The chatbox has been hidden for this page. It will reopen upon refresh. To hide the CBox permanently, select "Permanently Toggle Cbox" in your profile User Settings.
This chatbox is hidden. To reopen, edit your User Settings.
Having spent so much time with the canines, Hazael was quick to pick up their personalities and he knew that the dark-colored pup would be a troublemaker from the start. After all, he was always sticking his nose where it didn’t belong… quite literally in some cases whenever Hazael brought scraps of food hidden in his pockets. The celeb was always keen to get into mischief, but he had foolishly believed it’s young age would keep them near his mother. How on earth could he have not realized that this dog, out of all of them, would be the one to wander off if given the chance?
Hazael still couldn’t believe he had been dumb enough to not double check and make sure that the kennel door was closed behind him. It was only a miracle that he had seen the blur of dark-colored fur mixed with the blue streaks in his vision from the elaborate collar Nissa had made for the dogs as a practice for her sewing. If not, who knows how long it would have been before Hazael had noticed the pup was gone?
Quickly grabbing the pup’s mother, his beloved hound Bracha, and a rope lead from nearby, Hazael wasted no time chasing after the bounding pup, giddy in his newfound freedom. He barely made sure that the kennel had been securely locked before looping the road under Bracha’s collar and around his hand before they took off.
Despite their haste in setting off after the pup, the little mass of dark fur was lost in the sea of streets, but Hazael had been smart to grab Bracha who could easily smell the route her rebellious offspring had taken. She led him through the streets, guiding him down the blurry streets and through the narrow passageways that were strewn with objects that could cause Hazael to trip. “Come on, Bracha, where is he?” Hazael kept muttering under his breath in encouragement as the two of them navigated the streets. It never occurred to the fifteen-year-old that their journey was being slowed by Bracha’s careful directions through the dangers that Hazael could barely see. This kind of stop-and-start pace had been normal for years, just like how Hazael couldn’t see the delicate beadwork of the dog’s collars unless he buried his face in their soft fur… but never wondered why his siblings didn’t do the same.
After a half-hour of searching, Hazael was beginning to give up hope that they would ever see the dark pup ever again. Too much time had passed and almost anything, or anyone, could have picked up the dog. “Come on, let’s go home,” Hazael said defeated as he tried to turn the dog in the opposite direction, but Bracha stubbornly refused to listen, pulling the boy along just a bit further, through a few more streets before skidding to a stop in front of a group of men dressed in traditional Judean attire. In one of their arms, Hazael could see a bundle of black fur and blue fabric squirming around. The men didn’t seem to notice the approach of Hazael and the two-month-old pups mother until the nervous Bracha yipped loudly, clearly wanting her pup returned to her.
Turning their heads now to the boy who had truthfully been too nervous to speak up, not knowing who these men were, he said in his native tongue, “Excuse me, but that’s my dog. Thank you for finding him, I am eternally grateful, but please place him down.” An embarrassed blush grew on his face as they stared at this strange boy. Not being able to see their expressions or their features, he was completely unaware of the fact that the awkward silence that followed was due to them not being able to understand him. Not some other unknown factor he was struggling to think of.
“Please, his mother misses him.” He added hastily as he motioned to Bracha, trying to make sense of why none of the men had answered him yet.
This character is currently a work in progress.
Check out their information page here.
This character is currently a work in progress.
Check out their information page here.
Badges
Deleted
Deleted
Having spent so much time with the canines, Hazael was quick to pick up their personalities and he knew that the dark-colored pup would be a troublemaker from the start. After all, he was always sticking his nose where it didn’t belong… quite literally in some cases whenever Hazael brought scraps of food hidden in his pockets. The celeb was always keen to get into mischief, but he had foolishly believed it’s young age would keep them near his mother. How on earth could he have not realized that this dog, out of all of them, would be the one to wander off if given the chance?
Hazael still couldn’t believe he had been dumb enough to not double check and make sure that the kennel door was closed behind him. It was only a miracle that he had seen the blur of dark-colored fur mixed with the blue streaks in his vision from the elaborate collar Nissa had made for the dogs as a practice for her sewing. If not, who knows how long it would have been before Hazael had noticed the pup was gone?
Quickly grabbing the pup’s mother, his beloved hound Bracha, and a rope lead from nearby, Hazael wasted no time chasing after the bounding pup, giddy in his newfound freedom. He barely made sure that the kennel had been securely locked before looping the road under Bracha’s collar and around his hand before they took off.
Despite their haste in setting off after the pup, the little mass of dark fur was lost in the sea of streets, but Hazael had been smart to grab Bracha who could easily smell the route her rebellious offspring had taken. She led him through the streets, guiding him down the blurry streets and through the narrow passageways that were strewn with objects that could cause Hazael to trip. “Come on, Bracha, where is he?” Hazael kept muttering under his breath in encouragement as the two of them navigated the streets. It never occurred to the fifteen-year-old that their journey was being slowed by Bracha’s careful directions through the dangers that Hazael could barely see. This kind of stop-and-start pace had been normal for years, just like how Hazael couldn’t see the delicate beadwork of the dog’s collars unless he buried his face in their soft fur… but never wondered why his siblings didn’t do the same.
After a half-hour of searching, Hazael was beginning to give up hope that they would ever see the dark pup ever again. Too much time had passed and almost anything, or anyone, could have picked up the dog. “Come on, let’s go home,” Hazael said defeated as he tried to turn the dog in the opposite direction, but Bracha stubbornly refused to listen, pulling the boy along just a bit further, through a few more streets before skidding to a stop in front of a group of men dressed in traditional Judean attire. In one of their arms, Hazael could see a bundle of black fur and blue fabric squirming around. The men didn’t seem to notice the approach of Hazael and the two-month-old pups mother until the nervous Bracha yipped loudly, clearly wanting her pup returned to her.
Turning their heads now to the boy who had truthfully been too nervous to speak up, not knowing who these men were, he said in his native tongue, “Excuse me, but that’s my dog. Thank you for finding him, I am eternally grateful, but please place him down.” An embarrassed blush grew on his face as they stared at this strange boy. Not being able to see their expressions or their features, he was completely unaware of the fact that the awkward silence that followed was due to them not being able to understand him. Not some other unknown factor he was struggling to think of.
“Please, his mother misses him.” He added hastily as he motioned to Bracha, trying to make sense of why none of the men had answered him yet.
Having spent so much time with the canines, Hazael was quick to pick up their personalities and he knew that the dark-colored pup would be a troublemaker from the start. After all, he was always sticking his nose where it didn’t belong… quite literally in some cases whenever Hazael brought scraps of food hidden in his pockets. The celeb was always keen to get into mischief, but he had foolishly believed it’s young age would keep them near his mother. How on earth could he have not realized that this dog, out of all of them, would be the one to wander off if given the chance?
Hazael still couldn’t believe he had been dumb enough to not double check and make sure that the kennel door was closed behind him. It was only a miracle that he had seen the blur of dark-colored fur mixed with the blue streaks in his vision from the elaborate collar Nissa had made for the dogs as a practice for her sewing. If not, who knows how long it would have been before Hazael had noticed the pup was gone?
Quickly grabbing the pup’s mother, his beloved hound Bracha, and a rope lead from nearby, Hazael wasted no time chasing after the bounding pup, giddy in his newfound freedom. He barely made sure that the kennel had been securely locked before looping the road under Bracha’s collar and around his hand before they took off.
Despite their haste in setting off after the pup, the little mass of dark fur was lost in the sea of streets, but Hazael had been smart to grab Bracha who could easily smell the route her rebellious offspring had taken. She led him through the streets, guiding him down the blurry streets and through the narrow passageways that were strewn with objects that could cause Hazael to trip. “Come on, Bracha, where is he?” Hazael kept muttering under his breath in encouragement as the two of them navigated the streets. It never occurred to the fifteen-year-old that their journey was being slowed by Bracha’s careful directions through the dangers that Hazael could barely see. This kind of stop-and-start pace had been normal for years, just like how Hazael couldn’t see the delicate beadwork of the dog’s collars unless he buried his face in their soft fur… but never wondered why his siblings didn’t do the same.
After a half-hour of searching, Hazael was beginning to give up hope that they would ever see the dark pup ever again. Too much time had passed and almost anything, or anyone, could have picked up the dog. “Come on, let’s go home,” Hazael said defeated as he tried to turn the dog in the opposite direction, but Bracha stubbornly refused to listen, pulling the boy along just a bit further, through a few more streets before skidding to a stop in front of a group of men dressed in traditional Judean attire. In one of their arms, Hazael could see a bundle of black fur and blue fabric squirming around. The men didn’t seem to notice the approach of Hazael and the two-month-old pups mother until the nervous Bracha yipped loudly, clearly wanting her pup returned to her.
Turning their heads now to the boy who had truthfully been too nervous to speak up, not knowing who these men were, he said in his native tongue, “Excuse me, but that’s my dog. Thank you for finding him, I am eternally grateful, but please place him down.” An embarrassed blush grew on his face as they stared at this strange boy. Not being able to see their expressions or their features, he was completely unaware of the fact that the awkward silence that followed was due to them not being able to understand him. Not some other unknown factor he was struggling to think of.
“Please, his mother misses him.” He added hastily as he motioned to Bracha, trying to make sense of why none of the men had answered him yet.
Instead of approaching a group of soldiers, Arela was heralded by Teris and Spiros. This both surprised her and immensely pleased her. Soon they were walking down the street, with Arela occasionally pointing out an object of interest and suggesting the next road to walk down in halting Greek. And like always, they followed her lead. It still amazed her that when she pointed out a good shop they stopped and took a look inside. They spent hours going in and out of these stores, and all the strange things inside never ceased to fascinate Arela who went from one object to the next, chattering excitedly in Judean with Greek additives. They seemed so amused at her excitement, Teris in particular smiled at her enthusiasm and even cut in every so often to tell her about something she didn’t know about.
It was upon coming out of one of these stores that a puppy came barking up to their feet. With dark fur and a bright blue collar it was clearly not a street dog. As the trio stared in surprise at the bold puppy it yipped sharply at Arela and she jumped away from it in surprise and maybe a little fear. Looking at the dog reminded her of Hazael and it wasn’t a pleasant reminder. Perhaps noticing Arela’s discomfort, Teris picked up the puppy and held it as it squirmed. She was distracted from her inner thoughts when Spiros gestured to the dog, "Skýlos" and she responded to him with a word of her own, "Celeb".
She did however remain separate from the dog even as it tried to squirm out of Teris’s arms towards her. "Are you alright?" asked Teris as he pulled the pup closer. She nodded, "I’ve never touched a skýlos before." it wasn’t that she’d had a lack of opportunities - Hazael was a member of her family after all but she had never been friendly enough with the boy to even want to approach his dogs. "Well then, now is the perfect time to start." he stepped closer to her, the puppy still squirming in her hands to get to her. Gingerly Arela raised her hand and as soon as it got close enough for the pup to reach she got a very sloppy lick over her palm, she screeched and pulled away to the laughter of Teris and Spiros. She glared for a moment and then fell into laughter with them.
Soon the entire trio was crooning over the pup. It was a fascinating creature and never seemed to be able to get enough attention. It was so fascinating that not one of them noticed the boy approaching until they heard the bark of an older dog. Turning to see Hazael shocked Arela to the core and explanations began to run through her head - she had seen the dog and thought it might be his, the dog was too cute to pass by, she didn’t know they were Greek but out of her brother’s mouth came not accusations but words of claiming. He didn’t know. Arela breathed a sigh of relief, he didn’t recognize her. Then Hazael gestured to his dog and repeated his plea and Arela realized that Teris and Spiros were waiting for her.
Maybe he wouldn’t question it, after all he had proven his obliviousness before. In Greek she spoke to Teris and Spiros: "That’s my brother, he says the puppy is one of his." then, turning to Hazael she swallowed her fear and spoke in their native tongue, "You know, you can’t just walk up to a Greek and expect them to understand you. Most won’t." he really did seem determined to get that dog back though. "Is it really yours?"
This character is currently a work in progress.
Check out their information page here.
This character is currently a work in progress.
Check out their information page here.
Badges
Deleted
Deleted
Instead of approaching a group of soldiers, Arela was heralded by Teris and Spiros. This both surprised her and immensely pleased her. Soon they were walking down the street, with Arela occasionally pointing out an object of interest and suggesting the next road to walk down in halting Greek. And like always, they followed her lead. It still amazed her that when she pointed out a good shop they stopped and took a look inside. They spent hours going in and out of these stores, and all the strange things inside never ceased to fascinate Arela who went from one object to the next, chattering excitedly in Judean with Greek additives. They seemed so amused at her excitement, Teris in particular smiled at her enthusiasm and even cut in every so often to tell her about something she didn’t know about.
It was upon coming out of one of these stores that a puppy came barking up to their feet. With dark fur and a bright blue collar it was clearly not a street dog. As the trio stared in surprise at the bold puppy it yipped sharply at Arela and she jumped away from it in surprise and maybe a little fear. Looking at the dog reminded her of Hazael and it wasn’t a pleasant reminder. Perhaps noticing Arela’s discomfort, Teris picked up the puppy and held it as it squirmed. She was distracted from her inner thoughts when Spiros gestured to the dog, "Skýlos" and she responded to him with a word of her own, "Celeb".
She did however remain separate from the dog even as it tried to squirm out of Teris’s arms towards her. "Are you alright?" asked Teris as he pulled the pup closer. She nodded, "I’ve never touched a skýlos before." it wasn’t that she’d had a lack of opportunities - Hazael was a member of her family after all but she had never been friendly enough with the boy to even want to approach his dogs. "Well then, now is the perfect time to start." he stepped closer to her, the puppy still squirming in her hands to get to her. Gingerly Arela raised her hand and as soon as it got close enough for the pup to reach she got a very sloppy lick over her palm, she screeched and pulled away to the laughter of Teris and Spiros. She glared for a moment and then fell into laughter with them.
