[attr="class","header"]YOU WERE GONE TOO SOON

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The night market was somewhere he had never been before. He had heard of it, of course, from other people, but had never visited. After another sleepless night, he had decided to check it out. It would be better than training himself into the ground, after all.
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As he wandered through the night market, his gaze scanned the people around him. Even when not on duty, he couldn't relax his guard. It was like he was always ready to jump in if trouble arose. That was just his nature. It didn't help that he was a knight who had decided to pursue being an officer.
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Passing by one of the stalls, his stomach growled, calling attention to the fact that he was hungry. Frowning, he glanced briefly at the stall, taking in the meat skewers before deciding it wouldn't hurt anything for him to try them. Kindly thanking the person in charge of the booth, he paid for his two meat skewers before walking off.
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As he walked, he scanned the people around him. He noticed an older man from his peripheral vision. Nothing about him really stood out, except that he was sitting off by himself. Effortlessly stepping out of the flow of traffic, he made his way over to the older man. "Are you enjoying yourself this evening?" he asked, giving the older man a warm smile to show him he meant no harm.[break] Victor Haas

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[attr="class","header"]YOU WERE GONE TOO SOON

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That was good. There was just something about knowing that someone was doing well that made him feel better. When the older male mentioned that the food was fresh, he nodded in agreement. It was true, he had seen them cooking it with his own eyes. Unfortunately, he couldn't really comment on the taste.
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As if the older male was reading his mind, he asked if he wanted to try what he had. Upon hearing the question, he shook his head and said, "Thanks for the offer, but I'm afraid that me trying it won't do any good. I have an inability to taste," he explained, wondering if he had phrased that correctly. It had sounded a bit weird in his head, but maybe that was just him. Remembering that the older male had offered to let him try his food, he decided to return the favor. He had kind of forgotten about the meat skewers he had gotten.
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"Do you want to try a bite of what I have?" he asked, indicating the meat skewers he had.[break] Victor Haas

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[attr="class","header"]YOU WERE GONE TOO SOON

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He could tell from his expression that he felt bad for him. But as far as he was concerned, it wasn't a problem. Having grown up the way he had, it was probably best he hadn't had access to his taste buds back then. Then, by the time his life had improved, he was used to it and it didn't bother him.
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The older male's voice pulled him out of his thoughts, and he allowed him to take one of the meat skewers. After the older male had taken one, he started to eat his own. Since he had food in his mouth, he didn't answer the older male's question right away. Instead, he waited until he had chewed and swallowed his bite of food before answering.
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"I am. I never thought I could have so much fun at a marketplace, but I must say it's an interesting experience. Usually, I'm pretty focused on work, so I don't usually take the time to do this kind of stuff," he admitted.[break] Victor Haas

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[attr="class","header"]YOU WERE GONE TOO SOON

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He was a bit taken aback by his response. Sure, he liked to people-watch himself, more because he liked to keep an eye on people to make sure they were doing alright. But he had never come right out and said he enjoyed people-watching. Some might take it the wrong way. Though that wasn't the only reason he didn't usually mention it. He was also a fairly private person.
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It seemed he realized the awkwardness of his statement, and silence lapsed between them. Of course, he could always tell him he enjoyed people-watching but was worried about making things more awkward. And trying to explain that he enjoyed watching those around him out of concern would probably make him seem paranoid. Neither option was what he would call fun, so he decided to just not say anything.
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The older male was the one who broke the silence once more, and he couldn't help but be relieved when the awkwardness dissipated. "Oh no, I don't mind," he reassured him before speaking once more. "I'm an officer, I've been one for about a year," he told the older male.
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"What about you? What do you do for a living?" he inquired curiously. "If you don't mind me asking, that is," he added.[break] Victor Haas

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[attr="class","header"]YOU WERE GONE TOO SOON

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As the older male commented that being an officer sounded interesting, a small smile touched his lips. "It is," he agreed, the passion for his career clear in his voice. "Rewarding as well," he added.
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There wasn't a day that went by when he didn't enjoy what he did. He didn't enjoy being able to help those in need and keep them safe. He lived to keep those around him safe.
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When he mentioned being an author, he couldn't help but be impressed. He had always loved reading a good book on a rainy or cold day, and he respected those who were creative enough with the written word to write a book. It wasn't something he himself could do; he wasn't creative enough.
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"I must admit I've always been a bit jealous of those who could string words together and turn it into a thrilling story. I'm a bit too serious in nature to be good at something like that," he told him with a small chuckle.
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"I read the news in the morning over a cup of coffee, so I'm sure I've read some of your stuff."[break] Victor Haas

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"I patrol Mauville quite a bit to see if anyone needs help or is causing any trouble. Sometimes I may help out in another city or town if they need the extra help. I'll help with training as well. I'm pretty adept at hand-to-hand combat as well as using a sword and knives, so it's not unusual for me to be asked to help with training," he told the older male.
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At the comment, he shrugged. "You would be surprised. I actually haven't seen much conflict since coming to Hoenn. Lucky perhaps to not have had to deal with Team Rocket yet."
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Part of him was happy that he hadn't had to deal with Team Rocket yet. However, another part of him was on edge about the whole thing. Wondering just when he would have to deal with Team Rocket.
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It was that second part that often played into his fear of letting people down. Of not being strong enough when he did have to deal with Team Rocket. Of seeing people around him fall once more.
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He wouldn't stand for it. He would give it his all to keep those around him safe. To keep people like this civilian safe.
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Speaking of which, he was just realizing that neither had introduced themselves. But wouldn't it seem kind of weird if he just blurted his name out?[break] Victor Haas

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[attr="class","header"]YOU WERE GONE TOO SOON

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The blurted introduction caught him a bit off guard. It didn't help that he had just been thinking about the fact that neither of them had introduced themselves. Recovering his composure, he decided he might as well introduce himself as well.
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"It's a pleasure to meet you, Victor. My name's Mikael."
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Upon realizing that they hadn't introduced themselves yet, a small amused smile tugged at the corners of his lips. "Don't worry about it. I had just noticed myself when you said something. I guess we just got so carried away chatting that we forgot to introduce ourselves," he told him with an amused chuckle.
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"Anyway, I'm feeling a bit thirsty. Want anything?" he asked, his gaze scanning the nearby stalls for one that might be selling drinks.[break] Victor Haas

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