The bell tolled the midnight hour as Emalia slipped from her room in the Spire of Morning Temple. She looked up and down the hall, hoping that outside the very, very, very early risers, Colin would not see her or follow her. She was hoping to be able to slip out beneath the stars and into Ardeep to have but a moment alone, but as she slid down the stairs, she caught sight of a familiar figure.
The man stood there, much as he did earlier, looking as though he was ready to do more damage. Emalia hesitated, unsure of whether she should turn around, when the man noticed her. Too late to run. Emalia descended the rest of the stairs - oddly struck by just how many people were still awake within the temple. She approached the figure, her hands clasped in front of her, as the man shouted out his desire to find "faithful." "I heard you earlier," Emalia began, hoping to determine what this man might be doing here, moreover, hoping to determine whether or not she had even heard his earlier display correctly, "how can you hope to persuade by being so violent?" "Who are you.""I believe I might be one of which you spoke earlier, but I wouldn't dare act the way you did to prove it." Emalia watched the figure with a calm reserve that would have, perhaps, made her father proud.
They spoke a bit, all the while Emalia continued to look over her shoulder. That she should be worried so deeply on whether Colin would come down the stairs actually irritated her. He wasn't her keeper, he shouldn't be so concerned. Her attention went to the now revealed face of the man calling himself Xarkuss. Eyes like a snake, though they gave her no fear. If one could look upon Grobnak and be kind, a bescarred man would be an easy task. It wasn't until she perceived his hands moving to where he might have weapons, that she backed away.
Emalia had barely mentioned Nephesh, and the fact that the boy was also a faithful, when Colin's voice came floating down the stairs, "Emalia... what are you doing?"
Colin's wary gaze set Emalia off inside. He was not her keeper! "I'm speaking with a person I've recently met."
As they all stood there, Colin wrapped in a warped sense of cuckoldry, Xarkuss being subjected to this show of brute jealousy, Emalia's eyes grew darker. Xarkuss soon excused himself, and when Colin finally decided it was time to eat, Emalia left him standing with a view of her door in his face.
Emalia had not time to read the note she had slipped into her robe from Xarkuss' hand, before a gentle knock cut across the silence of her room. "Who is it and what do you want." She said, knowing full well all aspects and answers to her question.
"You're upset with me, aren't you?" Colin asked when he had been given permission to enter. It was a foolish question and it sent Emalia reeling.
"Colin, I think you should leave. I don't mean this room, I mean this temple."
It took little time for Colin to admit just how jealous he was. And not much longer after that for him to plead his case for staying. Before she could truly go into her reasons for irritation, yet another knock came into the room. The small halfling boy, Nephesh, walked in and immediately, Colin knelt down, offering apologies to him.
It was irritating, yet Emalia couldn't help but admire the desire for this man to win back her good graces. Both Nephesh and Colin reconciled some of their differences, when both Colin and Emalia heard the voice. Emalia knew nothing else but that she had to go to the mountains. Where, why, she didn't know. But they had to go. They had to go - now.
Nephesh could barely slow her for the ritual of greeting the newly risen day, and Colin could barely have it sensical for her to gather provisions.
The sun rose, and Emalia's thanks were given to Lathander. Without knowing where Tamilyn had disappeared to, knowing that they would need to leave very soon, it was decided to leave a note for Tamilyn within the temple. The note... Emalia went to her room, making certain to use packing as an excuse, and pulled the note from her robe that she had been given earlier. "Midnight..." Emalia read.
It couldn't be done. The voice of The Apprentice himself had urged her to the mountains, they had to leave today. She glanced at the note again, the parchment suddenly blank and devoid of any form of ink. Something here was not what it should be.
Introductions
The voice of the crowds had slowly begun to rise, chattering and gossiping amongst each other. Amused at the reaction of the locals, the dark figure replaced his hood, concealing his features again; as he slowly turned, to seemingly leave the assembled crowds, with their new-found topic-of-gossip for the day.
A voice came from within the, now scattering and departing, crowds; "Why do you spread word of your faith with violence?". Xarkuss turned his head to see the young, slender girl who had made her way through the crowds towards him. Pausing for a few moments to examine the girl; from under his hood he slowly asked back, with the slight hiss in his voice "Who are you...".
Slightly taken aback, "I..."
"And what is it to you, how I deal with one who chose to attack me..."
Slightly hesitant, the girl replies "I am one of whom you seek..."
"You are one of His faithful, then?"
"I am"
After another moment's pause, the figure nodded slightly; "I sympathize with the man, who mistook me for one of whom brought harm to his sister, upon his claim... that is why I spared his life, and merely rendered him unconscious...even though, it did not seem that he would extend me the same courtesy".
The girl nodded her understanding. "It is cruel how others would judge you because of your beliefs"
"It is crueler, still, how they would judge you , upon your appearance..."
