SITTING BY THE DOCK OF THE BAY --ABDUL-RAHMAN

[ARIEL KRISTAIN DAVID]

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you might think i'm bulletproof but i'm not

"It's the ocean! The ocean!"

So, maybe it was a bit childish for an eighteen year old to be so excited about seeing the ocean. It was, after all, just a bit puddle of water. Salty water, at that. It was gross. But the Israeli girl had never seen the ocean before. The only time she had seen it was from the plane when she was flying here, and she had been mesmerized. It was beautiful. The way the late afternoon sun glittered over the water, turning it a darker shade of blue. The sun was setting over the water, streaks of red, gold and pink colouring the sky. She wasn’t prone to romantic thoughts like this, but it was true. It really was lovely.

Ariel brushed a curly strand of black hair from her face, kicking her feet in the water. She had been here at AGM for three years, and yet she never seemed to make it here before. Ariel was sort of obsessive about her grades and such, still trying to make her father proud. Sure, she knew it was a hopeless cause. He was scared shitless of her, even though there was nothing she could do about it. She didn’t ask to have these powers. It wasn’t her fault. But she still did her best. Her sister thought it was futile, but Ariel was tad on the stubborn side.

The black haired girl sighed , bending down to dip her hand in the water. She hadn’t heard from her sister in well over two months, and this worried her. Meli was in the Mossad, meaning she was in dangerous situations all the time. Because she was an assassin. The Israel-Arab conflict, going on for years now, even though it was supposed to have ended, made life hell for her. Even though she was here in America. Ariel sighed again and flopped backwards on the dock, leaning against the warm wood. ”It isn’t fair. Why can’t I help?” she muttered, covering her head with one hand.

TAGGED: here | WORDS: 334 | OUTFIT | OOC: Blech.

[ABDUL-RAHMAN AL-JARKAS]

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i will find a way or make one

The Adyghes were never a seafaring people. Their ancestral homeland was in the high slopes of the Caucasus Mountains. However, Abdul-Rahman was drawn to it. Perhaps it was because he was half Arab, but they were never too seafaring either. Abdul-Rahman was generally a loner and found the docks a very relaxing place.

Abdul-Rahman had spent a decent few hours at the library. He usually went there every day just to browse. His affinity toward libraries came from a young age because his parents took him to the Central Library at the University of Aleppo in Syria when he was just a child. He knew that his father came from a twice-deported people. The Adyghes, or Circassians, were first deported from their homelands when the Russians won the Russian-Circassian War. His father, like most Adyghes who settled in Syria, settled in Golan Heights. When Israel started an unnecessary war of aggression, the Circassians in Golan Heights were forced lo leave. Both his parents, including his mother, an Arab, had taught him that he would return there after the occupiers left.

This time, he brought a book called The Ghosts of Cannae by Robert O'Connell. He had always sympathized with the hapless Carthaginians and their three horribly failed wars against the Roman Republic. Hannibal's crushing defeat of the Romans actually led to his ultimate demise. Thus, the Romace peoples developed. How was that fair? Abdul-Rahman's interest in history often led him to speculative questions. He often thought about writing or starting an alternate history timeline where Carthage won the Second Punic War, but that never came to fruition.

This time, there was already somebody else there. However, even though Abdul-Rahman had antisocial tendencies, he did not mind. He went over and quietly said "Hi" and smiled before he sat down to read the book.

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[ARIEL KRISTAIN DAVID]

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you might think i'm bulletproof but i'm not

Ariel wasn’t prone to biases. After all, she had been subject to them herself. The United States of the America was very wishy-washy on their position about Israel. Unofficially, they supported her homeland, but they never came out and said it. It was irritating. Oh, Ariel could understand why. Pissing off the whole of the Middle East would be a very bad idea, considering what had happened ten years ago. She knew that the president was doing his best, but there didn’t seem to be any improvement at all. It was frustrating. She couldn’t help what, or who she was. It irritated her.

But what was really bothering Ariel was the fact that she didn’t know where Meli was. The continuing Arab conflict had been a centre part in her life. Her mother and two eldest brothers had been killed by a Hamas suicide bomber, and now Meli was undercover. It scared her. She didn’t want to lose anyone else. Ariel closed her blue eyes with another little sigh. Her father had sent her away the moment she displayed any type of abnormal power. He was scared of her. His own daughter! Ariel honestly couldn’t blame him, though there was still resentment there. She wanted to serve her country too, not stay at some school developing a power she didn’t want! She loved the United States, too, but Israel?

Israel was home.

