The Report from Lynk was disturbing to be sure, but the news was not out of the ordinary. With Vecotr's occupation of the city of Westbidge came the rise in crime, and filth present in the city. The level of corruption that had found its way into the city, against his efforts left a sour copper taste in Psycho's mouth. The reports claimed that this may have been the Long Death, but with the spread his efforts left a sour copper taste in Psycho's mouth. The reports claimed that this may have been the Long Death, but with the spread of disease in the minds of the public it could have been any number of crazy groups.
After Lynk had left his chambers Psycho spoke out loud to himself discussing his options. He often found it better to discuss complicated matters out loud to himself s that he could respond to the pitfaalls of his thinking. "Someone is making a display of these bodies, trying to reach someone. " "What would they gain by attacking civilians, and how could they be protected in the future? " "The people were afraid to go out at night. Until the truth was uncovered it would be hard to protect the populace. " "What would they gain by scaring people into their homes? " "The town may have other night activity around the area worth investigating. "If the actions were indeed the Long Death the Order would have to be put on Alert." Psycho thought very deeply about how to respond to any attack or ambush that Long Death may be preparing. After several hours and under consultation from his Magical Adviser Galactus and from the Steel Priest Psycho came upwith Directive Lambda.
Understanding
Slowly, very slowly, the scream faded into silence. Then, Banion's lovely girl was sobbing dry tears onto the ground. "There, now, child," he crooned, and got to his hands and knees, lifting her skeletal face to look at him. She bore the necessary equipment for stealing the life force from anyone - a pair of curved fangs. "You will have your revenge and then your rest."
"Fire... I'm on f... fire..."
"A side affect that will soon diminish," Banion lied. The pain would be omnipresent, eternal, until he sent her back into oblivion.
"Make... it stop..." she chattered.
"Easy now," he said, running a hand over her head. "You were murdered, my dear girl."
"Yes..."
"I want you to have your revenge."
Banion smiled as Arlenia rose for the first time since her death. She stumbled at first, then stood and held her hands out, looking at the skeletal remains that glowed dully. "Why... why..."
Banion got up as well, putting a hand on Arlenia's arm. "Child, you have been gone from this mortal coil for nigh on a month. You are still just as beautiful as before. Even more beautiful, for now, you are my creation. My daughter."
The furnace-red eyes blazed in his direction and Banion gave a small, placating smile. Arlenia looked at him with her head tilted. "Creation?"
"Yes, child."
"No... I don't want this..."
"Ustulo in anima quod non obedit, Maldicam in corpus quod non secor," as he spoke the words, Arlenia let forth a scream of pain, "Pati in dolorem de tuus dominus, Donec vos discere in semitam."
"PLEASE!" Arlenia screamed out, driven to her knees.
With a wave of his hand, Banion released the spell and knelt beside Arlenia. "Sweet child," he said. "Please, go find your revenge and don't make me have to do any more of that. I don't want your soul to suffer. Go find him. And bring his head back to me."
"My... revenge..."
"Vicariously through me, vicariously through you, child. It will be ours together."
"Fire... I'm on f... fire..."
"A side affect that will soon diminish," Banion lied. The pain would be omnipresent, eternal, until he sent her back into oblivion.
"Make... it stop..." she chattered.
"Easy now," he said, running a hand over her head. "You were murdered, my dear girl."
"Yes..."
"I want you to have your revenge."
Banion smiled as Arlenia rose for the first time since her death. She stumbled at first, then stood and held her hands out, looking at the skeletal remains that glowed dully. "Why... why..."
Banion got up as well, putting a hand on Arlenia's arm. "Child, you have been gone from this mortal coil for nigh on a month. You are still just as beautiful as before. Even more beautiful, for now, you are my creation. My daughter."
The furnace-red eyes blazed in his direction and Banion gave a small, placating smile. Arlenia looked at him with her head tilted. "Creation?"
"Yes, child."
"No... I don't want this..."
"Ustulo in anima quod non obedit, Maldicam in corpus quod non secor," as he spoke the words, Arlenia let forth a scream of pain, "Pati in dolorem de tuus dominus, Donec vos discere in semitam."
"PLEASE!" Arlenia screamed out, driven to her knees.
With a wave of his hand, Banion released the spell and knelt beside Arlenia. "Sweet child," he said. "Please, go find your revenge and don't make me have to do any more of that. I don't want your soul to suffer. Go find him. And bring his head back to me."
"My... revenge..."
"Vicariously through me, vicariously through you, child. It will be ours together."
No way... I Mean, Really?!
