<div style="text-align: center;"><a class="postlink" href="http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e327/steusloffa/Junk/9b4c67d7-5e06-4750-8d35-191de0acc40c_zpsagryk5tp.jpg">[ img ]</a></div><br/><br/><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-size: 200%; line-height: 116%;"><span style="color: #BF0000">I Z U</span></span></span></div><br/><br/><br/>It was obvious that Alida thought she could have done something, been some kind of help to her people.<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. Izu watched the girl as she seemed to work out the details in her head, careful eyes studying her.<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. Izu, while he cared for Alida and didn't want to hurt her, was a realist at heart. He couldn't stop himself from trying to get her to see his point.<span style="color: #BF0000">"You could have saved them? Maybe, but at what cost? Obviously someone thought you were important enough that they would risk any cost to get you away, and they did. The only option left for you right now is to accept that person made the correct decision in sending you here."</span>Izu finished, righting his chair and then standing.<span style="color: #BF0000">"Besides, had this Zoltan guy not sent you here, you wouldn't know me or my amazing personality."</span>He ended in a joke.<br/><br/>Izu wanted to change the subject now, though was ready to continue his point of view if needed. The girl wasn't combat ready in his eyes, and there was no other way of looking at it. The soft touch of fur against his feet brought Izu out of his current train of thought. Marmalade pressed up against his leg with her stubby little legs and let out a nice purr. Izu sighed and leaned down to scratch the kitten under her chin, then looked to Alida.<span style="color: #BF0000">"If we learn anything, we can look into it. For now though, I'm greasy and want to take a shower. And by that, I mean I want to see you drenched in water."</span>He said before moving over to Alida and lifting her over his shoulder. Her protests were cute, and once inside the bathroom, he set her on the counter and quickly pressed his lips against her own.<br/><br/>In the passing couple of months, Izu had gotten a lot bolder with his feelings. He still wasn't the kind of person to blurt out the love word at random, but he was much better at showing Alida his love now, rather than just lust.