Soon the entire trio was crooning over the pup. It was a fascinating creature and never seemed to be able to get enough attention. It was so fascinating that not one of them noticed the boy approaching until they heard the bark of an older dog. Turning to see Hazael shocked Arela to the core and explanations began to run through her head - she had seen the dog and thought it might be his, the dog was too cute to pass by, she didn’t know they were Greek but out of her brother’s mouth came not accusations but words of claiming. He didn’t know. Arela breathed a sigh of relief, he didn’t recognize her. Then Hazael gestured to his dog and repeated his plea and Arela realized that Teris and Spiros were waiting for her.
Maybe he wouldn’t question it, after all he had proven his obliviousness before. In Greek she spoke to Teris and Spiros: "That’s my brother, he says the puppy is one of his." then, turning to Hazael she swallowed her fear and spoke in their native tongue, "You know, you can’t just walk up to a Greek and expect them to understand you. Most won’t." he really did seem determined to get that dog back though. "Is it really yours?"
Instead of approaching a group of soldiers, Arela was heralded by Teris and Spiros. This both surprised her and immensely pleased her. Soon they were walking down the street, with Arela occasionally pointing out an object of interest and suggesting the next road to walk down in halting Greek. And like always, they followed her lead. It still amazed her that when she pointed out a good shop they stopped and took a look inside. They spent hours going in and out of these stores, and all the strange things inside never ceased to fascinate Arela who went from one object to the next, chattering excitedly in Judean with Greek additives. They seemed so amused at her excitement, Teris in particular smiled at her enthusiasm and even cut in every so often to tell her about something she didn’t know about.
It was upon coming out of one of these stores that a puppy came barking up to their feet. With dark fur and a bright blue collar it was clearly not a street dog. As the trio stared in surprise at the bold puppy it yipped sharply at Arela and she jumped away from it in surprise and maybe a little fear. Looking at the dog reminded her of Hazael and it wasn’t a pleasant reminder. Perhaps noticing Arela’s discomfort, Teris picked up the puppy and held it as it squirmed. She was distracted from her inner thoughts when Spiros gestured to the dog, "Skýlos" and she responded to him with a word of her own, "Celeb".
She did however remain separate from the dog even as it tried to squirm out of Teris’s arms towards her. "Are you alright?" asked Teris as he pulled the pup closer. She nodded, "I’ve never touched a skýlos before." it wasn’t that she’d had a lack of opportunities - Hazael was a member of her family after all but she had never been friendly enough with the boy to even want to approach his dogs. "Well then, now is the perfect time to start." he stepped closer to her, the puppy still squirming in her hands to get to her. Gingerly Arela raised her hand and as soon as it got close enough for the pup to reach she got a very sloppy lick over her palm, she screeched and pulled away to the laughter of Teris and Spiros. She glared for a moment and then fell into laughter with them.
Soon the entire trio was crooning over the pup. It was a fascinating creature and never seemed to be able to get enough attention. It was so fascinating that not one of them noticed the boy approaching until they heard the bark of an older dog. Turning to see Hazael shocked Arela to the core and explanations began to run through her head - she had seen the dog and thought it might be his, the dog was too cute to pass by, she didn’t know they were Greek but out of her brother’s mouth came not accusations but words of claiming. He didn’t know. Arela breathed a sigh of relief, he didn’t recognize her. Then Hazael gestured to his dog and repeated his plea and Arela realized that Teris and Spiros were waiting for her.
Maybe he wouldn’t question it, after all he had proven his obliviousness before. In Greek she spoke to Teris and Spiros: "That’s my brother, he says the puppy is one of his." then, turning to Hazael she swallowed her fear and spoke in their native tongue, "You know, you can’t just walk up to a Greek and expect them to understand you. Most won’t." he really did seem determined to get that dog back though. "Is it really yours?"
If Hazael had to name all the possible people who could have found the missing pup, it was safe for him to say that his eldest sister would have taken up the slot right after practically every other person in Israel. Arela had never shown any interest in his dogs or even in Hazael for that matter. She had always been cold, distant, as well as even spiteful towards both him and the dogs for as long as he could remember. It never even occurred to him that Arela would want to even be near any celeb; let alone be the one to find the missing puppy.
Perhaps this is why Hazael looked so surprised when he heard Arela’s voice among the group. “Arela?” He said in shock, his tone making it clear that he hadn’t recognized his sister up until she spoke. In fact, her unexpected arrival may have actually helped her hide her secret from her brother who couldn’t see the details of any of their faces as he was so busy trying to make sense of what her sister was doing out here, that it never even crossed his mind that she had spoken in Greek.
“What are you --” He started to say, intent on discovering what his sister was doing out here with none of their other siblings, but he was quickly cut off by her chastisement. However, this only left him with more questions than answers...
He was talking to Greeks? A small bubble of anxiety surfaced within him when Arela mentioned that little tidbit he had failed to notice earlier. His father, Avriam, was very clear with his children when it came to these foreigners within their city; they were not to be trusted and none of them should ever talk to them if they could help it. They were too dangerous and only hadn’t shown their claws against their people because everyone knew that the Israelites couldn’t fight back.
These warnings and reminders were swirling in his head when he hissed back at her, “They don’t look Greek to me and besides, they’re in OUR city. They should know our language.” What he spat out was almost an exact word for word copy of what their father would say during one of his tirades against the soldiers. It sounded so strange to Hazael for him to hear it in his weak-willed, cowardly voice rather than the large, booming one that belonged to their father.
Taking a moment to pause on what he just said, another realization dawned upon the slow boy’s mind. Just what was Arela doing with the Greek soldiers? She was clearly a part of the group when he arrived so it wasn’t like she had just stumbled across them like he had. It was confusing and he didn’t know what to make of it, his mind not even being able to fathom why any of them would go against what their father had warned them not to do.
He opened his mouth to ask her as much, but he was swiftly cut off by Arela asking if the puppy was truly his. The question died on his lips as he glanced over at his sister with an expression that conveyed a wordless message that said, Are you serious right now?
“Yes, it is.” Hazael said, looking at the blur that was his sister with a confused expression on his face. He then motioned to the antsy dog at his side, eager to be reunited with her missing pup. Bracha’s behavior alone was a good indicator that the pup belonged to him and Hazael didn’t feel the need to state such an obvious fact. However, the mere fact that Arela had questioned whether or not the dog was his brought forth a slight twinge of doubt in his mind. What if he was wrong? What if Bracha’s maternal instinct was so strong that she saw a random puppy and believed it to be hers? It was possible, highly improbable, but still possible.
However, once Hazael’s eyes settled on the little splotch of blue around the pup’s neck, his fears were set aside. After all, it seemed very unlikely that there were other pups of the same darkened coat color running around Israel with blue embroidered collars. Most people didn’t care about celebs enough to give them such a luxury. His next words reminded her of this fact, “Look at the collar. Nissa made it.” Surely, Arela would be able to recognize the handiwork of her own twin sister, even if the collar had been fashioned out of ruined scrap that would only be of use to the dogs.
Bracha kept pulling on the leash he held tightly onto and responded to the pups excited yips with little whimpers as she tried to rush over to her offspring. Hazael was now struggling a bit to keep her at his side and as he tried to convince Bracha to settle down, he glanced over to his sister. His eyes wordlessly pleaded for her to get the puppy back from these intruders so that the mama dog may finally calm down so that they may all have a moment’s peace.
This character is currently a work in progress.
Check out their information page here.
This character is currently a work in progress.
Check out their information page here.
Badges
Deleted
Deleted
If Hazael had to name all the possible people who could have found the missing pup, it was safe for him to say that his eldest sister would have taken up the slot right after practically every other person in Israel. Arela had never shown any interest in his dogs or even in Hazael for that matter. She had always been cold, distant, as well as even spiteful towards both him and the dogs for as long as he could remember. It never even occurred to him that Arela would want to even be near any celeb; let alone be the one to find the missing puppy.
Perhaps this is why Hazael looked so surprised when he heard Arela’s voice among the group. “Arela?” He said in shock, his tone making it clear that he hadn’t recognized his sister up until she spoke. In fact, her unexpected arrival may have actually helped her hide her secret from her brother who couldn’t see the details of any of their faces as he was so busy trying to make sense of what her sister was doing out here, that it never even crossed his mind that she had spoken in Greek.
“What are you --” He started to say, intent on discovering what his sister was doing out here with none of their other siblings, but he was quickly cut off by her chastisement. However, this only left him with more questions than answers...
He was talking to Greeks? A small bubble of anxiety surfaced within him when Arela mentioned that little tidbit he had failed to notice earlier. His father, Avriam, was very clear with his children when it came to these foreigners within their city; they were not to be trusted and none of them should ever talk to them if they could help it. They were too dangerous and only hadn’t shown their claws against their people because everyone knew that the Israelites couldn’t fight back.
These warnings and reminders were swirling in his head when he hissed back at her, “They don’t look Greek to me and besides, they’re in OUR city. They should know our language.” What he spat out was almost an exact word for word copy of what their father would say during one of his tirades against the soldiers. It sounded so strange to Hazael for him to hear it in his weak-willed, cowardly voice rather than the large, booming one that belonged to their father.
Taking a moment to pause on what he just said, another realization dawned upon the slow boy’s mind. Just what was Arela doing with the Greek soldiers? She was clearly a part of the group when he arrived so it wasn’t like she had just stumbled across them like he had. It was confusing and he didn’t know what to make of it, his mind not even being able to fathom why any of them would go against what their father had warned them not to do.
He opened his mouth to ask her as much, but he was swiftly cut off by Arela asking if the puppy was truly his. The question died on his lips as he glanced over at his sister with an expression that conveyed a wordless message that said, Are you serious right now?
“Yes, it is.” Hazael said, looking at the blur that was his sister with a confused expression on his face. He then motioned to the antsy dog at his side, eager to be reunited with her missing pup. Bracha’s behavior alone was a good indicator that the pup belonged to him and Hazael didn’t feel the need to state such an obvious fact. However, the mere fact that Arela had questioned whether or not the dog was his brought forth a slight twinge of doubt in his mind. What if he was wrong? What if Bracha’s maternal instinct was so strong that she saw a random puppy and believed it to be hers? It was possible, highly improbable, but still possible.
However, once Hazael’s eyes settled on the little splotch of blue around the pup’s neck, his fears were set aside. After all, it seemed very unlikely that there were other pups of the same darkened coat color running around Israel with blue embroidered collars. Most people didn’t care about celebs enough to give them such a luxury. His next words reminded her of this fact, “Look at the collar. Nissa made it.” Surely, Arela would be able to recognize the handiwork of her own twin sister, even if the collar had been fashioned out of ruined scrap that would only be of use to the dogs.
Bracha kept pulling on the leash he held tightly onto and responded to the pups excited yips with little whimpers as she tried to rush over to her offspring. Hazael was now struggling a bit to keep her at his side and as he tried to convince Bracha to settle down, he glanced over to his sister. His eyes wordlessly pleaded for her to get the puppy back from these intruders so that the mama dog may finally calm down so that they may all have a moment’s peace.
If Hazael had to name all the possible people who could have found the missing pup, it was safe for him to say that his eldest sister would have taken up the slot right after practically every other person in Israel. Arela had never shown any interest in his dogs or even in Hazael for that matter. She had always been cold, distant, as well as even spiteful towards both him and the dogs for as long as he could remember. It never even occurred to him that Arela would want to even be near any celeb; let alone be the one to find the missing puppy.
Perhaps this is why Hazael looked so surprised when he heard Arela’s voice among the group. “Arela?” He said in shock, his tone making it clear that he hadn’t recognized his sister up until she spoke. In fact, her unexpected arrival may have actually helped her hide her secret from her brother who couldn’t see the details of any of their faces as he was so busy trying to make sense of what her sister was doing out here, that it never even crossed his mind that she had spoken in Greek.
“What are you --” He started to say, intent on discovering what his sister was doing out here with none of their other siblings, but he was quickly cut off by her chastisement. However, this only left him with more questions than answers...
He was talking to Greeks? A small bubble of anxiety surfaced within him when Arela mentioned that little tidbit he had failed to notice earlier. His father, Avriam, was very clear with his children when it came to these foreigners within their city; they were not to be trusted and none of them should ever talk to them if they could help it. They were too dangerous and only hadn’t shown their claws against their people because everyone knew that the Israelites couldn’t fight back.
These warnings and reminders were swirling in his head when he hissed back at her, “They don’t look Greek to me and besides, they’re in OUR city. They should know our language.” What he spat out was almost an exact word for word copy of what their father would say during one of his tirades against the soldiers. It sounded so strange to Hazael for him to hear it in his weak-willed, cowardly voice rather than the large, booming one that belonged to their father.
Taking a moment to pause on what he just said, another realization dawned upon the slow boy’s mind. Just what was Arela doing with the Greek soldiers? She was clearly a part of the group when he arrived so it wasn’t like she had just stumbled across them like he had. It was confusing and he didn’t know what to make of it, his mind not even being able to fathom why any of them would go against what their father had warned them not to do.
He opened his mouth to ask her as much, but he was swiftly cut off by Arela asking if the puppy was truly his. The question died on his lips as he glanced over at his sister with an expression that conveyed a wordless message that said, Are you serious right now?
“Yes, it is.” Hazael said, looking at the blur that was his sister with a confused expression on his face. He then motioned to the antsy dog at his side, eager to be reunited with her missing pup. Bracha’s behavior alone was a good indicator that the pup belonged to him and Hazael didn’t feel the need to state such an obvious fact. However, the mere fact that Arela had questioned whether or not the dog was his brought forth a slight twinge of doubt in his mind. What if he was wrong? What if Bracha’s maternal instinct was so strong that she saw a random puppy and believed it to be hers? It was possible, highly improbable, but still possible.