No way... I mean, really, what were the odds that some half naked, tattooed woman with tons of kinda cool piercings would be able to recite the name of the man that drove Leandra to madness. How in the hell did she know him, anyway? And so Leandra found herself sliding shyly toward the woman, "H... hey... Excuse me... I... uh, I heard you say Thasmudyan. You know him?"
"Depends which me your asking," the woman replied, and Leandra was automatically confused. "Apologies dear, Why?" Much better.
"He's the man screwing around with my mom. He's ruined my life and my family," Leandra said simply - it was a fact however you looked at it, really.
There was something about the woman, maybe it was that twitching that started at her temples, that told Leandra she might not want to bother her, but then, "Take a load off my dear, the gods tell me you've been on your feet some time. Yes I knew him. A woman introduced him to me some time ago, helping him to find love after their own marriage didn't last. Sanria her name was."
And the odds were astronomical and just kept coming. "That's my mom... You know my mom, too? I used to think she was a complete moron, but she's not toooo bad."
"Apologies dear, your mother IS.. a complete moron." The statement made Leandra mad for a second. It was one thing to call your own mother a moron, another to have a stranger do it. "She has this habit of interfering, and causing troubles of heart ache and danger on those she claims to love. She destroyed that man, We are almost married you know. She didn't tell you he was seeing somebody?"
"You and Thasmudyan are supposed to get married??? He's always staying in our house and stuff. He's supposed to be healing my dad but while my dad was asleep he was sleeping with my mom."
"He told me he was stuck in the lifestream. That time travels different there, knowing I can not enter."
"He's a good liar, it seems. He's been at our house since I was, like, little. Sometimes he leaves. Then he comes back and my mom gets stupid happy."
"When he comes to lay in my bed no doubt."
"Adults are stupid. No offense."
Leandra said nothing of the twitching temples of the woman, they were a little unnerving, so she just kept her eyes off of them so no one would be the wiser. "Well... I'm going to have to call of the wedding proposal," the woman said.
"No... don't do that!" Shit! SHIT! Thought Leandra. And here she had just screwed up the one chance to get that man out of her house for good! SHIT! "You have to take him... get him out of my house..."
"Well I don't want him, not anymore."
"No no... no... if you don't want him that means he might end up being my dad..."
"Not if you got rid of him."
"You mean to kill him?"
"Of course not child, to deliberately take death from a being would be wrong."
And Leandra found herself listening to a woman telling her exactly what she would need to do to get rid of the problem. It was simple, really and Leandra found her heart lightening. "Thank you... uh... what's your name?"
"Maya, Maya Do'Urden of the 9th house of Menzoberranzan."
"Depends which me your asking," the woman replied, and Leandra was automatically confused. "Apologies dear, Why?" Much better.
"He's the man screwing around with my mom. He's ruined my life and my family," Leandra said simply - it was a fact however you looked at it, really.
There was something about the woman, maybe it was that twitching that started at her temples, that told Leandra she might not want to bother her, but then, "Take a load off my dear, the gods tell me you've been on your feet some time. Yes I knew him. A woman introduced him to me some time ago, helping him to find love after their own marriage didn't last. Sanria her name was."
And the odds were astronomical and just kept coming. "That's my mom... You know my mom, too? I used to think she was a complete moron, but she's not toooo bad."
"Apologies dear, your mother IS.. a complete moron." The statement made Leandra mad for a second. It was one thing to call your own mother a moron, another to have a stranger do it. "She has this habit of interfering, and causing troubles of heart ache and danger on those she claims to love. She destroyed that man, We are almost married you know. She didn't tell you he was seeing somebody?"
"You and Thasmudyan are supposed to get married??? He's always staying in our house and stuff. He's supposed to be healing my dad but while my dad was asleep he was sleeping with my mom."
"He told me he was stuck in the lifestream. That time travels different there, knowing I can not enter."
"He's a good liar, it seems. He's been at our house since I was, like, little. Sometimes he leaves. Then he comes back and my mom gets stupid happy."
"When he comes to lay in my bed no doubt."
"Adults are stupid. No offense."
Leandra said nothing of the twitching temples of the woman, they were a little unnerving, so she just kept her eyes off of them so no one would be the wiser. "Well... I'm going to have to call of the wedding proposal," the woman said.
"No... don't do that!" Shit! SHIT! Thought Leandra. And here she had just screwed up the one chance to get that man out of her house for good! SHIT! "You have to take him... get him out of my house..."
"Well I don't want him, not anymore."
"No no... no... if you don't want him that means he might end up being my dad..."
"Not if you got rid of him."
"You mean to kill him?"
