| One day, Kien, quite by accident, saved Tal's life. Tal, being the actually noble knight-type that he is, pledged his life to Kien. Kien was somewhat startled by this turn of events (not that he let it show), but quickly found out startlingly loyal Tal was to him. He allowed Tal to work with him and eventually began to consider him as a sort of unofficial partner. After a while, conversations between them naturally became less formal, and more casual. Kien found much to his own surprise, that he had began to consider the knight as a friend. His only friend, in fact. Kien cares very deeply for Tal. And Tal likewise cares for Kien, though caring is not a foreign concept to Tal as it is to Kien. In a lot of ways, Kien and Tal are polar opposites. Kien is sparing with his words, Tal likes to strike up friendly conversations with people he doesn't know. Tal sees killing as a last resort, Kien kills for a living. Tal is fairly laid-back, Kien is always uptight and mistrusting. Tal is a nice guy, Kien is an ass. Tal is just the sort of friend Kien needed, frankly. Tal will smile and laugh if Kien tells him to shut up. And he will shut up then, but the fact that Tal was so good-natured about it will make Kien want to talk more than usual. They would trust each other with their lives, and also with more personal things, like their dreams, hopes, trials and emotional losses. They talk most on the road while they travel, or over campfires and the like. They spar together a lot, and that's always more a learning experience for them both than it is anything else. Back Home |