However, once Hazael’s eyes settled on the little splotch of blue around the pup’s neck, his fears were set aside. After all, it seemed very unlikely that there were other pups of the same darkened coat color running around Israel with blue embroidered collars. Most people didn’t care about celebs enough to give them such a luxury. His next words reminded her of this fact, “Look at the collar. Nissa made it.” Surely, Arela would be able to recognize the handiwork of her own twin sister, even if the collar had been fashioned out of ruined scrap that would only be of use to the dogs.
Bracha kept pulling on the leash he held tightly onto and responded to the pups excited yips with little whimpers as she tried to rush over to her offspring. Hazael was now struggling a bit to keep her at his side and as he tried to convince Bracha to settle down, he glanced over to his sister. His eyes wordlessly pleaded for her to get the puppy back from these intruders so that the mama dog may finally calm down so that they may all have a moment’s peace.
Well, obliviousness was his strong suit. She supposed she shouldn’t have been surprised that her little brother hadn’t even noticed whom he was standing in front of. "Yes id--" the rest of her sentence was hurriedly broken off as Arela remembered the presence of Tiras and Spiros. Though insulting her brother was a norm for Arela it seemed wrong to do so in front of them. She wasn’t quite sure why though. It had been a normality in their relationship for as long as Hazael had been around. It was no secret that she hated the intruder into her family. And yet she had stopped herself from insulting him.
It had been a long time since Arela had stood in the company of both her family and Greek soldiers, and she and forgotten just how nerve-wracking it was. One word from Hazael to their father could spark an entire personal lecture just for her and a closer eye as well. She needed to smooth this over.
Hazael’s hissed words echoed those their father spoke daily on his many tirades against the Greeks. Tiras spoke those words upon occasion but she had never heard Hazael speak them before. It seemed odd to hear father’s words on the quiet and timid Hazael’s tongue. It wasn’t just odd either, for Arela it was terrifying. She hadn’t thought much about how their father’s beliefs would impact the younger children and it was scary to look into the eyes of her little, oblivious brother and see Avriam.
She wanted to say something to defend the men standing behind her, bewildered at the exchange, not quite understanding what was being said. But her mouth remained shut. To defend them would be going against the family, to defend them would be to condemn herself to being stuck in the house forever. So instead she glared. It appeared that, as usual when Hazael appeared out of nowhere, her life was to be ruined again.
The look Hazael gave her after she had so innocently asked after the true ownership of the pup only served to annoy her further. Perhaps to many people it seemed obvious that a boy with a mother dog looking for a puppy with a blue collar must be the owner of the puppy with a blue collar currently attacking you. But didn’t that seem a bit too convenient? A closer glance at the collar and the insistent whining of the dog he always had with him convinced her. She turned to Teris, unsure how to let him know what was going on before deciding not to explain. She motioned at the ground while in Hebrew saying, "Put the dog down please. It’s his." It was difficult to tell how much of what she said had been understood by the pair of soldiers but nevertheless Teris lowered the puppy to the ground.
It was adorable really, seeing the puppy bound up to his mother. It almost got a smile out of her, almost. And perhaps, under different circumstances it would’ve. After all just a moment before she had been laughing. But now she was in a completely different situation. Caught between Greek soldiers and her brother. The oblivious one perhaps, the easiest one to handle but still a brother.
It surprised her how intuitive Teris was, he always seemed to notice her discomfort. His soft voice came from behind her once the puppy had safely reached his mother, "You good?" it took a moment for her to realize that he had spoken in hesitant Hebrew. A burst of pride bubbled in her chest, and only the sight of Hazael in front of her stopped the smile that threatened to overtake her face. Nevertheless her expression brightened considerably as she nodded in response to his question. With a few soft words to Spiros, the pair of soldiers turned away.
She was left alone with Hazael.
This character is currently a work in progress.
Check out their information page here.
This character is currently a work in progress.
Check out their information page here.
Badges
Deleted
Deleted
Well, obliviousness was his strong suit. She supposed she shouldn’t have been surprised that her little brother hadn’t even noticed whom he was standing in front of. "Yes id--" the rest of her sentence was hurriedly broken off as Arela remembered the presence of Tiras and Spiros. Though insulting her brother was a norm for Arela it seemed wrong to do so in front of them. She wasn’t quite sure why though. It had been a normality in their relationship for as long as Hazael had been around. It was no secret that she hated the intruder into her family. And yet she had stopped herself from insulting him.
It had been a long time since Arela had stood in the company of both her family and Greek soldiers, and she and forgotten just how nerve-wracking it was. One word from Hazael to their father could spark an entire personal lecture just for her and a closer eye as well. She needed to smooth this over.
Hazael’s hissed words echoed those their father spoke daily on his many tirades against the Greeks. Tiras spoke those words upon occasion but she had never heard Hazael speak them before. It seemed odd to hear father’s words on the quiet and timid Hazael’s tongue. It wasn’t just odd either, for Arela it was terrifying. She hadn’t thought much about how their father’s beliefs would impact the younger children and it was scary to look into the eyes of her little, oblivious brother and see Avriam.
She wanted to say something to defend the men standing behind her, bewildered at the exchange, not quite understanding what was being said. But her mouth remained shut. To defend them would be going against the family, to defend them would be to condemn herself to being stuck in the house forever. So instead she glared. It appeared that, as usual when Hazael appeared out of nowhere, her life was to be ruined again.
The look Hazael gave her after she had so innocently asked after the true ownership of the pup only served to annoy her further. Perhaps to many people it seemed obvious that a boy with a mother dog looking for a puppy with a blue collar must be the owner of the puppy with a blue collar currently attacking you. But didn’t that seem a bit too convenient? A closer glance at the collar and the insistent whining of the dog he always had with him convinced her. She turned to Teris, unsure how to let him know what was going on before deciding not to explain. She motioned at the ground while in Hebrew saying, "Put the dog down please. It’s his." It was difficult to tell how much of what she said had been understood by the pair of soldiers but nevertheless Teris lowered the puppy to the ground.
It was adorable really, seeing the puppy bound up to his mother. It almost got a smile out of her, almost. And perhaps, under different circumstances it would’ve. After all just a moment before she had been laughing. But now she was in a completely different situation. Caught between Greek soldiers and her brother. The oblivious one perhaps, the easiest one to handle but still a brother.
It surprised her how intuitive Teris was, he always seemed to notice her discomfort. His soft voice came from behind her once the puppy had safely reached his mother, "You good?" it took a moment for her to realize that he had spoken in hesitant Hebrew. A burst of pride bubbled in her chest, and only the sight of Hazael in front of her stopped the smile that threatened to overtake her face. Nevertheless her expression brightened considerably as she nodded in response to his question. With a few soft words to Spiros, the pair of soldiers turned away.
She was left alone with Hazael.
Well, obliviousness was his strong suit. She supposed she shouldn’t have been surprised that her little brother hadn’t even noticed whom he was standing in front of. "Yes id--" the rest of her sentence was hurriedly broken off as Arela remembered the presence of Tiras and Spiros. Though insulting her brother was a norm for Arela it seemed wrong to do so in front of them. She wasn’t quite sure why though. It had been a normality in their relationship for as long as Hazael had been around. It was no secret that she hated the intruder into her family. And yet she had stopped herself from insulting him.
It had been a long time since Arela had stood in the company of both her family and Greek soldiers, and she and forgotten just how nerve-wracking it was. One word from Hazael to their father could spark an entire personal lecture just for her and a closer eye as well. She needed to smooth this over.
Hazael’s hissed words echoed those their father spoke daily on his many tirades against the Greeks. Tiras spoke those words upon occasion but she had never heard Hazael speak them before. It seemed odd to hear father’s words on the quiet and timid Hazael’s tongue. It wasn’t just odd either, for Arela it was terrifying. She hadn’t thought much about how their father’s beliefs would impact the younger children and it was scary to look into the eyes of her little, oblivious brother and see Avriam.
She wanted to say something to defend the men standing behind her, bewildered at the exchange, not quite understanding what was being said. But her mouth remained shut. To defend them would be going against the family, to defend them would be to condemn herself to being stuck in the house forever. So instead she glared. It appeared that, as usual when Hazael appeared out of nowhere, her life was to be ruined again.
The look Hazael gave her after she had so innocently asked after the true ownership of the pup only served to annoy her further. Perhaps to many people it seemed obvious that a boy with a mother dog looking for a puppy with a blue collar must be the owner of the puppy with a blue collar currently attacking you. But didn’t that seem a bit too convenient? A closer glance at the collar and the insistent whining of the dog he always had with him convinced her. She turned to Teris, unsure how to let him know what was going on before deciding not to explain. She motioned at the ground while in Hebrew saying, "Put the dog down please. It’s his." It was difficult to tell how much of what she said had been understood by the pair of soldiers but nevertheless Teris lowered the puppy to the ground.
It was adorable really, seeing the puppy bound up to his mother. It almost got a smile out of her, almost. And perhaps, under different circumstances it would’ve. After all just a moment before she had been laughing. But now she was in a completely different situation. Caught between Greek soldiers and her brother. The oblivious one perhaps, the easiest one to handle but still a brother.
It surprised her how intuitive Teris was, he always seemed to notice her discomfort. His soft voice came from behind her once the puppy had safely reached his mother, "You good?" it took a moment for her to realize that he had spoken in hesitant Hebrew. A burst of pride bubbled in her chest, and only the sight of Hazael in front of her stopped the smile that threatened to overtake her face. Nevertheless her expression brightened considerably as she nodded in response to his question. With a few soft words to Spiros, the pair of soldiers turned away.
She was left alone with Hazael.
Having known Arela for all fifteen years of his life thus far, Hazael was more than accustomed to her using insults to refer to him. It was just an aspect of their relationship (or honestly lack thereof) that he had come to expect. She would insult him. He would ignore it because he couldn’t fight back. It was just as naturally to the two of them as it was to eat or breathe.
So, when Arela actively decided to not insult him, Hazael narrowed his eyes at her, bringing her ever so slightly more into focus amid his confusion. That’s not normal, he silently thought to himself as he wordlessly tried to ask her what was going on. She didn’t seem so keen on giving an answer though, not that Hazael had expected her too. He had learned long ago that Arela was like Avriam in that he was not to question what she did. She didn’t have the time of day to be bothered with nuisances like him. She did, however, seemingly have the kindness within her to step in between the boy and the soldiers in order to ask that the puppy was set down.
After a tense moment, Hazael breathed a sigh of relief when the soldier finally set the pup down. Immediately it bounded over to Bracha, finally putting to rest the question as to whether the pup was Hazael’s or not. Unlike Arela, he beamed at the sight as he visibly relaxed a bit as the stress of tracking down the missing pup had finally abated. A small part of him wanted to immediately reach down and scoop the dog up into his arms so that he couldn’t run away again, but he resisted the urge while the two dogs were celebrating their union. Bracha was a good mother, she would be able to mind her own pup for a moment.
Turning to the other men, he recognized that he should probably say something to them in order to show his gratitude that they had indeed given the pup back… even as reluctant he was to even be talking to them at all given how their father would probably kill both him and Arela if he learned about what had happened today. “Thank you,” He said in shaky Greek. It was one of the few phrases he sort of knew, on account he had heard it said to the family in the store countless times with every Greek who passed through. In truth, he probably badly butchered it as he didn’t know the words, he was merely parroting back the sounds, but hopefully, the men would understand.
The men didn’t respond to him, which Hazael was truthfully grateful for as he wanted to end this awkward encounter between their two worlds as quickly as possible. One of the men stepped forward though and instinctively Hazael bent down to pick up the pup that had started this whole mess. It yipped loudly as the boy lifted him up, causing Hazael to miss the Hebrew words Spiros spoke and the way his sister reacted to said words. She truly was lucky that he was the oblivious one of their family. After all, it was far easier for him to just tune out the rest of the world whenever his dogs were nearby.
He fussed over the pup for a moment, physically checking him for any injuries that might have come about during his great adventure through the streets. The boy breathed a sigh of relief when it was clear that there wasn’t even a scratch on him. It was only then when he looked up again did he notice that the Greeks had walked away, leaving the brother and sister alone in the streets. His eyebrows furrowed at this, unsure of how they had managed to slip away without him noticing, but it wasn’t that great of a concern truthfully. Not when it was compared to the question that had been on his mind since when he had found his sister out here with the missing pup.
“Arela,” He said in his natural quiet tone, but far more timid than usual as he was fully expecting his sister to launch into a barrage of insults as her answer, “What were you doing with those Greeks? You know what father says about them.” He fully didn’t expect his sister to tell him the truth. Arela was not very subtle in her contempt for Hazael during the best of times and this was clearly a situation he was not supposed to know about. He knew that he had probably done nothing, but flare up his older sister’s temper.
But at the same time, there was a small tiny sliver of a chance that she might divulge some sort of explanation. Something that could hopefully put his mind at ease given the dangerous situation his sister was all too willing to spend time with the monsters that dared to call themselves “Greek”
This character is currently a work in progress.
Check out their information page here.
This character is currently a work in progress.
Check out their information page here.
Badges
Deleted
Deleted
Having known Arela for all fifteen years of his life thus far, Hazael was more than accustomed to her using insults to refer to him. It was just an aspect of their relationship (or honestly lack thereof) that he had come to expect. She would insult him. He would ignore it because he couldn’t fight back. It was just as naturally to the two of them as it was to eat or breathe.
So, when Arela actively decided to not insult him, Hazael narrowed his eyes at her, bringing her ever so slightly more into focus amid his confusion. That’s not normal, he silently thought to himself as he wordlessly tried to ask her what was going on. She didn’t seem so keen on giving an answer though, not that Hazael had expected her too. He had learned long ago that Arela was like Avriam in that he was not to question what she did. She didn’t have the time of day to be bothered with nuisances like him. She did, however, seemingly have the kindness within her to step in between the boy and the soldiers in order to ask that the puppy was set down.