"Of course not child, to deliberately take death from a being would be wrong."
And Leandra found herself listening to a woman telling her exactly what she would need to do to get rid of the problem. It was simple, really and Leandra found her heart lightening. "Thank you... uh... what's your name?"
"Maya, Maya Do'Urden of the 9th house of Menzoberranzan."
Grounded!
It was so boring. More than boring it was like, ugh, frustrating. How many times could Leandra count the leaves on the tree that grew in her room? How many times could she stare at the walls, the winking crystals. Ugh! Leandra put a hand on her stomach and patted it lightly. It was still relatively flat, barely anything there, but it was kinda cool to think that there was something in there. A little boy - eventually. Leandra sighed and sat up on her bed. She had to get rid of the boredom.
Peeking out her door, the coast clear, Leandra slipped down the stairwell and opened the heavy front door. She thought of going to Skive and asking him to fly her somewhere, but that would alert her mother that she was out of her room. If she went to Askari's house, they'd certainly tell on her - she couldn't appear and disappear like Askari could. So, Leandra shrugged and decided to go to town - Westbridge - simply because... she'd never been and she was bored.
It was a bit of a walk, but Leandra made decent time. Whenever a traveler passed her, she kept her gaze averted just in case they might have known she was her mother's daughter. She reached the gates and her mouth fell open. It was like... huge! The buildings, the soldiers, the people, even the smell - like food and body odor and - Leandra's eyes fell on the bench in Market Square. Who the hell was that?
Leandra crept closer, looking at the woman who barely wore clothes. She looked wild somehow, all those markings and piercings and tattoos... and she looked sad. Then Leandra heard a word tumble from the woman's lips that sent a shock of electricity through her body. "Thasmudyan."
Peeking out her door, the coast clear, Leandra slipped down the stairwell and opened the heavy front door. She thought of going to Skive and asking him to fly her somewhere, but that would alert her mother that she was out of her room. If she went to Askari's house, they'd certainly tell on her - she couldn't appear and disappear like Askari could. So, Leandra shrugged and decided to go to town - Westbridge - simply because... she'd never been and she was bored.
It was a bit of a walk, but Leandra made decent time. Whenever a traveler passed her, she kept her gaze averted just in case they might have known she was her mother's daughter. She reached the gates and her mouth fell open. It was like... huge! The buildings, the soldiers, the people, even the smell - like food and body odor and - Leandra's eyes fell on the bench in Market Square. Who the hell was that?
Leandra crept closer, looking at the woman who barely wore clothes. She looked wild somehow, all those markings and piercings and tattoos... and she looked sad. Then Leandra heard a word tumble from the woman's lips that sent a shock of electricity through her body. "Thasmudyan."
Mother's Spirit
Time had marched on. Claire didn't know by how far or for how long. Everything bled into the same and more of the same. She was in her bedroom, reading one of the same books she had read twice before, when Gilean's telepath brought her to the dining room.
There was Sanria and Leandra, the girl looking wan and pale. With Askari in attendance, they were told that Leandra - a girl of no more than fourteen or fifteen - was pregnant, and Askari was the father.
Claire felt suffocated. She couldn't breathe, but there was no where she could go. She forced herself to sit at the table, her mouth hanging open, contemplating what had been said. And when the two announced they would get married, Claire had been the first to object. They couldn't, they couldn't move out. They... he... he couldn't leave. She hadn't been able to fix them... she hadn't been able to make him understand, and now he might be leaving...
Leandra and her mother left, and before Claire could say a word, Askari vanished back to his room. Claire wanted to cry, but there would be no tears. She stood up and excused herself from Gilean. In a flash of light, she appeared in their bathroom and vomited into the sink.
There was Sanria and Leandra, the girl looking wan and pale. With Askari in attendance, they were told that Leandra - a girl of no more than fourteen or fifteen - was pregnant, and Askari was the father.
Claire felt suffocated. She couldn't breathe, but there was no where she could go. She forced herself to sit at the table, her mouth hanging open, contemplating what had been said. And when the two announced they would get married, Claire had been the first to object. They couldn't, they couldn't move out. They... he... he couldn't leave. She hadn't been able to fix them... she hadn't been able to make him understand, and now he might be leaving...
Leandra and her mother left, and before Claire could say a word, Askari vanished back to his room. Claire wanted to cry, but there would be no tears. She stood up and excused herself from Gilean. In a flash of light, she appeared in their bathroom and vomited into the sink.
