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Post by esmeralda on Mar 14, 2009 11:49:22 GMT -5
Esmeralda smiled and looked over at Dawson. It was impossible for her to stay depressed for a long time, especially with a friendly mouse like Doctor Dawson to talk to.
"You served in Afghanistan? Wow! I have never been there. Was it horrible? I don't like wars. I have seen too much of it. So much suffering, and the grief of those left behind.... Nothing good ever comes from a war."
She followed him to a neat restaurant with a nice and inviting exterior. From the inside was the sound of lively music and people laughing, singing and having fun. Esmeralda went to the door and opened it, allowing Djali and Dawson to enter first. The moment they arrived, they were met with friendly faces.
"ESMERALDAAAAAA!" The crowd cheered. "Come and dance for us!"
The music started to play, and Esmeralda started dancing a fiery flamenco, just to please the guests. Her feet were moving rapidly across the floor, and she was graceful like a swan while she danced, her rainbow colored dress floating in her movements.
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Post by Dr. David Q. Dawson on Mar 14, 2009 14:28:37 GMT -5
Hopping off of Djali's head as the goat brought him to a small table, Dawson settled down on the tabletop to watch Esmeralda dance. She really was very talented. Her feet seemed to never touch the floor. Dawson couldn't help waving his hands in time with the music as he watched. When she had finished, Dawson clapped loudly along with the rest of the crowd.
"You are a very gifted dancer, my dear," he commented with a smile. "As to your earlier questions, no it was not horrible to be in Afghanistan. I rather enjoyed it. We were only there as a guard post. Sadly, I almost lost the use of my arm there."
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Post by esmeralda on Mar 14, 2009 14:39:45 GMT -5
Esmeralda smiled and bowed to her audience after the dance, before sitting down by Dawson's table. Here in this place she always paid for her meals by dancing, and she had never needed to starve. The audience knew her and loved her as one of their own. As soon as she sat down, she listened to Dawson telling about Afghanistan.
"I am sorry to hear about your arm, Doctor Dawson. Is there anything I can to do thelp you try to cure it? I have some medicine receipts that can work miracles."
That was more true than she was willing to admit. The gypsies were famous for their many secrets, and many of these secrets were magic. Nobody outside the gypsy clan had ever managed to get their hands on a receipt belonging to a gypsy.
The innkeeper came over to them and spoke to Esmeralda in his native tongue, and Esmeralda replied back. The innkeeper disappeared, and soon he returned with a delicious stew.
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Post by Dr. David Q. Dawson on Mar 14, 2009 14:46:36 GMT -5
"I am afraid not, my good woman," Dawson laughed sadly. "It has been far too long since the wound was sustained for me to be able to have it cured. I am quite able to function these days, though your offer is appreciated."
His nose twitched as he smelled the stew. His whiskers and ears were twitching happily as he leaned closer to the bowl. It smelled so good. He took a bite and his eyes rolled back in delight. It tasted as good as it smelled.
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Post by esmeralda on Mar 15, 2009 4:12:43 GMT -5
Esmeralda smiled secretly and looked over at Dawson, her emerald eyes glittering with knowlegde about all the mystery and magic secrets kept by the mysterious gypsy people.
"Everything is possible, Doctor Dawson," she said calmly. "The impossible just takes a little longer to accomplish."
She smiled when she noticed his reaction to the stew, before she started on her own. The innkeeper came over to her table, to exchange a few words, and Esmeralda said something to him in the Gypsy language. He disappeared, and when he returned, he brought with him an English Stilton Cheese, best quality. He placed it in front of Doctor Dawson.
"This is a gift to you from Esmeralda, and from us," he said and bowed before returning to his duties.
Esmeralda smiled, and continued on her meal calmly, as if things like this happened every day.
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Post by Dr. David Q. Dawson on Mar 15, 2009 4:29:24 GMT -5
Dawson chuckled at the mysterious air around the girl as he finished off his stew with relish. It really was very delicious. He would have to see to getting the recipe from the cook here. Not that he claimed to be a great cook, but Mrs. Judson back at Baker Street was a capital cook and could probably recreate this masterpiece if she had the recipe.