After a tense moment, Hazael breathed a sigh of relief when the soldier finally set the pup down. Immediately it bounded over to Bracha, finally putting to rest the question as to whether the pup was Hazael’s or not. Unlike Arela, he beamed at the sight as he visibly relaxed a bit as the stress of tracking down the missing pup had finally abated. A small part of him wanted to immediately reach down and scoop the dog up into his arms so that he couldn’t run away again, but he resisted the urge while the two dogs were celebrating their union. Bracha was a good mother, she would be able to mind her own pup for a moment.
Turning to the other men, he recognized that he should probably say something to them in order to show his gratitude that they had indeed given the pup back… even as reluctant he was to even be talking to them at all given how their father would probably kill both him and Arela if he learned about what had happened today. “Thank you,” He said in shaky Greek. It was one of the few phrases he sort of knew, on account he had heard it said to the family in the store countless times with every Greek who passed through. In truth, he probably badly butchered it as he didn’t know the words, he was merely parroting back the sounds, but hopefully, the men would understand.
The men didn’t respond to him, which Hazael was truthfully grateful for as he wanted to end this awkward encounter between their two worlds as quickly as possible. One of the men stepped forward though and instinctively Hazael bent down to pick up the pup that had started this whole mess. It yipped loudly as the boy lifted him up, causing Hazael to miss the Hebrew words Spiros spoke and the way his sister reacted to said words. She truly was lucky that he was the oblivious one of their family. After all, it was far easier for him to just tune out the rest of the world whenever his dogs were nearby.
He fussed over the pup for a moment, physically checking him for any injuries that might have come about during his great adventure through the streets. The boy breathed a sigh of relief when it was clear that there wasn’t even a scratch on him. It was only then when he looked up again did he notice that the Greeks had walked away, leaving the brother and sister alone in the streets. His eyebrows furrowed at this, unsure of how they had managed to slip away without him noticing, but it wasn’t that great of a concern truthfully. Not when it was compared to the question that had been on his mind since when he had found his sister out here with the missing pup.
“Arela,” He said in his natural quiet tone, but far more timid than usual as he was fully expecting his sister to launch into a barrage of insults as her answer, “What were you doing with those Greeks? You know what father says about them.” He fully didn’t expect his sister to tell him the truth. Arela was not very subtle in her contempt for Hazael during the best of times and this was clearly a situation he was not supposed to know about. He knew that he had probably done nothing, but flare up his older sister’s temper.
But at the same time, there was a small tiny sliver of a chance that she might divulge some sort of explanation. Something that could hopefully put his mind at ease given the dangerous situation his sister was all too willing to spend time with the monsters that dared to call themselves “Greek”
Having known Arela for all fifteen years of his life thus far, Hazael was more than accustomed to her using insults to refer to him. It was just an aspect of their relationship (or honestly lack thereof) that he had come to expect. She would insult him. He would ignore it because he couldn’t fight back. It was just as naturally to the two of them as it was to eat or breathe.
So, when Arela actively decided to not insult him, Hazael narrowed his eyes at her, bringing her ever so slightly more into focus amid his confusion. That’s not normal, he silently thought to himself as he wordlessly tried to ask her what was going on. She didn’t seem so keen on giving an answer though, not that Hazael had expected her too. He had learned long ago that Arela was like Avriam in that he was not to question what she did. She didn’t have the time of day to be bothered with nuisances like him. She did, however, seemingly have the kindness within her to step in between the boy and the soldiers in order to ask that the puppy was set down.
After a tense moment, Hazael breathed a sigh of relief when the soldier finally set the pup down. Immediately it bounded over to Bracha, finally putting to rest the question as to whether the pup was Hazael’s or not. Unlike Arela, he beamed at the sight as he visibly relaxed a bit as the stress of tracking down the missing pup had finally abated. A small part of him wanted to immediately reach down and scoop the dog up into his arms so that he couldn’t run away again, but he resisted the urge while the two dogs were celebrating their union. Bracha was a good mother, she would be able to mind her own pup for a moment.
Turning to the other men, he recognized that he should probably say something to them in order to show his gratitude that they had indeed given the pup back… even as reluctant he was to even be talking to them at all given how their father would probably kill both him and Arela if he learned about what had happened today. “Thank you,” He said in shaky Greek. It was one of the few phrases he sort of knew, on account he had heard it said to the family in the store countless times with every Greek who passed through. In truth, he probably badly butchered it as he didn’t know the words, he was merely parroting back the sounds, but hopefully, the men would understand.
The men didn’t respond to him, which Hazael was truthfully grateful for as he wanted to end this awkward encounter between their two worlds as quickly as possible. One of the men stepped forward though and instinctively Hazael bent down to pick up the pup that had started this whole mess. It yipped loudly as the boy lifted him up, causing Hazael to miss the Hebrew words Spiros spoke and the way his sister reacted to said words. She truly was lucky that he was the oblivious one of their family. After all, it was far easier for him to just tune out the rest of the world whenever his dogs were nearby.
He fussed over the pup for a moment, physically checking him for any injuries that might have come about during his great adventure through the streets. The boy breathed a sigh of relief when it was clear that there wasn’t even a scratch on him. It was only then when he looked up again did he notice that the Greeks had walked away, leaving the brother and sister alone in the streets. His eyebrows furrowed at this, unsure of how they had managed to slip away without him noticing, but it wasn’t that great of a concern truthfully. Not when it was compared to the question that had been on his mind since when he had found his sister out here with the missing pup.
“Arela,” He said in his natural quiet tone, but far more timid than usual as he was fully expecting his sister to launch into a barrage of insults as her answer, “What were you doing with those Greeks? You know what father says about them.” He fully didn’t expect his sister to tell him the truth. Arela was not very subtle in her contempt for Hazael during the best of times and this was clearly a situation he was not supposed to know about. He knew that he had probably done nothing, but flare up his older sister’s temper.
But at the same time, there was a small tiny sliver of a chance that she might divulge some sort of explanation. Something that could hopefully put his mind at ease given the dangerous situation his sister was all too willing to spend time with the monsters that dared to call themselves “Greek”
At Hazael’s narrowed eyes and silent questioning Arela knew that her refrain had been noticed and marked as suspicious. Inwardly she cursed and yet somehow she was still glad that she had used her restraint. Thankfully with the ‘release’ of the puppy Hazael was quickly distracted. Hazael’s silent question had reminded her that every moment the soldiers were around was another moment that she could be exposed. That is if Hazael hadn’t figured out already. No of course he hadn’t. He was Hazael.
She was however surprised to hear rudimentary Greek come from her brother’s mouth, more surprised that he would make any kind of effort to bridge the two worlds. Surprised that he would stoop to such a proverbial low. She seized the memory and locked it in her vault, prepared to use his words as a weapon against him, but also knowing that it meant that Hazael wasn’t as similar to Avriam and Tiras as he might like to think.
It excited her but after the soldiers disappeared and his questions bubbled to the surface, she remembered that a single step was not enough. She remembered what she stood to lose if Avriam had even an inkling of what his daughter had dedicated her days to doing. She remembered that she couldn’t trust Hazael with anything let alone her secret.
"What’s it to you? It was your little monster that attacked me!" for a moment Arela lingered over her choice of words, but she quickly put that out of her mind. "You’re just lucky the soldiers saw and picked it up!" It was true, it was his fault. His fault that her secret was coming into question. His fault, just like everything else. "If you weren’t so obtuse and slow, I wouldn’t have needed to find sanctuary from that little monster!"
It never occurred to her that she might be speaking too harshly, it never had before and it didn’t now. The moment of happiness with the puppy was long gone now, without the security the soldiers brought the confidence she needed to approach the puppy was gone. Plus there were two of them now. No longer quite so angry or so worried, Arela continued with just a touch of annoyance "Of course I know what father says about th-" she paused for a second, her original plan to copy Hazael's terms falling through as she found she was unable to bring herself to call Teris and Spiros them. "-the soldiers, but you talked to them too. I heard it. You said 'thank you' to a group of soldiers." With any luck Hazael's naivety would allow her to make him believe that he would be in just as much trouble as she would be in if this got to Avriam.
When in doubt… blame Hazael.
This character is currently a work in progress.
Check out their information page here.
This character is currently a work in progress.
Check out their information page here.
Badges
Deleted
Deleted
At Hazael’s narrowed eyes and silent questioning Arela knew that her refrain had been noticed and marked as suspicious. Inwardly she cursed and yet somehow she was still glad that she had used her restraint. Thankfully with the ‘release’ of the puppy Hazael was quickly distracted. Hazael’s silent question had reminded her that every moment the soldiers were around was another moment that she could be exposed. That is if Hazael hadn’t figured out already. No of course he hadn’t. He was Hazael.
She was however surprised to hear rudimentary Greek come from her brother’s mouth, more surprised that he would make any kind of effort to bridge the two worlds. Surprised that he would stoop to such a proverbial low. She seized the memory and locked it in her vault, prepared to use his words as a weapon against him, but also knowing that it meant that Hazael wasn’t as similar to Avriam and Tiras as he might like to think.
It excited her but after the soldiers disappeared and his questions bubbled to the surface, she remembered that a single step was not enough. She remembered what she stood to lose if Avriam had even an inkling of what his daughter had dedicated her days to doing. She remembered that she couldn’t trust Hazael with anything let alone her secret.
"What’s it to you? It was your little monster that attacked me!" for a moment Arela lingered over her choice of words, but she quickly put that out of her mind. "You’re just lucky the soldiers saw and picked it up!" It was true, it was his fault. His fault that her secret was coming into question. His fault, just like everything else. "If you weren’t so obtuse and slow, I wouldn’t have needed to find sanctuary from that little monster!"
It never occurred to her that she might be speaking too harshly, it never had before and it didn’t now. The moment of happiness with the puppy was long gone now, without the security the soldiers brought the confidence she needed to approach the puppy was gone. Plus there were two of them now. No longer quite so angry or so worried, Arela continued with just a touch of annoyance "Of course I know what father says about th-" she paused for a second, her original plan to copy Hazael's terms falling through as she found she was unable to bring herself to call Teris and Spiros them. "-the soldiers, but you talked to them too. I heard it. You said 'thank you' to a group of soldiers." With any luck Hazael's naivety would allow her to make him believe that he would be in just as much trouble as she would be in if this got to Avriam.
When in doubt… blame Hazael.
At Hazael’s narrowed eyes and silent questioning Arela knew that her refrain had been noticed and marked as suspicious. Inwardly she cursed and yet somehow she was still glad that she had used her restraint. Thankfully with the ‘release’ of the puppy Hazael was quickly distracted. Hazael’s silent question had reminded her that every moment the soldiers were around was another moment that she could be exposed. That is if Hazael hadn’t figured out already. No of course he hadn’t. He was Hazael.
She was however surprised to hear rudimentary Greek come from her brother’s mouth, more surprised that he would make any kind of effort to bridge the two worlds. Surprised that he would stoop to such a proverbial low. She seized the memory and locked it in her vault, prepared to use his words as a weapon against him, but also knowing that it meant that Hazael wasn’t as similar to Avriam and Tiras as he might like to think.
It excited her but after the soldiers disappeared and his questions bubbled to the surface, she remembered that a single step was not enough. She remembered what she stood to lose if Avriam had even an inkling of what his daughter had dedicated her days to doing. She remembered that she couldn’t trust Hazael with anything let alone her secret.
"What’s it to you? It was your little monster that attacked me!" for a moment Arela lingered over her choice of words, but she quickly put that out of her mind. "You’re just lucky the soldiers saw and picked it up!" It was true, it was his fault. His fault that her secret was coming into question. His fault, just like everything else. "If you weren’t so obtuse and slow, I wouldn’t have needed to find sanctuary from that little monster!"
It never occurred to her that she might be speaking too harshly, it never had before and it didn’t now. The moment of happiness with the puppy was long gone now, without the security the soldiers brought the confidence she needed to approach the puppy was gone. Plus there were two of them now. No longer quite so angry or so worried, Arela continued with just a touch of annoyance "Of course I know what father says about th-" she paused for a second, her original plan to copy Hazael's terms falling through as she found she was unable to bring herself to call Teris and Spiros them. "-the soldiers, but you talked to them too. I heard it. You said 'thank you' to a group of soldiers." With any luck Hazael's naivety would allow her to make him believe that he would be in just as much trouble as she would be in if this got to Avriam.
When in doubt… blame Hazael.
“ Little monster?!” Hazael fumed as his sister decided to return to her normal self and barrage the boy with insults. His eyes were alight in anger as the girl decided to first target the little pup that the boy had now scooped up into his arms, just to keep him from running off again. “ It’s a puppy! It couldn’t hurt a fly and you know it!” He retorted back as the girl called him a flurry of nasty things that Hazael had heard far too many times before. In fact, they were so common in his household that the weak amount of anger that Hazael was showing didn’t stem from those personal insults.
She was right, though. He was slower than his other siblings, but it was from no fault of his own. The boy didn’t have the will of his older brother and his own failing eyesight forced him to process things much differently than the other children of Avriam. Not that any of them knew it or ever would. He was just the one rotten apple in an otherwise plentiful bushel in terms of everything besides personality. Arela’s was so sour that even he couldn’t take the last place in that regard.
That was beside the point though and Hazael quickly brought the conversation back to what she had said and how even his own compromised eyesight could see that she was wrong. “ You certainly weren’t taking sanctuary with them! You were trying to pet him!” The accusation was sharp and would certainly cut the girl deep, even though Hazael didn’t know just how so. His mind was convinced that she was merely just trying to hide the fact that she actually liked dogs, not something far more scandalous than that. In fact, the truth was so unthinkable in a family like theirs that it didn’t even cross Hazael’s mind to think of that as a possibility. Nor could he recognize that she was already laying the blame on him for ruining what was between her and Spiros.
Her secret was safe for now as long as Hazael believed that Arela was only trying to hide her attitude towards the pup. If she allowed Hazael to examine the scene more closely though…
However, any thoughts of Arela’s actions were lost amid the new accusation against Hazael. Apparently, his sister was taking his gesture of gratitude as a slight against their family. “ Because they gave him back! What was I supposed to do Arela?” He spat back, equalling her vitriol. Normally, he wouldn’t push back so harshly, and most certainly wouldn’t in the future, but Hazael was at a naturally defiant age. Most other fifteen years wouldn’t take unfair accusations so lightly either; especially when there was an underlying threat to it. She would tell Father of what happened and that she had heard Hazael speaking Greek.
