For Dinner: Breast of Prisli, a Lokiite dish that has been adapted for human tastes by my nanoprocessor.  Not bad...rather like spiced turkey.
Mood: Very macho and capable, which is always a mistake. Pride and all that comes with it.
Written in the Year of our Lord 3580, March 28th, Thursday  night.
Location: The Fel arcology on the city Vagnar on the continent of Laufey, near the Ran ocean, on Loki.

     Tiafen came in the next day, and started to lay down a variety of weapons on my bed. I recognized knives and garrotes and something similar to nunchakas. Others looked nasty but I couldn't classify them.
 
     "Well, it's an interesting collection..."

     "I understand you didn't bring any weapons with you.  Now that we'll be traveling, it will be more necessary than ever for you to arm yourself. What's your weapon of choice?"

     "None."

     "I must be misunderstanding.  I said..."

    "Tiafen, I'm going to explain something. I don't expect you to understand this, but you will have to believe it. I cannot kill. Cannot. Part of my duties as a priest means I cannot kill another sentient being. Even if he's trying to kill me."

       "What? But how....ever???"

       "Right. Some of the greatest members of my religion...even the founder of my religion....went to His death...without a struggle."

       Alien, her body language said. She sighed. Then she picked up a knife, and said, "So when someone comes at you with one of these you just--"

      Then she stopped, for the knife was now sticking out of  the paneling of the wall. I had kicked it out of her hand. She looked at that, and then looked at me.

      "Hmmm. How did you do that? I barely saw you move..."

      "Another group of priests in my world...not my particular religion, but with a similar distaste of weapons, called Buddhists, kept on being attacked by bandits. They evolved a system called the martial arts, which turns the body into a weapon. Side of hands become like knives, for instance. It's a hobby of mine. It's how I exercise. It's...."

      "Hmmm. So they renounced the use of weapons, but turned their body into a weapon. Interesting. And fortunate that you learned that. I won't worry about  you quite so much...but what will you do with that if you're not going to kill?"

      "Hopefully I won't have to use it at all. If I do, the idea is to use the minimum amount of violence, and only in self-defense."

        Alien, the body language said again. "Ohhh, well. As long as you have some sort of protection."

       Then, with her eyes' golden flakes whirling, "Perhaps I'll get you to teach me that way of fighting..."

      Then she left, and I thought to myself, Uh oh. Not good. I don't want to be sensei to a bunch of Lokiite would-be kung fu fighters. I better not mention the ninja tradition....
 
 
 
 
 
 

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