Footsteps alerted her that she was no longer alone. She opened her eyes as the boy said hello, and a small smile formed on her face. Ariel liked speaking with other people, especially from the US. They were so… vibrant. Back home, there was always an overtone of fear and suspicion. It wasn’t like that, here. It was different. ”Hello.” She responded, her accented voice light as she sat up, curling her legs under her to look at him. He didn’t look American….

TAGGED: here | WORDS: 334 | OUTFIT | OOC: Blech.

[ABDUL-RAHMAN AL-JARKAS]

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i will find a way or make one

Abdul-Rahman sat down to read. He skimmed the pages quickly at first. for no good reason. Why would Varro actually get any more commands after such a crushing defeat? That didn't make any sense. All the other Roman veterans of Cannae were forced to exile in Sicily. What was this? It was no wonder that the Romans suffered a defeat like Cannae; their administration was awful. Or so it seemed.

In his alternate timeline, could Carthage have won the Second Punic War if Hannibal decided to march on Rome after Cannae? He always presumed that the battle was the turning point of the war. Or, otherwise, would Rome have enough troops to sustain a Carthaginian siege even after a defeat like Cannae? He pushed these questions to the back of his mind and continued to read.

Since he was also an omniglot, he also wanted to create an ethnolinguistic map of the world today if Carthage had won. However, traces of the Punic language were few. He could use the few traces of Phoenician to try to reconstruct it. Since the Romance languages were Latin mixed with native elements, he knew that it was necessary to study the native Celtic and Dacian languages. He knew that Dacian was only reconstructed to the point of individual words. However, perhaps this was enough to create a mixture of Dacian and Phoenician. There was, of course, a lot of work to be done. He also could ask professional linguists for aid.

Abdul-Rahman felt that the atmosphere was beginning to become slightly uncomfortable. The other person was simply sitting there, thinking to herself. He was here reading. He felt that he just looked like a jerk. Eventually, he reached a point where he could not turn another page.

He extended his hand to the other person. "I'm Abdul-Rahman," he introduced himself.

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[ARIEL KRISTAIN DAVID]

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you might think i'm bulletproof but i'm not

Like previously stated, Ariel wasn’t prone to random biases. But it was pretty much in her blood to fear the Arabs. And it was common knowledge that people hated what they did not understand, and Ariel knew that her fear was silly, at least in America. She had good reason in Israel, but that was a whole different country away. Sometimes it felt like an entire world away. At least on days like this. Back home, she would’ve never stay out in the open like this, for fear of the Hamas that terrorized the country. There had been an attempted truce in 2008 – it fell through in December of that year. She remembered how disappointed and angry her father had been, being an ambassador.

It was probably because of her mother and brothers that she feared them so. She had been little when she witnessed. Hamas had fired over 60 rockets that year, killing over 500 people. Her mother had been in the middle of it. What was worse? Tali hadn’t even supposed to out there. She and her brothers had gone out to get some groceries for Ariel’s birthday. Even though logically she knew that it wasn’t her fault, she still blamed herself. Maybe if she hadn’t pleaded so hard…. Ariel knew that her father blamed her. He didn’t want to, but he did. Only her older sister and younger older brother didn’t. It didn’t matter, though, in the end.

The whole world could forgive her, but it didn't mean she could forgive herself.

Ariel shook her head. There was no point on dwelling on the past. She lifted her eyes to the fading sunlight. Streaks of red, gold, blue and pink stained the sky, reflecting off the water. It was truly beautiful. It was so incredibly beautiful here, something she loved. Everything was so open, even in this hidden away in the school. Ariel had more freedom here than she had anywhere else. It was a bit strange, but she honestly loved it. The dark haired girl looked over at the other person as he extended his hand. Blinking in surprise, she took it.

”I’m Ariel. Ariel David.” Ariel introduced herself, automatically stressing her last name. Everyone pronounced it as “David”, not “Dah-veed”, like it was supposed to. Ariel supposed she should’ve gotten over it, but she hadn’t. Oh well.

TAGGED: here | WORDS: 334 | OUTFIT | OOC: Blech.

[ABDUL-RAHMAN AL-JARKAS]

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i will find a way or make one

For some unknown reason, the anthem of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria rang in Abdul-Rahman's head. However, only the melody rang in his head. He had temporarily forgot the lyrics.He opened again to his book and remembered the page he was on again. He then closed it. He looked back at this other person here. He repeated her name to himself and made sure to say her name in his head correctly by emphasizing the second syllable instead of the first one.

He was used to being called names in the US. He often wished that he could change his surname to al-Sharkas, the other way to say "the Circassian" in Arabic. His name now could be said like "jerk ass." He found that depressing. He would still always remain proud of Adyghe heritage. He was also used to being called a terrorist even though he never committed a crime in his life. What could he do?