He gulped nervously when he finally realized what she was doing. She was older and a golden child. If she got to their father first, she could say anything and Avriam would believe it. He wouldn’t care that Hazael felt pressured to respond to the Greeks. That he didn’t even know what he was saying, only parroting back noises that he had heard Greek patrons say. The punishment would be harsh and greatly outweigh any crime (or lack thereof) that he committed. It would not end well for Hazael and Arela was wordlessly holding that over his head.
He angrily glared at her as he considered his options. He could also tell his father that Arela was with the soldiers as well. Though, she could just as easily lie about this tidbit as well. He could lord it over her head like she was with him… but that was a guarantee that she would run to Avriam. Hazael was stuck between a rock and a hard wall. The only options he had were bad ones. Except for one.
Give in.
The anger dissipated from his body as he resigned himself to the fact that even though Arela had the greater crime, she had the power here. However, her insults against the pup still run deep and had instantly soured any desire for Hazael to be in her presence any longer than he needed to be. “ I need to get him home.” He said as he turned on his heels and started to walk away from Arela, not caring if she followed or not as his faithful hound Bracha trotted behind him.
This character is currently a work in progress.
Check out their information page here.
This character is currently a work in progress.
Check out their information page here.
Badges
Deleted
Deleted
“ Little monster?!” Hazael fumed as his sister decided to return to her normal self and barrage the boy with insults. His eyes were alight in anger as the girl decided to first target the little pup that the boy had now scooped up into his arms, just to keep him from running off again. “ It’s a puppy! It couldn’t hurt a fly and you know it!” He retorted back as the girl called him a flurry of nasty things that Hazael had heard far too many times before. In fact, they were so common in his household that the weak amount of anger that Hazael was showing didn’t stem from those personal insults.
She was right, though. He was slower than his other siblings, but it was from no fault of his own. The boy didn’t have the will of his older brother and his own failing eyesight forced him to process things much differently than the other children of Avriam. Not that any of them knew it or ever would. He was just the one rotten apple in an otherwise plentiful bushel in terms of everything besides personality. Arela’s was so sour that even he couldn’t take the last place in that regard.
That was beside the point though and Hazael quickly brought the conversation back to what she had said and how even his own compromised eyesight could see that she was wrong. “ You certainly weren’t taking sanctuary with them! You were trying to pet him!” The accusation was sharp and would certainly cut the girl deep, even though Hazael didn’t know just how so. His mind was convinced that she was merely just trying to hide the fact that she actually liked dogs, not something far more scandalous than that. In fact, the truth was so unthinkable in a family like theirs that it didn’t even cross Hazael’s mind to think of that as a possibility. Nor could he recognize that she was already laying the blame on him for ruining what was between her and Spiros.
Her secret was safe for now as long as Hazael believed that Arela was only trying to hide her attitude towards the pup. If she allowed Hazael to examine the scene more closely though…
However, any thoughts of Arela’s actions were lost amid the new accusation against Hazael. Apparently, his sister was taking his gesture of gratitude as a slight against their family. “ Because they gave him back! What was I supposed to do Arela?” He spat back, equalling her vitriol. Normally, he wouldn’t push back so harshly, and most certainly wouldn’t in the future, but Hazael was at a naturally defiant age. Most other fifteen years wouldn’t take unfair accusations so lightly either; especially when there was an underlying threat to it. She would tell Father of what happened and that she had heard Hazael speaking Greek.
He gulped nervously when he finally realized what she was doing. She was older and a golden child. If she got to their father first, she could say anything and Avriam would believe it. He wouldn’t care that Hazael felt pressured to respond to the Greeks. That he didn’t even know what he was saying, only parroting back noises that he had heard Greek patrons say. The punishment would be harsh and greatly outweigh any crime (or lack thereof) that he committed. It would not end well for Hazael and Arela was wordlessly holding that over his head.
He angrily glared at her as he considered his options. He could also tell his father that Arela was with the soldiers as well. Though, she could just as easily lie about this tidbit as well. He could lord it over her head like she was with him… but that was a guarantee that she would run to Avriam. Hazael was stuck between a rock and a hard wall. The only options he had were bad ones. Except for one.
Give in.
The anger dissipated from his body as he resigned himself to the fact that even though Arela had the greater crime, she had the power here. However, her insults against the pup still run deep and had instantly soured any desire for Hazael to be in her presence any longer than he needed to be. “ I need to get him home.” He said as he turned on his heels and started to walk away from Arela, not caring if she followed or not as his faithful hound Bracha trotted behind him.
“ Little monster?!” Hazael fumed as his sister decided to return to her normal self and barrage the boy with insults. His eyes were alight in anger as the girl decided to first target the little pup that the boy had now scooped up into his arms, just to keep him from running off again. “ It’s a puppy! It couldn’t hurt a fly and you know it!” He retorted back as the girl called him a flurry of nasty things that Hazael had heard far too many times before. In fact, they were so common in his household that the weak amount of anger that Hazael was showing didn’t stem from those personal insults.
She was right, though. He was slower than his other siblings, but it was from no fault of his own. The boy didn’t have the will of his older brother and his own failing eyesight forced him to process things much differently than the other children of Avriam. Not that any of them knew it or ever would. He was just the one rotten apple in an otherwise plentiful bushel in terms of everything besides personality. Arela’s was so sour that even he couldn’t take the last place in that regard.
That was beside the point though and Hazael quickly brought the conversation back to what she had said and how even his own compromised eyesight could see that she was wrong. “ You certainly weren’t taking sanctuary with them! You were trying to pet him!” The accusation was sharp and would certainly cut the girl deep, even though Hazael didn’t know just how so. His mind was convinced that she was merely just trying to hide the fact that she actually liked dogs, not something far more scandalous than that. In fact, the truth was so unthinkable in a family like theirs that it didn’t even cross Hazael’s mind to think of that as a possibility. Nor could he recognize that she was already laying the blame on him for ruining what was between her and Spiros.
Her secret was safe for now as long as Hazael believed that Arela was only trying to hide her attitude towards the pup. If she allowed Hazael to examine the scene more closely though…
However, any thoughts of Arela’s actions were lost amid the new accusation against Hazael. Apparently, his sister was taking his gesture of gratitude as a slight against their family. “ Because they gave him back! What was I supposed to do Arela?” He spat back, equalling her vitriol. Normally, he wouldn’t push back so harshly, and most certainly wouldn’t in the future, but Hazael was at a naturally defiant age. Most other fifteen years wouldn’t take unfair accusations so lightly either; especially when there was an underlying threat to it. She would tell Father of what happened and that she had heard Hazael speaking Greek.
He gulped nervously when he finally realized what she was doing. She was older and a golden child. If she got to their father first, she could say anything and Avriam would believe it. He wouldn’t care that Hazael felt pressured to respond to the Greeks. That he didn’t even know what he was saying, only parroting back noises that he had heard Greek patrons say. The punishment would be harsh and greatly outweigh any crime (or lack thereof) that he committed. It would not end well for Hazael and Arela was wordlessly holding that over his head.
He angrily glared at her as he considered his options. He could also tell his father that Arela was with the soldiers as well. Though, she could just as easily lie about this tidbit as well. He could lord it over her head like she was with him… but that was a guarantee that she would run to Avriam. Hazael was stuck between a rock and a hard wall. The only options he had were bad ones. Except for one.
Give in.
The anger dissipated from his body as he resigned himself to the fact that even though Arela had the greater crime, she had the power here. However, her insults against the pup still run deep and had instantly soured any desire for Hazael to be in her presence any longer than he needed to be. “ I need to get him home.” He said as he turned on his heels and started to walk away from Arela, not caring if she followed or not as his faithful hound Bracha trotted behind him.
Returning home from the temple that morning, Jorah had been set on hiding away in the room he shared with his older brothers to read one of the scrolls that he'd borrowed. He guessed that Tiras would be with their father, and Hazael would be out with the dogs, so it would be his little piece of quiet before he was required to attend to the market stall or wrangle his younger siblings. Unfortunately, he was only half correct about the location of his older brothers. As he neared the house, he noticed the distinct lack of sandy dog and messy-haired brother. He hadn't thought much of it, but his mother had beckoned him and requested that he find Hazael who had last been seen hurtling after a small pup.
So here Jorah was in the heat of the day, although it was not as hot as it would be if it were earlier in the year, searching for his brother. He was following the directions that Nissa had seen Hazael run in, but the wasn't hopeful that he'd find anything conclusive. He'd probably return empty-handed and a lot dirtier than he'd started. He made sure to try and stick to the shade, knowing that his paler skin would not appreciate any scorching. In the darker parts of the streets ahead, a few men milled around. Jorah approached, giving them a small smile and inquiring from the old workmen if they'd seen the fifteen-year-old. With gruff voices but kind faces, they had bid Jorah luck and gave a few vague directions.
He recognised the streets as the ones closer to the Greek encampment then he hoped to find any sibling. Wary of the foreigners, and even more wary of his father's tongue, Jorah didn't want to have to see or hear any sort of fraternising between his siblings and the Greeks. His footsteps seemed loud against the murmur of the city. Many people were busy, inside their shops or in the temple. When the synagogue became filled with people and their young children, Jorah had slipped out. Now, with sweat dripping down his brow, he was regretting his decision. He was sure that Hazael, as clumsy as he was, would be able to find his way home.
Jorah caught sight of someone who approached from quite a bit away, a dog following on foot behind them. It took him a few moments to take in the scene, Arela standing still and watching Hazael walk off. He expelled a long breath of relief and jogged closer to his siblings. "Arela! Hazael!" He called out, his voice just loud enough to be heard. Arela was the first to see him, but instead of acknowledging him, she stomped off in the opposite direction. Jorah stopped dead in his tracks, turning his accusatory gaze onto the taller brother, who held a pup in his hands. "What were you two doing out here? Mother was worried." and most importantly, what were they talking about that had caused them to both storm off from each other in public?
This character is currently a work in progress.
Check out their information page here.
This character is currently a work in progress.
Check out their information page here.
Badges
Deleted
Deleted
Returning home from the temple that morning, Jorah had been set on hiding away in the room he shared with his older brothers to read one of the scrolls that he'd borrowed. He guessed that Tiras would be with their father, and Hazael would be out with the dogs, so it would be his little piece of quiet before he was required to attend to the market stall or wrangle his younger siblings. Unfortunately, he was only half correct about the location of his older brothers. As he neared the house, he noticed the distinct lack of sandy dog and messy-haired brother. He hadn't thought much of it, but his mother had beckoned him and requested that he find Hazael who had last been seen hurtling after a small pup.
So here Jorah was in the heat of the day, although it was not as hot as it would be if it were earlier in the year, searching for his brother. He was following the directions that Nissa had seen Hazael run in, but the wasn't hopeful that he'd find anything conclusive. He'd probably return empty-handed and a lot dirtier than he'd started. He made sure to try and stick to the shade, knowing that his paler skin would not appreciate any scorching. In the darker parts of the streets ahead, a few men milled around. Jorah approached, giving them a small smile and inquiring from the old workmen if they'd seen the fifteen-year-old. With gruff voices but kind faces, they had bid Jorah luck and gave a few vague directions.
He recognised the streets as the ones closer to the Greek encampment then he hoped to find any sibling. Wary of the foreigners, and even more wary of his father's tongue, Jorah didn't want to have to see or hear any sort of fraternising between his siblings and the Greeks. His footsteps seemed loud against the murmur of the city. Many people were busy, inside their shops or in the temple. When the synagogue became filled with people and their young children, Jorah had slipped out. Now, with sweat dripping down his brow, he was regretting his decision. He was sure that Hazael, as clumsy as he was, would be able to find his way home.
Jorah caught sight of someone who approached from quite a bit away, a dog following on foot behind them. It took him a few moments to take in the scene, Arela standing still and watching Hazael walk off. He expelled a long breath of relief and jogged closer to his siblings. "Arela! Hazael!" He called out, his voice just loud enough to be heard. Arela was the first to see him, but instead of acknowledging him, she stomped off in the opposite direction. Jorah stopped dead in his tracks, turning his accusatory gaze onto the taller brother, who held a pup in his hands. "What were you two doing out here? Mother was worried." and most importantly, what were they talking about that had caused them to both storm off from each other in public?
Returning home from the temple that morning, Jorah had been set on hiding away in the room he shared with his older brothers to read one of the scrolls that he'd borrowed. He guessed that Tiras would be with their father, and Hazael would be out with the dogs, so it would be his little piece of quiet before he was required to attend to the market stall or wrangle his younger siblings. Unfortunately, he was only half correct about the location of his older brothers. As he neared the house, he noticed the distinct lack of sandy dog and messy-haired brother. He hadn't thought much of it, but his mother had beckoned him and requested that he find Hazael who had last been seen hurtling after a small pup.
So here Jorah was in the heat of the day, although it was not as hot as it would be if it were earlier in the year, searching for his brother. He was following the directions that Nissa had seen Hazael run in, but the wasn't hopeful that he'd find anything conclusive. He'd probably return empty-handed and a lot dirtier than he'd started. He made sure to try and stick to the shade, knowing that his paler skin would not appreciate any scorching. In the darker parts of the streets ahead, a few men milled around. Jorah approached, giving them a small smile and inquiring from the old workmen if they'd seen the fifteen-year-old. With gruff voices but kind faces, they had bid Jorah luck and gave a few vague directions.
He recognised the streets as the ones closer to the Greek encampment then he hoped to find any sibling. Wary of the foreigners, and even more wary of his father's tongue, Jorah didn't want to have to see or hear any sort of fraternising between his siblings and the Greeks. His footsteps seemed loud against the murmur of the city. Many people were busy, inside their shops or in the temple. When the synagogue became filled with people and their young children, Jorah had slipped out. Now, with sweat dripping down his brow, he was regretting his decision. He was sure that Hazael, as clumsy as he was, would be able to find his way home.
