Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final sense, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children.
- President Dwight D. Eisenhower

Saturday, November 01, 2014

Aureliana Kemp

This is the second entry for Nanowrimo 2014.

Aureliana had never gone home with a stranger before. She had no idea what to expect, and honestly no idea what to do. Indeed, she didn't know why she did it in the first place.

Lucius was not particularly remarkable in the way of looks. His ROC was a mid range model several years old. His costume for all-hallows eve, a store bought light play character, was pedestrian.

Oh, but his passion in the way he complained. It was almost like poetry. Of course, Aureliana did not yet realize that Lucius' particular brand of poetry is best appreciated after a few glasses of wine.

Still, he was quite the gentleman. They had not consummated their relationship last night. She seemed to remember him saying something about not having any lovers' purses.

The sunlight finally found its way onto her face. This was enough motivation to get out of bed. It was at that moment that Aureliana discovered that her cloak was not on her person. Looking about the room, it was apparent that her cloak was not anywhere near.

When she removed the blanket to get up, she was greeted with the fact that Lucius did not enjoy spending more of his salary than he had to on heat. It was not going to be the last example of Lucius' unnecessary frugality.

Walking out into the grand room, she discovered Lucius' appreciation of large windows. Lucius' neighbors across the way discovered Aureliana's unencumbered form. She swiftly discovered and put her cloak about herself after waving to them.

She did not even have her Arab's water yet. The four glasses of wine from last night made such immodest displays to strangers that much more embarrassing. She hadn't need to worry, though. The fact that Lucius had visitors of any kind let alone a young woman was shocking in its own right.

Lucius had been gone for a while. Perhaps there was a line at the Water Tower. Her stomach gurgled. Luckily, the layout for houses in this neighborhood of Districtum was quite familiar, and Aureliana was soon making her self a hand meal. Two pieces of bread, some hard salami, and a bit of egg paste had been her favorite snack since childhood. She was struck by the thought that Lucius deserves some credit for a reasonably well stocked pantry.

She really did hope that he would be back with the Arab's water soon, though.

 An amber man that did not own a light box. That was a new experience for Aureliana. Indeed, she realized that even her grand parents owned a light box. They mostly used it to purchase unnecessary home appliances. Well, some of them were unnecessary. The gladiator grill that was her Christmas present was used every other day by her room mate.

Still, without the light box to distract from her headache, Aureliana was beginning to wonder what exactly was the plan that she had last night. The man speaking on the radio about the Egyptian plane crash did not set the most cheery of moods.

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