As he finished his meal, Dawson's ears twitched slightly as Esmeralda and the owner of this establishment had a few words in their native language. It was a pity that dawson couldn't understand what was being said. He spoke a little French--as was fashionable and beneficial to a gentleman of his status in Mousetorian England--and a little bit of some of the local dialects of Afghanistan, but not much.
That was when his delicate sense of smell caught a familiar and very welcome smell. a lovely Stilton Cheese...perfectly aged. The mouse's whiskere's twitched in delight as the owner explained that it was a gift from Esmeralda. With another twitch of his whiskers, Dawson turned his attention to the cheese with a pleased look crossing his face.
"Thank you, my dear," he said with a grin. "This is most generous of you."
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Post by esmeralda on Mar 15, 2009 4:45:52 GMT -5
Esmeralda chuckled with laughter when she noticed Doctor Dawson's reaction to the Stilton Cheese. She knew that Stilton was very popular among mice from England. And Esmeralda had made friends among the rodents in the park, some more than others. She also knew that gypsies who arrived from Europe always brought with them a lot of things from their old countries as gifts for friends who had already settled in the new country. So the innkeeper had been happy to give Dawson this cheese, when Esmeralda had told him about how friendly Dawson had treated her.
Now she looked over at Doctor Dawson again with a smile. Her depression was forgotten, and the sunshine had returned to her eyes, and to her general demeanor.
"Not as generous as it was of a busy Doctor to spend a few kind words on a stranger who had lost her path before you showed up," she replied. "Thank you, Doctor Dawson. You have made my day."
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Post by Dr. David Q. Dawson on Mar 15, 2009 4:51:33 GMT -5
Dawson blushed lightly in pleasure at the gratitude in her voice and shrugged nonchalantly. "I consider it my duty to help those in need, my dear," he said with a smile. "So helping you was not very far out of my way. And I know the good that a few kind words can do for a person."
As a doctor, Dawson had sworn to help those who were hurt or ill. Heartbroken and heartsick both fell under this category in the good doctor's mind. And to see a young woman sad was not something that he was very willing to accept. It was what had first brought him into Basil's acquaintance, as he had helped a poor crying girl.
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Post by esmeralda on Mar 15, 2009 5:02:57 GMT -5
Esmeralda smiled and looked over at him.
"You are very kind, Doctor," she said. "When I lived in Europe, the gypsies, my people were not welcomed anywhere. Not in schools. Not in the factories or anywhere else you could earn your own keeping. Not in society. The soldiers persecuted us, and when we were sick or injured, the doctors turned their backs on us. So we had to learn how to cure ourselves. I had no idea that a Doctor could care that much for a gypsy."
She smiled and looked over at him, wanting to learn more about him as a person.
"Tell me about yourself, Doctor Dawson. You seem to be a very special person. Sympathetic and heartwarming at the same time."
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Post by Dr. David Q. Dawson on Mar 15, 2009 5:10:49 GMT -5
Dawson frowned as she related her experience with the people of Europe in general. Thank God that society had opened up a little more in Dawson's time. While gypsies were still looked down upon by most people, there were more and more people who did not treat them so cruelly. Then the girl asked to know more about Dawson and the mouse blushed again.
"Oh, there's not much to tell, my dear," he said with a nervous smile. While Dawson was a storyteller at heart, he really did not enjoy talking about himself. He was nothing special, after all. He was only a simple doctor. "I'm really no more special than most people. Less special than a great many of them, in fact," he added, thinking of Basil. That mouse could make anyone look foolish without trying, and he did it quite often.
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Post by esmeralda on Mar 15, 2009 5:34:04 GMT -5
((Getting a "Prince of Egypt" Vibe here ;D )) Esmeralda smiled, while calmly listening to the man. She could hear modesty in his voice, when he told of his life. "Nothing? A man that takes time to brighten up other people's lives and make their lives better?" She looked through the window, up at the night sky, where the stars were burning, while reflecting upon his words. When he said he was nothing, she looked up at him, once more, and her voice was soft as she spoke. "Nothing? My dear friend, it seems to me you don't know your own value. We are all parts of a greater plan...." She started singing with her soft voice, and the gypsy musicians heard her singing voice and started to play, following her tune. The other gypsies sang along, while clapping their hands, and some of them even started dancing. A single thread in a tapestry Through its color brightly shine Can never see its purpose In the pattern of the grand design
And the stone that sits on the very top Of the mountain's mighty face Does it think it's more important Than the stones that form the base?