Jorah caught sight of someone who approached from quite a bit away, a dog following on foot behind them. It took him a few moments to take in the scene, Arela standing still and watching Hazael walk off. He expelled a long breath of relief and jogged closer to his siblings. "Arela! Hazael!" He called out, his voice just loud enough to be heard. Arela was the first to see him, but instead of acknowledging him, she stomped off in the opposite direction. Jorah stopped dead in his tracks, turning his accusatory gaze onto the taller brother, who held a pup in his hands. "What were you two doing out here? Mother was worried." and most importantly, what were they talking about that had caused them to both storm off from each other in public?
Hazael was not all that surprised by his sister’s sheer stubbornness when Arela refused to follow him. She had always been an arrogant creature -- no matter how many times Eema Yardena pulled her aside with a warning to mind her tongue. She certainly would not change this aspect of her personality for anyone, let alone Hazael. The fifteen-year-old knew that she hated him and he certainly did not make things better by refusing to rise to her bait. The Israeli knew that she wanted to feel powerful and make people fear her temper. Hazael’s decision to walk away probably angered her more than anything he could have screamed at her if he decided to stay.
That was confirmed when she tried to move past him, roughly shoving the boy out of her way. Although Haz was not bothered by the action (he was more than used to it with this family) it elicited a low growl from Bracha. For once, Hazael made no move to hush the dog as it bared its teeth at the elder twin. She deserved it as far as he was concerned. Especially now that he was certain that she was off to bend the ears of the rest of the family as she searched for someone who would care about how Haz had been ‘so rude’ to her. The boy wasn’t too worried as he doubted that any of his parents would care about this petty squabble… but a twinge of fear did strike him as he considered the possibility of her going to Tiras. The eldest of Avriam’s brood would listen and he was always looking for excuses over how he treated his oldest half-brother.
Maybe it would be a good idea if the boy did not head home right away...
The boy was about to head off in the opposite direction as his sister when another voice threw quite a wrench into that plan. Hazael groaned when he recognized the sound of one of his younger brothers approaching.
Jorah.
‘Great, just great.’ Hazael thought to himself as he turned to face the twelve-year-old. The older boy already knew what Jorah was doing out here in the Greek Quarter before his brother had even opened his mouth. After all, there was no other reason for the child to be out here other than being sent to fetch Hazael and Arela. Not when everyone in the family knew that Jorah only spent his time between two places; the temple and home. He would never wander this far into the city of Israel, not without having some directive from an older member of the family.
His brother confirmed as much when he asked Hazael was doing out here, mentioning that it was their mother who had sent him on this fetch quest. “ One of the puppies got out and decided to have an adventure.” The Israeli teen wryly responded as he shifted the squirming puppy in his arms. His little escapee was pleased to see another human approach and the dark-coated creature was currently trying to wriggle out of Haz’s grasp to say hello to Jorah. However, Hazael knew better than to let the dog go near the younger boy. He, like Arela, was not fond of dogs even though it was for an entirely different reason. Haz knew that Arela was scared of his dogs. Why? He didn’t have the slightest clue. As far as he was concerned, his Salukis were the gentlest creatures on the planet, but the girl was keen to keep as much distance between herself and the ‘beasts’ as possible. Jorah on the other hand? He wasn’t scared of them, but as far as Haz knew, he followed the temple’s opinion on dogs and looked down on them.
This irked Hazael as Jorah hadn’t even given his hounds a chance before deciding that they were vile creatures. If he only took a moment to look past what the scripture said and actually spent time with Bracha, Hazael was sure that Jorah would change his mind.
However, Hazael had long ago given up the hope of that ever happening.
“ As for Arela,” Hazael said, reshifting the topic back to why Jorah had been sent out here in the first place, “ I don’t know. You’ll have to ask her.” He tried to brush it all off with a slight shrug, but it was clear through Haz’s pained expression that his sister’s presence in this area bothered him. It wasn’t like his arrogant sister to wander so far from home and turn up in the Greek Quarter. Plus, not to mention she had seemed so infuriated that Hazael had been there. He didn’t know what to make of it as he had missed the tender gestures between her and the Greek soldier who had encouraged her to pet the puppy. His literal blindness had made him sightless figuratively as well.
However, knowing full well that Arela was probably running off to tattle on him at this very moment, Hazael had no qualms about doing the same to her. “ I found her with some Greek Soldiers. They had found this little one,” Hazael said as he motioned to the pup in his arms, “ and by the time I got there she was with them. Maybe she was trying to get him back?” His suggestion would make sense -- if the older twin had an interest in the dogs, to begin with. Hazael knew deep down that this probably was not the cause, but he couldn’t fathom why else she would be with Greeks of all people. At least Jorah was smarter than him. Maybe he could figure it out?
Either way, he wasn’t too bothered by it. Or at least he didn’t appear to be, given his final question for the boy as his stomach lightly growled, “ Mother sent you? Does that mean dinner is ready?”
This character is currently a work in progress.
Check out their information page here.
This character is currently a work in progress.
Check out their information page here.
Badges
Deleted
Deleted
Hazael was not all that surprised by his sister’s sheer stubbornness when Arela refused to follow him. She had always been an arrogant creature -- no matter how many times Eema Yardena pulled her aside with a warning to mind her tongue. She certainly would not change this aspect of her personality for anyone, let alone Hazael. The fifteen-year-old knew that she hated him and he certainly did not make things better by refusing to rise to her bait. The Israeli knew that she wanted to feel powerful and make people fear her temper. Hazael’s decision to walk away probably angered her more than anything he could have screamed at her if he decided to stay.
That was confirmed when she tried to move past him, roughly shoving the boy out of her way. Although Haz was not bothered by the action (he was more than used to it with this family) it elicited a low growl from Bracha. For once, Hazael made no move to hush the dog as it bared its teeth at the elder twin. She deserved it as far as he was concerned. Especially now that he was certain that she was off to bend the ears of the rest of the family as she searched for someone who would care about how Haz had been ‘so rude’ to her. The boy wasn’t too worried as he doubted that any of his parents would care about this petty squabble… but a twinge of fear did strike him as he considered the possibility of her going to Tiras. The eldest of Avriam’s brood would listen and he was always looking for excuses over how he treated his oldest half-brother.
Maybe it would be a good idea if the boy did not head home right away...
The boy was about to head off in the opposite direction as his sister when another voice threw quite a wrench into that plan. Hazael groaned when he recognized the sound of one of his younger brothers approaching.
Jorah.
‘Great, just great.’ Hazael thought to himself as he turned to face the twelve-year-old. The older boy already knew what Jorah was doing out here in the Greek Quarter before his brother had even opened his mouth. After all, there was no other reason for the child to be out here other than being sent to fetch Hazael and Arela. Not when everyone in the family knew that Jorah only spent his time between two places; the temple and home. He would never wander this far into the city of Israel, not without having some directive from an older member of the family.
His brother confirmed as much when he asked Hazael was doing out here, mentioning that it was their mother who had sent him on this fetch quest. “ One of the puppies got out and decided to have an adventure.” The Israeli teen wryly responded as he shifted the squirming puppy in his arms. His little escapee was pleased to see another human approach and the dark-coated creature was currently trying to wriggle out of Haz’s grasp to say hello to Jorah. However, Hazael knew better than to let the dog go near the younger boy. He, like Arela, was not fond of dogs even though it was for an entirely different reason. Haz knew that Arela was scared of his dogs. Why? He didn’t have the slightest clue. As far as he was concerned, his Salukis were the gentlest creatures on the planet, but the girl was keen to keep as much distance between herself and the ‘beasts’ as possible. Jorah on the other hand? He wasn’t scared of them, but as far as Haz knew, he followed the temple’s opinion on dogs and looked down on them.
This irked Hazael as Jorah hadn’t even given his hounds a chance before deciding that they were vile creatures. If he only took a moment to look past what the scripture said and actually spent time with Bracha, Hazael was sure that Jorah would change his mind.
However, Hazael had long ago given up the hope of that ever happening.
“ As for Arela,” Hazael said, reshifting the topic back to why Jorah had been sent out here in the first place, “ I don’t know. You’ll have to ask her.” He tried to brush it all off with a slight shrug, but it was clear through Haz’s pained expression that his sister’s presence in this area bothered him. It wasn’t like his arrogant sister to wander so far from home and turn up in the Greek Quarter. Plus, not to mention she had seemed so infuriated that Hazael had been there. He didn’t know what to make of it as he had missed the tender gestures between her and the Greek soldier who had encouraged her to pet the puppy. His literal blindness had made him sightless figuratively as well.
However, knowing full well that Arela was probably running off to tattle on him at this very moment, Hazael had no qualms about doing the same to her. “ I found her with some Greek Soldiers. They had found this little one,” Hazael said as he motioned to the pup in his arms, “ and by the time I got there she was with them. Maybe she was trying to get him back?” His suggestion would make sense -- if the older twin had an interest in the dogs, to begin with. Hazael knew deep down that this probably was not the cause, but he couldn’t fathom why else she would be with Greeks of all people. At least Jorah was smarter than him. Maybe he could figure it out?
Either way, he wasn’t too bothered by it. Or at least he didn’t appear to be, given his final question for the boy as his stomach lightly growled, “ Mother sent you? Does that mean dinner is ready?”
Hazael was not all that surprised by his sister’s sheer stubbornness when Arela refused to follow him. She had always been an arrogant creature -- no matter how many times Eema Yardena pulled her aside with a warning to mind her tongue. She certainly would not change this aspect of her personality for anyone, let alone Hazael. The fifteen-year-old knew that she hated him and he certainly did not make things better by refusing to rise to her bait. The Israeli knew that she wanted to feel powerful and make people fear her temper. Hazael’s decision to walk away probably angered her more than anything he could have screamed at her if he decided to stay.
That was confirmed when she tried to move past him, roughly shoving the boy out of her way. Although Haz was not bothered by the action (he was more than used to it with this family) it elicited a low growl from Bracha. For once, Hazael made no move to hush the dog as it bared its teeth at the elder twin. She deserved it as far as he was concerned. Especially now that he was certain that she was off to bend the ears of the rest of the family as she searched for someone who would care about how Haz had been ‘so rude’ to her. The boy wasn’t too worried as he doubted that any of his parents would care about this petty squabble… but a twinge of fear did strike him as he considered the possibility of her going to Tiras. The eldest of Avriam’s brood would listen and he was always looking for excuses over how he treated his oldest half-brother.
Maybe it would be a good idea if the boy did not head home right away...
The boy was about to head off in the opposite direction as his sister when another voice threw quite a wrench into that plan. Hazael groaned when he recognized the sound of one of his younger brothers approaching.
Jorah.
‘Great, just great.’ Hazael thought to himself as he turned to face the twelve-year-old. The older boy already knew what Jorah was doing out here in the Greek Quarter before his brother had even opened his mouth. After all, there was no other reason for the child to be out here other than being sent to fetch Hazael and Arela. Not when everyone in the family knew that Jorah only spent his time between two places; the temple and home. He would never wander this far into the city of Israel, not without having some directive from an older member of the family.
His brother confirmed as much when he asked Hazael was doing out here, mentioning that it was their mother who had sent him on this fetch quest. “ One of the puppies got out and decided to have an adventure.” The Israeli teen wryly responded as he shifted the squirming puppy in his arms. His little escapee was pleased to see another human approach and the dark-coated creature was currently trying to wriggle out of Haz’s grasp to say hello to Jorah. However, Hazael knew better than to let the dog go near the younger boy. He, like Arela, was not fond of dogs even though it was for an entirely different reason. Haz knew that Arela was scared of his dogs. Why? He didn’t have the slightest clue. As far as he was concerned, his Salukis were the gentlest creatures on the planet, but the girl was keen to keep as much distance between herself and the ‘beasts’ as possible. Jorah on the other hand? He wasn’t scared of them, but as far as Haz knew, he followed the temple’s opinion on dogs and looked down on them.
This irked Hazael as Jorah hadn’t even given his hounds a chance before deciding that they were vile creatures. If he only took a moment to look past what the scripture said and actually spent time with Bracha, Hazael was sure that Jorah would change his mind.
However, Hazael had long ago given up the hope of that ever happening.
“ As for Arela,” Hazael said, reshifting the topic back to why Jorah had been sent out here in the first place, “ I don’t know. You’ll have to ask her.” He tried to brush it all off with a slight shrug, but it was clear through Haz’s pained expression that his sister’s presence in this area bothered him. It wasn’t like his arrogant sister to wander so far from home and turn up in the Greek Quarter. Plus, not to mention she had seemed so infuriated that Hazael had been there. He didn’t know what to make of it as he had missed the tender gestures between her and the Greek soldier who had encouraged her to pet the puppy. His literal blindness had made him sightless figuratively as well.
However, knowing full well that Arela was probably running off to tattle on him at this very moment, Hazael had no qualms about doing the same to her. “ I found her with some Greek Soldiers. They had found this little one,” Hazael said as he motioned to the pup in his arms, “ and by the time I got there she was with them. Maybe she was trying to get him back?” His suggestion would make sense -- if the older twin had an interest in the dogs, to begin with. Hazael knew deep down that this probably was not the cause, but he couldn’t fathom why else she would be with Greeks of all people. At least Jorah was smarter than him. Maybe he could figure it out?
Either way, he wasn’t too bothered by it. Or at least he didn’t appear to be, given his final question for the boy as his stomach lightly growled, “ Mother sent you? Does that mean dinner is ready?”
asJorah kept a wary eye on the pup that squirmed in Hazael's arms as he spoke, The younger boy's teachers insisted that dogs were dangerous and filthy, and so he listened to their advice to stay away from such creatures- as much as he could when he lived with them. The small animal was certainly cute at this age, but Jorah knew enough to be apprehensive of the creatures and was his self-preservation that kept him away and kept his mouth shut on the issue. He winced as Hazael told him that one had escaped, surely that wouldn't reflect on the family in a good light? "Be sure not to mention this to father; you know he can barely stand you keeping the puppies, let alone if he thought you couldn't keep them contained. You can keep them contained, right?" Jorah didn't have that much confidence in his uncoordinated brother.
