Hers by right

[Khalid Al-Kuwari]

A part of Manhattan that wasn't on Manhattan Island, that was certainly not something he learned in class. Not that he had any friends who lived on Manhattan Island to begin with, and it seemed like other people usually just said 'New York City'.

It was certainly strange to think that people could live mostly indoors. The summer heat drove people inside during the middle of the day, but the city really came to life at night when the weather was more comfortable. Al Zaghwa Park was a nice, quiet place to study outside and enjoy the sun. The Al Morona and Al Morob Gardens offered a nice space for Khalid and his friends to relax, play football, and talk about guy problems without worrying about being overheard by women. Even with a busy schedule, there was always time to be outside and socializing.

Khalid shook his head in disbelief. "I couldn't live being inside all the time. Didn't you ever have time to be with your friends? The heat isn't so bad. In the summer, most people go inside during the hottest part of the day where there's cool air and cold drinks. Then, in the late afternoon until early morning, everyone is outside. My little sisters like going to the beach after isha. The water is still warm, and the air is nice. Does your family still live in Marble Hill? Did you have to travel a lot for competition?"

Khalid found it fascinating that Americans grew up so differently. Doha was the capital city, but it still wasn't very large, and most competitions and events happened locally.

[Elizabeth Toman]

Libby shrugged as she sipped at the water, knowing that she would need to make her way to the cafeteria soon for something if she wanted to eat before training, but she wasn't sure how hungry she actually was, and she'd just have a biggish dinner when she finished. "I didn't exactly have a lot of friends." She replied. "I was homeschooled, so there were no classmates, and the others at the gym were my competition, and it's hard to establish friendships when you're always trying to out-do each other." She shrugged again as she put the lid back on the bottle and turned it around in her hands.

Her life before coming here wasn't as lonely as it had just sounded in her ears, she'd just never had time for friends, as there was only enough room for one at the top. And her trainer always pushed her so hard that she didn't have time for anything other than training and then letting her muscles rest between training sessions. "Yeah, my parents are still in Marble Hill. Dad's a defense lawyer and mom's a pediatrician." She smiled as she thought about her parents and the fact that they had fallen in love when they met in law-school. "Because I wanted to make elite I had to travel heaps for competitions so that I could attend all the big ones, as the only way to make it to the top was to compete against the best. And I attended camp each summer to be trained by Olympians. My parents didn't travel with me, but they always rearranged their schedules so at least one of them could be there on the days I was on the floor." After all, one couldn't reschedule a court case or a surgery.

"Do you have any hobbies other than horse riding?" She asked, feeling almost as though she were being interrogated, though she knew (or at least hoped), that wasn't what he was doing.

[Khalid Al-Kuwari]

He glanced down at his watch. It was almost time to pray, and his phone was still in his room. Staying in the common area to chat was not part of Khalid's initial plan to grab a soda and then retreat back to studying.

By far the strangest thing about Americans was the lack of emphasis on families and friends. So far as Khalid knew, the only people without many friends were those who were new to the country or lived as shut-ins. Even without thinking too hard, he could name enough friends to play a proper game of football and have substitutes. Include all the various cousins and uncles, and there were enough people to put together a tournament.

Doctors and lawyers were always well respected and made plenty of money. He could definitely respect the daughter of two respectable parents with ambition and a strong work ethic. The rich tended to be well connected, and it was those connections that launched the next generation into stardom. Those who knew the meaning of hard work received the best that they deserved.

"Mostly just falcon hunting. I have my own bird, but I couldn't bring her to America. My cousin is taking her to Riyadh for the rest of the winter to fly against pigeons."

Khalid had no idea that his idea of a conversation was off-putting to anyone else. He was used to having relative strangers ask odd questions and get long winded answers in return. The act of having a conversation was considered more important than the quality, and finding out things about a person made for a better wasta.

"Um, I should go back to studying, soon. And my phone alarm will be going off any minute for prayers."

[Elizabeth Toman]

Libby's eyebrow rose when she saw him checking the time and she wondered if she was seriously that boring?

Her eyes widened as he spoke of falcon hunting, and a smile tugged at her lips as he finished, she couldn't help it, but the movie Valiant popped into her mind at the mention of pigeons and that's all she could think of. "Do you keep her in a cage? Or does live free and come when you whistle?" She had no idea how falcon hunting worked, and she ducked her head as her cheeks heated up when she realised how stupid her questions sounded.

She nodded as he said he needed to leave. "I need to be on my way to training soon too."She said, though she remembered how uncomfortable she had made him when he arrived, so she would keep herself covered until he had left the common room, and she'd fold up the blanket then... or leave it dumped on the chair to stat her claim of the seat, but then that could lead to opening a whole new can of worms. "It was really nice to meet you Khalid. As we live in the same house, I don't doubt that we will be seeing each other again. And there's a chance we'll have at least one class together." After all, the school wasn't that big.

[Khalid Al-Kuwari]

"They live in a cage called a mews. Think of it like a horse stall for birds."

Out in the field, the birds were trained to return to the handler's gauntlet when called. Flying racing pigeons as bait for the falcons improved the breeding stock as any bird that couldn't avoid the falcon was eaten, the pigeon improved agility and speed, and the falcon got plenty of good exercise. More often than not, the pigeons escaped successfully, and the falcon was called back to the handler.

He didn't mention that his cousin's mews were arranged much like a horse stable despite the rather prison-like appearance. There were few perches, no toys, and some birds were kept tethered to a perch surrounded by sand. All the windows had bars for the bird's safety, and the temperature and humidity were carefully controlled. In the wild, raptors tended to perch in one spot waiting for the next hunt. The sand helped file the birds' talons to razor sharpness.

"Yeah, I'll see you around."

Khalid left and marched back up to his room. Even from outside, he could hear the familiar call to prayer. He dropped his Coke and bag on apricots on his desk before going to perform wudu.