So how can you see what your life is worth Or where your value lies? You can never see through the eyes of man You must look at your life
Look at your life through heaven's eyes Lai-la-lai...
A lake of gold in the desert sand Is less than a cool fresh spring And to one lost sheep, a shepherd boy Is greater than the richest king If a man lose ev'rything he owns Has he truly lost his worth? Or is it the beginning Of a new and brighter birth?
So how do you measure the worth of a man In wealth or strength or size? In how much he gained or how much he gave? The answer will come The answer will come to him who tries To look at his life through heaven's eyes
And that's why we share all we have with you Though there's little to be found When all you've got is nothing There's a lot to go around
No life can escape being blown about By the winds of change and chance And though you never know all the steps You must learn to join the dance You must learn to join the dance Lai-la-lai...
So how do you judge what a man is worth By what he builds or buys? You can never see with your eyes on earth Look through heaven's eyes Look at your life Look at your life Look at your life through heaven's eyes(If you don't know the melody, here is the video )
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Post by Dr. David Q. Dawson on Mar 16, 2009 1:09:41 GMT -5
(I love that song! I know all the words. Or at least most of them. ) Dawson had to smile and nod his head in time with the catchy tune. It was quite enchanting. A part of him could understand why it was said that gypsies could cast spells over their audiences if all gypsies sang like this. But the doctor prided himself on self control in most things. Unless his ale was drugged...He winced mentally at that memory. When the song had ended, he clapped enthusiastically. "Bravo," he commented with a smile. "though I still disagree. I am really quite an ordinary mouse. Yes, I am a doctor and help people, but that is a small contribution to our society. Though I will answer any and all questions you have. I do believe the music has gone to my head," he concluded with a chuckle.
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Post by esmeralda on Mar 16, 2009 1:32:26 GMT -5
((Thank you ;D I love "The Prince of Egypt" and thought it would be amusing to have some "gypsy" music in our thread ;D ))
Esmeralda smiled and looked over at Dawson. She had picked him up and danced around with him during the song, and she hadn't heard one word of protest from his mouth. She wondered how a human doctor would have reacted to a gypsy dancing around with him like that. She already liked this sweet and adorable little mouse. He had a darling nature.
She smiled and lifted her index finger, tracing his cheek carefully down to under his chin, while speaking softly to him. Her emerald eyes looked deeply into his, and she was sincere when she spoke.
"You are not an ordinary mouse, Doctor Dawson," she said. "You have a heart. That is seldom in a world like ours."
Then she released him and smiled warmly.
"Okay, I have a lot of questions about you, because you interest me. What is your full name? Which schools did you go to? Are you married or have a girlfriend? - And these questions are just for starters."
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Post by Dr. David Q. Dawson on Mar 16, 2009 1:37:49 GMT -5
Dawson flushed as she lightly traced his face before putting him down. His blush only deepened at her questions. This girl was going to make him a stuttering fool if she kept surprising him like this. Clearing his throat and adjusting his jacket before speaking, Dawson began to answer her questions.
"My full name is David Q. Dawson. I never did ask what the Q stood for. It is a mystery to me," he said with a chuckle. "I attended the local schools in my area of London until I entered Cambridge to study medicine. And no. I am not married and there is no special lady in my life," he added, blushing once more.
Dawson had never considered himself a man that ladies would consider attractive. After all he was rather heavy-set and tended to stutter as a child. Not attractive qualities.
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Post by esmeralda on Mar 18, 2009 18:08:06 GMT -5
Esmeralda raised her eyebrow in mild surprise when Dr. Dawson told her he was single.
"Really? Why, Dr. Dawson. I would think a man like you would be very attractive. Doctors rank high in society, you have a good heart, and you don't look bad at all. Have you even tried to find a lady?"
She lifted his cheek with her index finger and looked deeply into his eyes.
"I am certain any woman would be thrilled to get a husband like you."
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