Jorah's eyes shifted towards his sister, out of earshot by now, and narrowed his eyes on her back. "You don't know at all? She shouldn't be around her, it's not safe." The idea of Arela wandering the streets of Israel and encountering the Greeks made a shiver run down his spine. What sort of things had they been doing or saying to her when Hazael approached? "She came separately from you yet knew it was your dog and to retrieve it?" Somehow, Jorah doubted that version of events. The eldest twin sister didn't pay enough attention to the dogs; even Jorah would be floundering to tell the difference between the stray pups and Hazael's dogs. Suspicion weighed heavily in the younger boys thoughts, but he did not know enough to draw a conclusion, he just hoped that she was being safe.
"Should we tell someone?" he asked hesitantly, "I mean if she's out here consorting with Greeks...that can't be safe. She's alone, and she doesn't have you or I with her or even Nissa. That worries me. You should tell someone." Although he'd started with the question, he'd come to his own conclusion while he'd been talking. He couldn't imagine the anger of Tiras or Avriam if he were to tell them. They wouldn't care that he'd been the one to tell them, that they wouldn't know without his assistance but he's sure they'd fly off the handle. That wasn't something he wanted to be witness to. Maybe it was a little too selfish to ask Hazael, the quiet and pitied brother, but Jorah was too scared to do so, not that he'd admit it aloud.
He shook his head as if to rid himself of the heavy thoughts that plagued his young mind. "Almost...if dinner was ready; then it would be cold by the time we got there. But yes, mother was worried that you'd be gone long after dark. I should go after Arela..." She'd disappeared around a corner now, and his shoulders drooped. He didn't want to run this errand any longer than he needed to. He would return home with Hazael and just state the truth, that he was uncomfortable with the nearby presence of Greeks and unable to find his sister.
This character is currently a work in progress.
Check out their information page here.
This character is currently a work in progress.
Check out their information page here.
Badges
Deleted
Deleted
asJorah kept a wary eye on the pup that squirmed in Hazael's arms as he spoke, The younger boy's teachers insisted that dogs were dangerous and filthy, and so he listened to their advice to stay away from such creatures- as much as he could when he lived with them. The small animal was certainly cute at this age, but Jorah knew enough to be apprehensive of the creatures and was his self-preservation that kept him away and kept his mouth shut on the issue. He winced as Hazael told him that one had escaped, surely that wouldn't reflect on the family in a good light? "Be sure not to mention this to father; you know he can barely stand you keeping the puppies, let alone if he thought you couldn't keep them contained. You can keep them contained, right?" Jorah didn't have that much confidence in his uncoordinated brother.
Jorah's eyes shifted towards his sister, out of earshot by now, and narrowed his eyes on her back. "You don't know at all? She shouldn't be around her, it's not safe." The idea of Arela wandering the streets of Israel and encountering the Greeks made a shiver run down his spine. What sort of things had they been doing or saying to her when Hazael approached? "She came separately from you yet knew it was your dog and to retrieve it?" Somehow, Jorah doubted that version of events. The eldest twin sister didn't pay enough attention to the dogs; even Jorah would be floundering to tell the difference between the stray pups and Hazael's dogs. Suspicion weighed heavily in the younger boys thoughts, but he did not know enough to draw a conclusion, he just hoped that she was being safe.
"Should we tell someone?" he asked hesitantly, "I mean if she's out here consorting with Greeks...that can't be safe. She's alone, and she doesn't have you or I with her or even Nissa. That worries me. You should tell someone." Although he'd started with the question, he'd come to his own conclusion while he'd been talking. He couldn't imagine the anger of Tiras or Avriam if he were to tell them. They wouldn't care that he'd been the one to tell them, that they wouldn't know without his assistance but he's sure they'd fly off the handle. That wasn't something he wanted to be witness to. Maybe it was a little too selfish to ask Hazael, the quiet and pitied brother, but Jorah was too scared to do so, not that he'd admit it aloud.
He shook his head as if to rid himself of the heavy thoughts that plagued his young mind. "Almost...if dinner was ready; then it would be cold by the time we got there. But yes, mother was worried that you'd be gone long after dark. I should go after Arela..." She'd disappeared around a corner now, and his shoulders drooped. He didn't want to run this errand any longer than he needed to. He would return home with Hazael and just state the truth, that he was uncomfortable with the nearby presence of Greeks and unable to find his sister.
asJorah kept a wary eye on the pup that squirmed in Hazael's arms as he spoke, The younger boy's teachers insisted that dogs were dangerous and filthy, and so he listened to their advice to stay away from such creatures- as much as he could when he lived with them. The small animal was certainly cute at this age, but Jorah knew enough to be apprehensive of the creatures and was his self-preservation that kept him away and kept his mouth shut on the issue. He winced as Hazael told him that one had escaped, surely that wouldn't reflect on the family in a good light? "Be sure not to mention this to father; you know he can barely stand you keeping the puppies, let alone if he thought you couldn't keep them contained. You can keep them contained, right?" Jorah didn't have that much confidence in his uncoordinated brother.
Jorah's eyes shifted towards his sister, out of earshot by now, and narrowed his eyes on her back. "You don't know at all? She shouldn't be around her, it's not safe." The idea of Arela wandering the streets of Israel and encountering the Greeks made a shiver run down his spine. What sort of things had they been doing or saying to her when Hazael approached? "She came separately from you yet knew it was your dog and to retrieve it?" Somehow, Jorah doubted that version of events. The eldest twin sister didn't pay enough attention to the dogs; even Jorah would be floundering to tell the difference between the stray pups and Hazael's dogs. Suspicion weighed heavily in the younger boys thoughts, but he did not know enough to draw a conclusion, he just hoped that she was being safe.
"Should we tell someone?" he asked hesitantly, "I mean if she's out here consorting with Greeks...that can't be safe. She's alone, and she doesn't have you or I with her or even Nissa. That worries me. You should tell someone." Although he'd started with the question, he'd come to his own conclusion while he'd been talking. He couldn't imagine the anger of Tiras or Avriam if he were to tell them. They wouldn't care that he'd been the one to tell them, that they wouldn't know without his assistance but he's sure they'd fly off the handle. That wasn't something he wanted to be witness to. Maybe it was a little too selfish to ask Hazael, the quiet and pitied brother, but Jorah was too scared to do so, not that he'd admit it aloud.
He shook his head as if to rid himself of the heavy thoughts that plagued his young mind. "Almost...if dinner was ready; then it would be cold by the time we got there. But yes, mother was worried that you'd be gone long after dark. I should go after Arela..." She'd disappeared around a corner now, and his shoulders drooped. He didn't want to run this errand any longer than he needed to. He would return home with Hazael and just state the truth, that he was uncomfortable with the nearby presence of Greeks and unable to find his sister.
As mild-mannered as Hazael could be, the boy couldn’t hold back the angry glare he shot at Jorah when the boy questioned whether or not the boy could keep his pups contained. “Yes, I can. One escaped pup doesn’t mean that the whole kennel is now running loose.” He said sharply as he readjusted the puppy, subconsciously drawing the creature closer to his chest and away from his younger brother. The older boy knew that Jorah wasn’t fond of the dogs because of what their scripture said about his little beasts. It was something that Hazael was constantly given flack for and the boy was quite frankly tired of needing to justify the gift that Yahweh had given him over and over again. Especially to members of his own family.
However, Hazael’s acerbic words didn’t just stem from the fact that Jorah didn’t approve of the pups. Truthfully, Haz was a bit offended by the insinuation that he couldn’t handle the pups. This wasn’t the first litter Hazael had raised and never before had any runaway pups made it past the kennel door. Everything that had happened today was just an unfortunate accident, not some indicator that Hazael was incapable of taking care of the dogs. It was unfair to think any differently, but then again what should Hazael expect? His family was not fans of the dogs that Hazael kept and he was certain that Avriam would get rid of them all if he could guarantee that they wouldn’t find their way back home to Hazael. It wouldn’t have surprised him if his little brother thought the same thing… not that Jorah would ever admit to it. His dedication to the Torah put him above such base things as disgust…
Which, honestly, made it all a bit worse. Hazael could deal with everyone who told him that it was wrong. He could remind himself of the love that the dogs offered him and how he was certain that Yahweh wouldn’t let the creatures be capable of such devotion if there wasn’t a reason for it. He could argue to kingdom come about how there was nothing about raising dogs in their scripture. If all else failed, he could run away like the coward that he was and hide from what everyone else thought. What he couldn’t do though was handle the silent disapproval. It was impossible for him to work through the flip-flopping opinions that some folks could have or the masking of what they really thought. Hazael really wished that the boy would just come out and say that he hated the boys instead of this dance that they did. It would certainly make these comments sting a lot less, that’s for sure.
As bad as all of this was, it seemed that Jorah wasn’t content to cease with his criticism when the boy decided to question Hazael on what their sister had been doing out here in the Greek quarter. Now, the fifteen-year-old knew that what his little brother was saying wasn’t some sort of commentary on how Hazael had handled the situation, but instead just musings on the oddities of Arela’s behavior. However, it was hard for Hazael to not take them as such when they came right on the heels of Jorah questioning whether or not the boy could take care of the dogs. To Haz, it sounded more like that Jorah thought that he was lying about what Arela was doing out here. The whole notion was so ridiculous that Jorah couldn’t possibly think that Hazael would do such a thing. Haz was a coward. He didn’t have the nerves to pull off such a dangerous lie as concealing what Arela was doing out here… but also why on earth would he lie for Arela. The elder of the twins was an absolute nightmare to Haz. She tormented him relentlessly and was just generally so cruel that Hazael had no reason to put his neck on the line for her. Not even Benaiah would believe such a notion and he was practically a baby.
“I don’t know Jor. You’re going to have to ask her.” Hazael reiterated with a slightly sharp tone, clearly showing that the boy really didn’t want to talk about what their sister had been up to as he was certain that it would only spell trouble for them if they pried too much. “All I know is that she was already with them. I was slow in getting the puppy because I had Bracha with me. She could have very easily seen the puppy and followed him like I did.” Hazael didn’t fully believe this version of events, but his fear of what Arela would do if the boys got her in trouble was strong enough that he wanted to pull Jorah off of the topic. After all, just like Tiras, their sister was not afraid to use both her words and her palms in the cruel way that she treated Haz. She was not above slapping him or pulling his hair, as if they were children, to get her point across in that Hazael should mind his own business. Jorah might not see it in his wise decision to hide away from the rest of the family at the temple, but Hazael didn’t have such an escape option.
He feared Arela and he was not going to poke this metaphorical bear… no matter how much the boy didn’t buy the tale himself.
His skepticism was shown in how the boy refused to meet his brother’s gaze; eyes shifting about and his foot nervously kicking at the ground. Hazael could tell that Arela was lying, but he just didn’t want to have to deal with the consequences of tattling… especially when Arela could easily counter with the fact that Hazael had ‘spoken’ in Greek to the soldiers. (Which was a loose claim given that Hazael didn’t truly understand what he had said and was just parroting back things he had overheard.) It was in his best interest that Arela stay out of trouble because there was no way that Avriam would take kindly to the fact that Haz had uttered anything in Greek. That was akin to a death sentence in their home.
This desire of his to keep the truth hidden for an entirely selfish reason was probably what pushed that bubble of frustration that was quickly forming within him closer and closer to the surface when Jorah insisted that Haz be the one to tell Avriam. “What?” Hazael sputtered out incredulously as he looked at Jorah like he had three heads on his shoulders instead of just the one that was clearly not thinking straight. “Why should I be the one to tell father? You’re the one insisting that we tell him in the first place! Why are you pushing this onto me when you are more than capable of doing it yourself?” The accusations were sharp as Hazael’s cowardly nature came out to play, trying to avoid the bigger confrontation that would come in two rounds if the boys decided to tattle; first from their father and then from Arela.
Honestly, he wondered though if he was truly the bigger coward here. Jorah was the one who was fretting over what Arela was doing and yet he was pushing off the solution to the problem. Why? Was he afraid that Avriam would get mad at him? Did Jorah think that their temperamental father might ban him from going to the temple during the day? Was that why he was trying to get Hazael to do it for him? Either way, Hazael could feel his inner Tiras coming out to play as his anger over his annoying little brother kept bubbling up within him. He didn’t want to be dealing with this. Whatever Arela was doing was not his problem.
And to think, this whole mess could have been avoided if Hazael had just done a better job of shutting the kennel door.
“Look, Jorah, I know you mean well, but whatever Arela is up to is none of our business. It’s not worth telling Father when both of them will be mad at us. Just let it go.” Hazael said plainly, trying to get his brother to walk the path of cowardice with him. This was how Hazael normally handled things and what he had meant to do before his little brother showed up. He had no reason to stray from this path. Not when the fear of invoking the wrath of his angry family members was stronger than the joy of doing the right thing. Jorah might not have learned this lesson yet, but Hazael knew that it was just sometimes better to keep one’s head down and let Yahweh sort it out.
This was something he tried to solidify as he took up Bracha’s leash and tightened his grip on the squirming puppy, a clear indication that Hazael was ready to head home. “Let’s just forget about this and head home. Eema might need our help. Arela can find her own way home.” Hazael looked to his brother, hoping that the younger boy would see how much of a fool’s errand it would be to go chasing after their sister like this. Surely, the boy could see that it would be wiser to leave Arela alone and just pretend that this never happened… But then again, if Jorah wanted to chase after the girl, it wasn’t like Hazael was in a position to stop him.
That would be the other boy's decision to make though as Hazael turned around and started to make his way home, determined to not get himself caught up in whatever mess Jorah was intent on starting.
This character is currently a work in progress.
