nice weather...”

[Markus Eldridge]

Markus listened as the other man continued the story, explaining just a small portion of the horrors he had experienced. It was heartbreaking to hear and disappointing to imagine.

[qI'm sorry, man,[/q] Markus said simply. He wasn't sure what else to say. There weren't really words to give in a scenario. “I appreciate the faith and trust you have by telling me. That can't be easy, with how others acted.” It was true; he imagined trusting humans, even if Markus was in the know, couldn't be easy after such an ordeal.

“You mentioned wanting to show me?” Markus asked as Kai talked about not dwelling on such topics. He was happy to move on, see what Kai meant, and then see how Markus could help him.

[Kai Mahuta]

Had he said he wanted to show Markus something? Probably the differences between himself and a human without the influence of merfolk genetics.

“Sure, after lunch,” he said. “If you have the time.” Kai straightened in his chair. “You mentioned wanting to know how I got away. There was a storm that night. I took advantage of it to make my escape.” He regarded Markus solemnly. “If you really want the details, I can certainly tell you, but you might prefer not to know.”

[Markus Eldridge]

Markus nodded; he didn't mind waiting. He was learning, and that was important. He had no reason to doubt the other man, so any proof was only additional information.

“Tell me as much as you are comfortable with; the more information I have, the better,” Markus answered, listening closely as the man spoke about it. A storm made sense, though he knew escaping even in such an event wouldn't have been easy based on how he said he was treated and the state he was probably in.

[Kai Mahuta]

Kai nodded and focused on finishing his meal. It had been a delicious lunch and very filling. He decided he would have to return on another day to try one of the desserts he had been contemplating earlier.

It might seem easy for him to speak about his journey to Easthaven, but discussing it always made Kai think of the things he might have done differently to prevent it from happening. It might not have even been possible, but he found himself revisiting that day, regardless. It wasn't constantly on his mind, though. That would be exhausting.

He looked out window at the river and enjoyed the calm it gave him.

[Markus Eldridge]

Markus would watch the other man with interest, keeping his eyes forward and taking in the various movements. He could see that the man was uncertain or perhaps uncomfortable. The redhead had no doubt that retelling and reliving the events would be difficult, so he felt no need to push the man.

Instead, he ate the remainder of his meal, savoring the taste and drinking his tea. He was glad he made the decision to find Kai, even though he knew him as John first. If Markus could help, he wanted to.