The girl attempted as much as possible to look for a distinctive feature, upon the dark figure, and clearly couldn't find it; however the puzzlement on her face was clear. "It is not my figure I speak of"
The girl was clearly curious, but also quite hesitant, and obviously trying not to sound rude. "Can you... uhh..."
With a slightly more threatening voice, the man replied "I don't know you. And how am I supposed to know whether you really are one of His faithful...?".
"I'm still here, aren't I?"
"I promise I'm not like others..."
"If you are who you claim you are, then I know you are not like others"
The man hesitated, then decided there was no harm in it; he raised his hands and slowly removed the hood, revealing his scarred face, and snake-like eyes. Surprisingly, the girl approached the man even more, and began to examine him more closely. Xarkuss discretely showed his unease, and distrust, moving his hands closer to where his daggers lay, from within the robes that concealed them.
"Were you born this way?"
"I was... chosen"
Hesitantly again she continued "Were you one of those carrying Hemelia"
"No, I'm afraid I was not blessed as such"
After stepping back she continued, "Why do you seek the followers of the Apprentice?"
"I think I have answered enough questions today; especially to one of which I do not even know a name..."
She nodded, and replied that she also did not know of his.
"You may call me Xarkuss, then", and to this she introduced herself as 'Emalia Haverland' and that she was on a journey to discover herself, and her purpose in life. He commented on how they seemed to have a shared interest, but that he also sought guidance, as he was 'instructed'. She had mentioned someone called Nephesh, but before the conversation could go any further, the girl abruptly stopped upon noticing the approaching figure of a large man.
Previously, Xarkuss had ignored the fact that she would occasionally look around in apprehension; but replacing the hood, concealing his form yet again, before the man's approach, Emalia also seemingly took notice and quickly cleared her throat, trailing away from the conversation, and instead proceeded to introduce the large man as Colin, her 'friend' and 'sort-of-bodyguard'. At which point he introduced himself instead as her 'travel companion'. It was apparent that the man's arrival caused her unease, concerning the subject of her faith.
"Is he one of us?"
"No"
That was all he needed to know. From that point on in the conversation, the man called Colin was trying to get Emalia to leave, or 'go eat' as he put it. Emalia invited Xarkuss to join them. He considered his options, then agreed to join them, hoping to get another chance to speak privately with the girl; as well as meeting this 'Nephesh'. It quickly became clear, however, that he would not be present. It was clear, at that point, that it would have to wait for another time. Xarkuss excused himself, and extended his hand, for Emalia to take, then shook that of the man called Colin, who either hoped to be intimidating, or just got a feeling of self-accomplishment from squeezing people's hands.
Xarkuss turned and walked-away, as Emalia discretely hid the piece of parchment, apparently left in her hand just moments earlier. It read:
Meet me at the entrance to the temple at midnight. We may then speak more freely, and perhaps discover why 'He' saw fit to bring this meeting to pass, today.
A voice came from within the, now scattering and departing, crowds; "Why do you spread word of your faith with violence?". Xarkuss turned his head to see the young, slender girl who had made her way through the crowds towards him. Pausing for a few moments to examine the girl; from under his hood he slowly asked back, with the slight hiss in his voice "Who are you...".
Slightly taken aback, "I..."
"And what is it to you, how I deal with one who chose to attack me..."
Slightly hesitant, the girl replies "I am one of whom you seek..."
"You are one of His faithful, then?"
"I am"
After another moment's pause, the figure nodded slightly; "I sympathize with the man, who mistook me for one of whom brought harm to his sister, upon his claim... that is why I spared his life, and merely rendered him unconscious...even though, it did not seem that he would extend me the same courtesy".
The girl nodded her understanding. "It is cruel how others would judge you because of your beliefs"
"It is crueler, still, how they would judge you , upon your appearance..."
The girl attempted as much as possible to look for a distinctive feature, upon the dark figure, and clearly couldn't find it; however the puzzlement on her face was clear. "It is not my figure I speak of"
The girl was clearly curious, but also quite hesitant, and obviously trying not to sound rude. "Can you... uhh..."
With a slightly more threatening voice, the man replied "I don't know you. And how am I supposed to know whether you really are one of His faithful...?".
"I'm still here, aren't I?"
"I promise I'm not like others..."
"If you are who you claim you are, then I know you are not like others"
The man hesitated, then decided there was no harm in it; he raised his hands and slowly removed the hood, revealing his scarred face, and snake-like eyes. Surprisingly, the girl approached the man even more, and began to examine him more closely. Xarkuss discretely showed his unease, and distrust, moving his hands closer to where his daggers lay, from within the robes that concealed them.
"Were you born this way?"
"I was... chosen"
Hesitantly again she continued "Were you one of those carrying Hemelia"
"No, I'm afraid I was not blessed as such"
After stepping back she continued, "Why do you seek the followers of the Apprentice?"
"I think I have answered enough questions today; especially to one of which I do not even know a name..."
She nodded, and replied that she also did not know of his.