Check out their information page here.
This character is currently a work in progress.
Check out their information page here.
Badges
Deleted
Deleted
As mild-mannered as Hazael could be, the boy couldn’t hold back the angry glare he shot at Jorah when the boy questioned whether or not the boy could keep his pups contained. “Yes, I can. One escaped pup doesn’t mean that the whole kennel is now running loose.” He said sharply as he readjusted the puppy, subconsciously drawing the creature closer to his chest and away from his younger brother. The older boy knew that Jorah wasn’t fond of the dogs because of what their scripture said about his little beasts. It was something that Hazael was constantly given flack for and the boy was quite frankly tired of needing to justify the gift that Yahweh had given him over and over again. Especially to members of his own family.
However, Hazael’s acerbic words didn’t just stem from the fact that Jorah didn’t approve of the pups. Truthfully, Haz was a bit offended by the insinuation that he couldn’t handle the pups. This wasn’t the first litter Hazael had raised and never before had any runaway pups made it past the kennel door. Everything that had happened today was just an unfortunate accident, not some indicator that Hazael was incapable of taking care of the dogs. It was unfair to think any differently, but then again what should Hazael expect? His family was not fans of the dogs that Hazael kept and he was certain that Avriam would get rid of them all if he could guarantee that they wouldn’t find their way back home to Hazael. It wouldn’t have surprised him if his little brother thought the same thing… not that Jorah would ever admit to it. His dedication to the Torah put him above such base things as disgust…
Which, honestly, made it all a bit worse. Hazael could deal with everyone who told him that it was wrong. He could remind himself of the love that the dogs offered him and how he was certain that Yahweh wouldn’t let the creatures be capable of such devotion if there wasn’t a reason for it. He could argue to kingdom come about how there was nothing about raising dogs in their scripture. If all else failed, he could run away like the coward that he was and hide from what everyone else thought. What he couldn’t do though was handle the silent disapproval. It was impossible for him to work through the flip-flopping opinions that some folks could have or the masking of what they really thought. Hazael really wished that the boy would just come out and say that he hated the boys instead of this dance that they did. It would certainly make these comments sting a lot less, that’s for sure.
As bad as all of this was, it seemed that Jorah wasn’t content to cease with his criticism when the boy decided to question Hazael on what their sister had been doing out here in the Greek quarter. Now, the fifteen-year-old knew that what his little brother was saying wasn’t some sort of commentary on how Hazael had handled the situation, but instead just musings on the oddities of Arela’s behavior. However, it was hard for Hazael to not take them as such when they came right on the heels of Jorah questioning whether or not the boy could take care of the dogs. To Haz, it sounded more like that Jorah thought that he was lying about what Arela was doing out here. The whole notion was so ridiculous that Jorah couldn’t possibly think that Hazael would do such a thing. Haz was a coward. He didn’t have the nerves to pull off such a dangerous lie as concealing what Arela was doing out here… but also why on earth would he lie for Arela. The elder of the twins was an absolute nightmare to Haz. She tormented him relentlessly and was just generally so cruel that Hazael had no reason to put his neck on the line for her. Not even Benaiah would believe such a notion and he was practically a baby.
“I don’t know Jor. You’re going to have to ask her.” Hazael reiterated with a slightly sharp tone, clearly showing that the boy really didn’t want to talk about what their sister had been up to as he was certain that it would only spell trouble for them if they pried too much. “All I know is that she was already with them. I was slow in getting the puppy because I had Bracha with me. She could have very easily seen the puppy and followed him like I did.” Hazael didn’t fully believe this version of events, but his fear of what Arela would do if the boys got her in trouble was strong enough that he wanted to pull Jorah off of the topic. After all, just like Tiras, their sister was not afraid to use both her words and her palms in the cruel way that she treated Haz. She was not above slapping him or pulling his hair, as if they were children, to get her point across in that Hazael should mind his own business. Jorah might not see it in his wise decision to hide away from the rest of the family at the temple, but Hazael didn’t have such an escape option.
He feared Arela and he was not going to poke this metaphorical bear… no matter how much the boy didn’t buy the tale himself.
His skepticism was shown in how the boy refused to meet his brother’s gaze; eyes shifting about and his foot nervously kicking at the ground. Hazael could tell that Arela was lying, but he just didn’t want to have to deal with the consequences of tattling… especially when Arela could easily counter with the fact that Hazael had ‘spoken’ in Greek to the soldiers. (Which was a loose claim given that Hazael didn’t truly understand what he had said and was just parroting back things he had overheard.) It was in his best interest that Arela stay out of trouble because there was no way that Avriam would take kindly to the fact that Haz had uttered anything in Greek. That was akin to a death sentence in their home.
This desire of his to keep the truth hidden for an entirely selfish reason was probably what pushed that bubble of frustration that was quickly forming within him closer and closer to the surface when Jorah insisted that Haz be the one to tell Avriam. “What?” Hazael sputtered out incredulously as he looked at Jorah like he had three heads on his shoulders instead of just the one that was clearly not thinking straight. “Why should I be the one to tell father? You’re the one insisting that we tell him in the first place! Why are you pushing this onto me when you are more than capable of doing it yourself?” The accusations were sharp as Hazael’s cowardly nature came out to play, trying to avoid the bigger confrontation that would come in two rounds if the boys decided to tattle; first from their father and then from Arela.
Honestly, he wondered though if he was truly the bigger coward here. Jorah was the one who was fretting over what Arela was doing and yet he was pushing off the solution to the problem. Why? Was he afraid that Avriam would get mad at him? Did Jorah think that their temperamental father might ban him from going to the temple during the day? Was that why he was trying to get Hazael to do it for him? Either way, Hazael could feel his inner Tiras coming out to play as his anger over his annoying little brother kept bubbling up within him. He didn’t want to be dealing with this. Whatever Arela was doing was not his problem.
And to think, this whole mess could have been avoided if Hazael had just done a better job of shutting the kennel door.
“Look, Jorah, I know you mean well, but whatever Arela is up to is none of our business. It’s not worth telling Father when both of them will be mad at us. Just let it go.” Hazael said plainly, trying to get his brother to walk the path of cowardice with him. This was how Hazael normally handled things and what he had meant to do before his little brother showed up. He had no reason to stray from this path. Not when the fear of invoking the wrath of his angry family members was stronger than the joy of doing the right thing. Jorah might not have learned this lesson yet, but Hazael knew that it was just sometimes better to keep one’s head down and let Yahweh sort it out.
This was something he tried to solidify as he took up Bracha’s leash and tightened his grip on the squirming puppy, a clear indication that Hazael was ready to head home. “Let’s just forget about this and head home. Eema might need our help. Arela can find her own way home.” Hazael looked to his brother, hoping that the younger boy would see how much of a fool’s errand it would be to go chasing after their sister like this. Surely, the boy could see that it would be wiser to leave Arela alone and just pretend that this never happened… But then again, if Jorah wanted to chase after the girl, it wasn’t like Hazael was in a position to stop him.
That would be the other boy's decision to make though as Hazael turned around and started to make his way home, determined to not get himself caught up in whatever mess Jorah was intent on starting.
As mild-mannered as Hazael could be, the boy couldn’t hold back the angry glare he shot at Jorah when the boy questioned whether or not the boy could keep his pups contained. “Yes, I can. One escaped pup doesn’t mean that the whole kennel is now running loose.” He said sharply as he readjusted the puppy, subconsciously drawing the creature closer to his chest and away from his younger brother. The older boy knew that Jorah wasn’t fond of the dogs because of what their scripture said about his little beasts. It was something that Hazael was constantly given flack for and the boy was quite frankly tired of needing to justify the gift that Yahweh had given him over and over again. Especially to members of his own family.
However, Hazael’s acerbic words didn’t just stem from the fact that Jorah didn’t approve of the pups. Truthfully, Haz was a bit offended by the insinuation that he couldn’t handle the pups. This wasn’t the first litter Hazael had raised and never before had any runaway pups made it past the kennel door. Everything that had happened today was just an unfortunate accident, not some indicator that Hazael was incapable of taking care of the dogs. It was unfair to think any differently, but then again what should Hazael expect? His family was not fans of the dogs that Hazael kept and he was certain that Avriam would get rid of them all if he could guarantee that they wouldn’t find their way back home to Hazael. It wouldn’t have surprised him if his little brother thought the same thing… not that Jorah would ever admit to it. His dedication to the Torah put him above such base things as disgust…
Which, honestly, made it all a bit worse. Hazael could deal with everyone who told him that it was wrong. He could remind himself of the love that the dogs offered him and how he was certain that Yahweh wouldn’t let the creatures be capable of such devotion if there wasn’t a reason for it. He could argue to kingdom come about how there was nothing about raising dogs in their scripture. If all else failed, he could run away like the coward that he was and hide from what everyone else thought. What he couldn’t do though was handle the silent disapproval. It was impossible for him to work through the flip-flopping opinions that some folks could have or the masking of what they really thought. Hazael really wished that the boy would just come out and say that he hated the boys instead of this dance that they did. It would certainly make these comments sting a lot less, that’s for sure.
As bad as all of this was, it seemed that Jorah wasn’t content to cease with his criticism when the boy decided to question Hazael on what their sister had been doing out here in the Greek quarter. Now, the fifteen-year-old knew that what his little brother was saying wasn’t some sort of commentary on how Hazael had handled the situation, but instead just musings on the oddities of Arela’s behavior. However, it was hard for Hazael to not take them as such when they came right on the heels of Jorah questioning whether or not the boy could take care of the dogs. To Haz, it sounded more like that Jorah thought that he was lying about what Arela was doing out here. The whole notion was so ridiculous that Jorah couldn’t possibly think that Hazael would do such a thing. Haz was a coward. He didn’t have the nerves to pull off such a dangerous lie as concealing what Arela was doing out here… but also why on earth would he lie for Arela. The elder of the twins was an absolute nightmare to Haz. She tormented him relentlessly and was just generally so cruel that Hazael had no reason to put his neck on the line for her. Not even Benaiah would believe such a notion and he was practically a baby.
“I don’t know Jor. You’re going to have to ask her.” Hazael reiterated with a slightly sharp tone, clearly showing that the boy really didn’t want to talk about what their sister had been up to as he was certain that it would only spell trouble for them if they pried too much. “All I know is that she was already with them. I was slow in getting the puppy because I had Bracha with me. She could have very easily seen the puppy and followed him like I did.” Hazael didn’t fully believe this version of events, but his fear of what Arela would do if the boys got her in trouble was strong enough that he wanted to pull Jorah off of the topic. After all, just like Tiras, their sister was not afraid to use both her words and her palms in the cruel way that she treated Haz. She was not above slapping him or pulling his hair, as if they were children, to get her point across in that Hazael should mind his own business. Jorah might not see it in his wise decision to hide away from the rest of the family at the temple, but Hazael didn’t have such an escape option.
He feared Arela and he was not going to poke this metaphorical bear… no matter how much the boy didn’t buy the tale himself.
His skepticism was shown in how the boy refused to meet his brother’s gaze; eyes shifting about and his foot nervously kicking at the ground. Hazael could tell that Arela was lying, but he just didn’t want to have to deal with the consequences of tattling… especially when Arela could easily counter with the fact that Hazael had ‘spoken’ in Greek to the soldiers. (Which was a loose claim given that Hazael didn’t truly understand what he had said and was just parroting back things he had overheard.) It was in his best interest that Arela stay out of trouble because there was no way that Avriam would take kindly to the fact that Haz had uttered anything in Greek. That was akin to a death sentence in their home.
This desire of his to keep the truth hidden for an entirely selfish reason was probably what pushed that bubble of frustration that was quickly forming within him closer and closer to the surface when Jorah insisted that Haz be the one to tell Avriam. “What?” Hazael sputtered out incredulously as he looked at Jorah like he had three heads on his shoulders instead of just the one that was clearly not thinking straight. “Why should I be the one to tell father? You’re the one insisting that we tell him in the first place! Why are you pushing this onto me when you are more than capable of doing it yourself?” The accusations were sharp as Hazael’s cowardly nature came out to play, trying to avoid the bigger confrontation that would come in two rounds if the boys decided to tattle; first from their father and then from Arela.
Honestly, he wondered though if he was truly the bigger coward here. Jorah was the one who was fretting over what Arela was doing and yet he was pushing off the solution to the problem. Why? Was he afraid that Avriam would get mad at him? Did Jorah think that their temperamental father might ban him from going to the temple during the day? Was that why he was trying to get Hazael to do it for him? Either way, Hazael could feel his inner Tiras coming out to play as his anger over his annoying little brother kept bubbling up within him. He didn’t want to be dealing with this. Whatever Arela was doing was not his problem.
And to think, this whole mess could have been avoided if Hazael had just done a better job of shutting the kennel door.
“Look, Jorah, I know you mean well, but whatever Arela is up to is none of our business. It’s not worth telling Father when both of them will be mad at us. Just let it go.” Hazael said plainly, trying to get his brother to walk the path of cowardice with him. This was how Hazael normally handled things and what he had meant to do before his little brother showed up. He had no reason to stray from this path. Not when the fear of invoking the wrath of his angry family members was stronger than the joy of doing the right thing. Jorah might not have learned this lesson yet, but Hazael knew that it was just sometimes better to keep one’s head down and let Yahweh sort it out.
This was something he tried to solidify as he took up Bracha’s leash and tightened his grip on the squirming puppy, a clear indication that Hazael was ready to head home. “Let’s just forget about this and head home. Eema might need our help. Arela can find her own way home.” Hazael looked to his brother, hoping that the younger boy would see how much of a fool’s errand it would be to go chasing after their sister like this. Surely, the boy could see that it would be wiser to leave Arela alone and just pretend that this never happened… But then again, if Jorah wanted to chase after the girl, it wasn’t like Hazael was in a position to stop him.
That would be the other boy's decision to make though as Hazael turned around and started to make his way home, determined to not get himself caught up in whatever mess Jorah was intent on starting.