Announcements
Magic lifted Sanria and Leandra to Claire and Gilean's cottage, where Gilean greeted them and ushered them inside. Sanria felt hollow, and oddly numb as Gilean asked about Colin and Orn - he knew something wasn't quite right. The five of them, including Askari once he found out Leandra was there, gathered in the dining room. Claire looked small, almost mousy, as though she were cowed in some deep way. Gilean appeared to be his normal self and Askari... Sanria gave a long inward sigh. The boy was moody, hormonal, and the father of her daughter's child. How in the nine hells had this happened?
"I... wasn't feeling good so... my mom tried to heal me..." Leandra began,
"I... kept feeling like I was gonna throw up, you know..."
"I'm sure my Mom can make you better, right mom?" Askari asked.
"I could try," Claire said slowly.
"There is more," Sanria interrupted. And she saw the shock register as she looked over at Gilean's face.
"My mom took me to the druid grove to... see if the Elders could figure out what was wrong... And... they... they... I..."
"You're with child," Gilean finished.
"Well... that's... I mean... why are you here, though?" Claire asked.
"W... wait... a baby?" Askari said with trepidation.
"Wait... no... no no... not... Askari?" Claire said, her voice in a tremor.
"Oh... oh yes, it is..." Gilean said quietly.
"But that means that... they'd... Askari?!"
"What Mom? I... I love Leandra!" Askari defiantly proclaimed.
Oh not this. Not love. Sanria felt a twinge in the pit of her stomach. All of this was just too fast, they didn't even know what love was... come to think of it, did she? "It appears we are to be grandparents. Well... I will be again, but..." Sanria trailed off.
Gilean, for all the world, seemed nearly happy for the children, which irked Sanria a tad. This was serious, not a time to be delighting in the world of kids bringing about more kids. She watched him heal Leandra of her morning sickness, and even tell them that their child was to be a boy. Both Askari and Leandra seemed wrapped in their own world, and Claire seemed void of even the air in her lungs. "It's alright," Gilean said. "We'll help them through. Believe me... I have seem many younger parents than them."
"Younger?" Sanria asked in disbelief.
"More often that you might think. At least these two have all of us to help support them... but Colin's not here."
"He isn't quite happy about this and... given his disposition recently... we thought it better he stay."
"Oh... I... I see..."
"I'll make sure no harm comes to Askari," Sanria offered.
After subduing Leandra and Askari's talk of getting married and moving out so as not to be like the adults that were in their lives, and reminding her daughter that she should not ask at the current moment to stay with Askari, Sanria took Leandra home where the grounding remained in effect. For herself, Sanria crept into her private study and closed the door behind her.
"I... wasn't feeling good so... my mom tried to heal me..." Leandra began,
"I... kept feeling like I was gonna throw up, you know..."
"I'm sure my Mom can make you better, right mom?" Askari asked.
"I could try," Claire said slowly.
"There is more," Sanria interrupted. And she saw the shock register as she looked over at Gilean's face.
"My mom took me to the druid grove to... see if the Elders could figure out what was wrong... And... they... they... I..."
"You're with child," Gilean finished.
"Well... that's... I mean... why are you here, though?" Claire asked.
"W... wait... a baby?" Askari said with trepidation.
"Wait... no... no no... not... Askari?" Claire said, her voice in a tremor.
"Oh... oh yes, it is..." Gilean said quietly.
"But that means that... they'd... Askari?!"
"What Mom? I... I love Leandra!" Askari defiantly proclaimed.
Oh not this. Not love. Sanria felt a twinge in the pit of her stomach. All of this was just too fast, they didn't even know what love was... come to think of it, did she? "It appears we are to be grandparents. Well... I will be again, but..." Sanria trailed off.
Gilean, for all the world, seemed nearly happy for the children, which irked Sanria a tad. This was serious, not a time to be delighting in the world of kids bringing about more kids. She watched him heal Leandra of her morning sickness, and even tell them that their child was to be a boy. Both Askari and Leandra seemed wrapped in their own world, and Claire seemed void of even the air in her lungs. "It's alright," Gilean said. "We'll help them through. Believe me... I have seem many younger parents than them."
"Younger?" Sanria asked in disbelief.
"More often that you might think. At least these two have all of us to help support them... but Colin's not here."
"He isn't quite happy about this and... given his disposition recently... we thought it better he stay."
"Oh... I... I see..."
"I'll make sure no harm comes to Askari," Sanria offered.
After subduing Leandra and Askari's talk of getting married and moving out so as not to be like the adults that were in their lives, and reminding her daughter that she should not ask at the current moment to stay with Askari, Sanria took Leandra home where the grounding remained in effect. For herself, Sanria crept into her private study and closed the door behind her.
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