"You may call me Xarkuss, then", and to this she introduced herself as 'Emalia Haverland' and that she was on a journey to discover herself, and her purpose in life. He commented on how they seemed to have a shared interest, but that he also sought guidance, as he was 'instructed'. She had mentioned someone called Nephesh, but before the conversation could go any further, the girl abruptly stopped upon noticing the approaching figure of a large man.
Previously, Xarkuss had ignored the fact that she would occasionally look around in apprehension; but replacing the hood, concealing his form yet again, before the man's approach, Emalia also seemingly took notice and quickly cleared her throat, trailing away from the conversation, and instead proceeded to introduce the large man as Colin, her 'friend' and 'sort-of-bodyguard'. At which point he introduced himself instead as her 'travel companion'. It was apparent that the man's arrival caused her unease, concerning the subject of her faith.
"Is he one of us?"
"No"
That was all he needed to know. From that point on in the conversation, the man called Colin was trying to get Emalia to leave, or 'go eat' as he put it. Emalia invited Xarkuss to join them. He considered his options, then agreed to join them, hoping to get another chance to speak privately with the girl; as well as meeting this 'Nephesh'. It quickly became clear, however, that he would not be present. It was clear, at that point, that it would have to wait for another time. Xarkuss excused himself, and extended his hand, for Emalia to take, then shook that of the man called Colin, who either hoped to be intimidating, or just got a feeling of self-accomplishment from squeezing people's hands.
Xarkuss turned and walked-away, as Emalia discretely hid the piece of parchment, apparently left in her hand just moments earlier. It read:
Meet me at the entrance to the temple at midnight. We may then speak more freely, and perhaps discover why 'He' saw fit to bring this meeting to pass, today.
Death by Death
Sanria slammed her front door, tears unchecked as they streamed down her face. She went directly to her bedroom, slamming that door as well, before collapsing onto her bed - face down - in a heap of tears, sobs, curls, and robes. Her anguish was palpable, and it caused her to roll into a ball in the hopes of making it go away. She made up her mind as she wet her pillows with her tears, that she wouldn't leave her home. She was tired, so very tired, of everyone telling her what a great mother she was, how strong her daughter was, when the truth was that she had not raised her daughter at all. Emalia raised herself and cared for her - Emalia never had a mother at all. Emalia had a grown child.
All she wanted to do was to sit in Festival Square and remember. Maybe that was really a bad thing to do, wishing so badly to forget by remembering. Then she ran into the skeleton. It was a bit difficult for her to look at him in a positive light - after being so long with one that was life itself - to see an undead was a bit disconcerting. Elbryan, regardless, was a leader in the Guardians. A fact which concerned Sanria little beyond the idea of his being part of what his daughter was part of.
The conversation between them shifted to Kaz, and Elbryan had asked her for a favor. Tell Kaz hello. Why would she hesitate, and so she agreed. Then - her mistake. She invited the pile of bones to Festival Square. It honestly was something she should not have done, but her drive to be there was intense. She knew, as the skeleton spoke, he was trying to be helpful. She knew, as he began to question her, he was attempting to get her to see just how things had worked out. But what he didn't know, was that she was no ignorant simpleton. What he didn't know, was the whole story.
When he attempted to stop her from going by means of her daughter, a mother-daughter bond, a desire to have a hand in Emalia's life, it was all she could stand. Who was he to attempt to delve into her private life and sort affairs years in the making with simple questions that would better be asked of children?
Sanria stormed into the Illuminati Clan Hall, no eyes watched her. She stormed down the dirt path and into the woods, no eyes watched her. She slammed her door - once, then again - and no eyes watched her. She was alone and it appeared, that is the way it would just have to stay.
All she wanted to do was to sit in Festival Square and remember. Maybe that was really a bad thing to do, wishing so badly to forget by remembering. Then she ran into the skeleton. It was a bit difficult for her to look at him in a positive light - after being so long with one that was life itself - to see an undead was a bit disconcerting. Elbryan, regardless, was a leader in the Guardians. A fact which concerned Sanria little beyond the idea of his being part of what his daughter was part of.
The conversation between them shifted to Kaz, and Elbryan had asked her for a favor. Tell Kaz hello. Why would she hesitate, and so she agreed. Then - her mistake. She invited the pile of bones to Festival Square. It honestly was something she should not have done, but her drive to be there was intense. She knew, as the skeleton spoke, he was trying to be helpful. She knew, as he began to question her, he was attempting to get her to see just how things had worked out. But what he didn't know, was that she was no ignorant simpleton. What he didn't know, was the whole story.
When he attempted to stop her from going by means of her daughter, a mother-daughter bond, a desire to have a hand in Emalia's life, it was all she could stand. Who was he to attempt to delve into her private life and sort affairs years in the making with simple questions that would better be asked of children?
Sanria stormed into the Illuminati Clan Hall, no eyes watched her. She stormed down the dirt path and into the woods, no eyes watched her. She slammed her door - once, then again - and no eyes watched her. She was alone and it appeared, that is the way it would just have to stay.
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