He then remembered to say his full name because Ariel had done so. He remembered to put the book down. "I'm Abdul-Rahman al-Jarkas. What exactly is your power?" he asked. He tried to ponder the origin of the surname David. Could it be Hebrew? Being an omniglot, he quickly switched to the Hebrew language. "And it is good to meet you," he said in Hebrew to see how she would respond.

TAGGED: here | WORDS: 307 | OUTFIT | OOC:

[ARIEL KRISTAIN DAVID]

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you might think i'm bulletproof but i'm not

“Lion of God.” That’s what her name literally meant. Her mother hadn’t expected to have another child – and in all honesty, she hadn’t even expected her tiny daughter to survive the night. Ariel had been born three months early, and incredibly fragile. Most children born in that situation didn’t survive – her father’s connections to the American embassy hospital were the only reason she had survived. Her father had pretty much given up on her, but her mother? Tali refused to give up on her. She had even named her Ariel, giving her a strong name. As she grew older, the second meaning of her name – sprite – became clear. Sweet and open hearted, Ariel was a kind girl at heart. But mischevious was also part of her nature.

”My power?”” Ariel looked mildly startled. ”I can use psionic blasts… not that I do…”But Ariel was more than a little surprised when the boy spoke Hebrew. The fact that he said his full name didn’t register for a moment, as she was more focused on the fact that someone else had spoken Hebrew. It had been years since she had heard anyone else speak Hebrew, other than her sister. It was harder to learn for even the top linguists, up there with Mandarin Chinese and Arabic. ”You speak Hebrew? How?” Her eyes flitted to his face, wide and surprised. The Hebrew tongue slipped easily past her mouth, the accent that was with her slightly when she spoke English even more pronounced.

Then she blinked. ”al-Jarkas?” She stayed in Hebrew in more of habit than anything else. Ariel’s face literally paled, and she drew back slightly. ”You are `arav!” Ariel whispered, using the old Hebrew term for Arab – literally meaning “desert people.” Ariel stared at him, somewhat surprised and somewhat freaked out at the turn of events.
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[ABDUL-RAHMAN AL-JARKAS]

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i will find a way or make one

Abdul-Rahman thought again about Punic Wars and related concepts before he finally drifted back to reality. Ariel said that her power was to use psionic blasts. Internally, Abdul-Rahman was mildly surprised; this place was AMG, after all. "That's interesting. I'm not really used to people capable of doing things like that. Also, of course I speak Hebrew. I'm actually just an omniglot!" he said.

What he actually found surprising was her reaction to his name and ethnicity. ”You are `arav!” she said. She paled; Abdul-Rahman had only reacted with mild surprise at her power, but now he reacted with mild shock. Why would somebody react in such a way to his Arab-ness.

His face showed his mild shock. His eyes slightly widened and he reeled back slightly. Well, I'm half-Arab. My mother is Arab and my father is Adyghe. He comes from the Circassian community residing in Golan Heights. I'm actually from Syria," he said.

"Is there a problem with that? Where exactly are you from?" he asked. If he was right and she came from Israel, she would clearly be supportive of that country's annexation of Golan Heights and that country's aggressive moves against his people.

His father had been forced away from that place. He belonged to the group of the twice-exiled people, the Circassians of Golan Heights. They had first been forced out by The Russians in the Russian-Circassian War and then by Israel in the Six-Day War. Like many Arabs, he liked to call that event an-Naksah, the setback.

TAGGED: here | WORDS: 307 | OUTFIT | OOC:

[ARIEL KRISTAIN DAVID]

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you might think i'm bulletproof but i'm not

”Omniglot? That’s really cool!”

[/color] Ariel made a face at him. ”My power? It’s scary. I don’t like the idea that I can hurt others just because I am angry or anything like that. I think I have the least control over my power than anyone here…”[/color] She trailed off, looking at her hands. Seeing so much violence during her life, she had become extremely adverse to violence. Sure, she had one hell of a temper – sprite indeed – but she hadn’t hurt anyone in her life. Not on purpose, though. She mumbled that last part, grimacing. No wonder her father had sent her here.

Ariel knew that her reaction was unreasonable. He hadn’t done anything to her at all, other than be polite to her. But she was unreasonably terrified of him. No, not terrified – worried? Scared? Both? Actually, she didn’t know what she was feeling at the moment. He was talking again, and the black haired girl forced herself to focus to Abdul-Rahman’s words. He was explaining that his ethnicity to her, asking her why she was so shocked. ”Syria?”[/color] Ariel echoed, twisted her fingers together, face an almost chalky white. She had never been to Syria, her father had been terrified that what happened to her mother would happen to her.

