<div style="text-align: center;"><a class="postlink" href="http://s300.photobucket.com/user/SociallyToxicBeauty/media/f9baa897-e285-4e2a-92b5-e0eb263a67ea.jpg.html"></a><a class="postlink" href="http://i300.photobucket.com/albums/nn24/SociallyToxicBeauty/f9baa897-e285-4e2a-92b5-e0eb263a67ea.jpg">[ img ]</a><br/><br/><span style="color: #408000"><span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-size: 150%; line-height: 116%;">Alida</span></span></span></div><br/><br/>When Izu set his fork down, Alida knew immediately that Izu would not let the subject go.<span style="color: #BF0000">"You think you could have helped?" </span>he asked, his eyes looking intently into hers. Alida's forced smile faded,<span style="color: #408000">"Of course Alida could have helped!" </span>Izu crossed his arms,<span style="color: #BF0000">"What do you think you could have done? Could you have hurt the people who attacked you? Hurt them like I hurt the men who attacked you when we first met?"</span>he asked bluntly. She felt a burst of anger run through her. Izu, however, gave her no time to answer.<br/><span style="color: #BF0000"><br/>"I won't pretend to know what war is like, but I know what violence is. It changes people Alida, brings out their worst but disguises it as something that needs to be done," </span>Izu elaborated as he grabbed his plate. He threw away what was left and set his plate in the sink. It didn't take him long to sit back down at the table, his eyes once more locking with Alida's.<br/><br/><span style="color: #BF0000">"Let me ask you again, could you have killed to protect yourself?" </span><br/><br/>It was a heavy question--Izu knew that; Alida knew that. The anger was still swirling in her as she tried to find answers to Izu's questions. She was mostly angry because she knew he had raised some valid points. Could she kill to protect herself? Could she have hurt those who had attacked her home? She wasn't sure.<br/><br/><span style="color: #408000">"Alida...Alida could have helped with the injured!" </span>she finally stated, frustration evident in her voice.<span style="color: #408000"> "Alida was helping before Alida was sent here! Alida was gathering the injured! Alida was bandaging the wounded! Alida was putting out fires and digging people out of rubble! Alida was helping! Alida not hurt or kill anyone! But Alida still helped!"</span>she said passionately as Marmalade watched the two of them speak from her own food bowl.<br/><br/><span style="color: #408000">"Zoltan should have never sent Alida away! Alida was supposed to be a leader! Alida was supposed to help her people...I could have saved them, Izu...I could have saved them,"</span>Alida finally finished quietly, for once using the correct pronouns to refer to herself.