Abdul-Rahman asked if it was a problem. Ariel wanted to say no. But she wasn’t one to lie. She scooted to the edge of the dock, sitting on the edge of it, dangling her feet into the water, gazing across the water. ”I am Israeli. I am Hebrew. I am a Jew. My mother and two of my older brothers were killed by Hamas suicide bombers. They were Syrian.”[/color] The words were flat, each one of them clipped. She didn’t want to think about this.

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TAGGED: here | WORDS: 334 | OUTFIT | OOC: Blech.

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[ABDUL-RAHMAN AL-JARKAS]

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i will find a way or make one

Abdul-Rahman partially winced inwardly with every word that Ariel said. He could do nothing more than stare at the water, the waves lapping at the sand ceaselessly. He thought that he saw a terrapin surface for air before it dived again.He continued to stare until he could think of some way to respond.

"Well," he said, I guessed correct." He bore a smile before he finally found a response. Well. This is interesting. First, I have great respect for your people. Any people who can produce a man like Einstein have to be great," he said with a softened tone. "And as a chess player, it would be very callous to deny the many advancements to that game by Jewish players. Botvinnik? Bronstein? Gelfand? the list is endless," he continued.

He gave every effort that he deemed necessary to not come off as belligerent, He glanced down again at the water. "And I am sorry for your loss. Perhaps our peoples need to learn to put their differences aside. However, that does imply that Israel needs to cease all of its unnecessary wars of aggression," he said, staring down again nervously.

"And perhaps it is my bias, but I do feel that the crimes Arabs have committed on Israelis are more justifiable than the opposite," he said and hoped that he gave a roughly enlightened position. "My father and the entire Circassian community was forced out of Golan Heights when Israel invaded," he blurted out suddenly. He tried to keep a soft tone of voice.

TAGGED: here | WORDS: 307 | OUTFIT | OOC:

[ARIEL KRISTAIN DAVID]

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you might think i'm bulletproof but i'm not

[Ariel remained oddly silent as he spoke, gaze out across the water. It was getting colder now and silly Ariel had gotten to bring a jacket. She wrapped her arms around herself, both in an effort to keep warm, and in an effort to distract herself. She hadn’t meant to be so violent in her opinion of him and his people. Honestly, she felt like he had a right to get angry and, oh, push her off the dock or something. Her biases had no place here in America. But that didn’t stop her from being almost scared of him. Ariel made herself look up when he finished speaking, her blue eyes dark with emotions.

”I am sorry.”

[/color] Ariel spoke quietly, and she turned around so her back was towards the water. She was sitting cross legged, looking very small. ”I should not have gone off on you, it wasn’t your fault. And your land is beautiful; it is very much like my own.”[/color] Curls fell in her face as a light wind tugged at it, and she risked a look at him. Honestly, he looked harmless enough. It’s usually the harmless ones you have to look out for. You don’t know what they’re going to do next. Meli’s warning voice whispered. She shoved it away. ”I think both sides need to stop the aggression. How many more people will die before it’ll end?”[/color] Her eyes were distant, thinking of her sister.

Ariel visibly flinched as Abdul-Rahman mentioned Golan Heights. ”I am so sorry. My sister is Mossad, she is there. Or, was, last time I heard from her…”[/color] The pain in her voice was plane, and she looked down at her hands again. This was no going how she had wanted it.

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TAGGED: here | WORDS: 334 | OUTFIT | OOC: Blech.

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[ABDUL-RAHMAN AL-JARKAS]

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i will find a way or make one

Abdul-Rahman stared back at the water. The turtle surfaced again for air before diving. It came back with a crab, which it smashed against a rock and ate. The wind rose and it dived again. He could almost pat it on it head but did not do so.

"Well, in truth I've never actually been to Israel, so I can't testify about its beauty. However, I did know a few Mountain Jews when I lived in Krasnodar Krai and in Adygea. That is where I picked up Hebrew. Many had also become integrated with Chechens, so they could also speak Chechen very well. They also spoke Juhuri, a variation of Tat. They were actually really nice and I actually made a few friends with them," he said, thinking about his homeland for the first time in perhaps months. He looked back down and the turtle was nowhere to be seen. "Even then, I heard from people that many actually moved to Israel at the earliest opportunity. I can't exactly blame them for that."

He winced again inwardly at the mention of Mossad, that organization that had done so much to claim the land on which his father grew up. "Mossad?" he echoed with a shocked expression. Perhaps subconsciously, he had always had a deep-rooted hatred for that organization. They had slaughtered Arabs in many surrounding regions and also many Adyghes in Golan Heights. "Well, I guess this might be awkward with you knowing family who were the victims of Arab-induced violence and my father having been displaced as a result of Israeli-induced violence," he said, his voice trailing off.

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