Disjointed Reality

It was dread that suddenly washed over Sanria when the glowing eyes settled in the chair across the desk.  Fenlauch rarely came for simple chats. His conversations  with Sanria were reserved for matters of gravity.  And somehow, Sanria knew, this was serious.  "Is he okay," she whispered.
"Yes.  The proceedure was a success."
"Ah!"  Sanria smiled, relieved.  "Where is he?"
"That, is why I've come to speak with you."
"I... okay." Sanria settled herself, quelling the fire of excitement that had ignited moments before.  "What's happened?"
"We've brought him back and he is staying in Westbridge until his mind is able to heal."
"But, you said it worked..."
"It did, but there were, casualties in his memories."
"Casualties..."
"Think of it like this," Fenlauch said, letting out an exhale.  "His mind is  full of certain holes, holes that will not fill in, but are currently as soft as a sponge.  If he attempts to fill them in now, he could face a collapse.  His mind has to... set... if you will."
"Holes..."
"Sanria, when your friend, Throm, placed  Colin into the vat of Black Makou, Colin was in stasis, his thoughts on you and his children."
"Yes..."
"His  memories of you merged with that substance.  That was why you alone could calm him.  So when we removed the ichor from him..."
"He forgot me."

Sanria leaned back in her chair. She didn't remember to breathe until her lungs began to burn.  Only then did she look up at Fenlauch. "I'm sorry," he said quietly.
"Will he recover, I mean, I know you said holes but..." Fenlauch  shook his head slowly.  "You must let him mend and perhaps then you can get to know him over again, but no. Your past with him is gone in his mind.  You are the holes."
"What... what about his children?  Orn... Leandra..."
"He may have vague recollections of them... but not..."

There was nothing she could say.  Sanria leaned back in her chair, unable to even see for all the tears clouding her vision.  'At least he's alive, at least he's alive, at least...' but Sanria found herself going numb. She sat up and smoothed her robes.  "I'll have to speak to Orn."
"Sanria, perhaps you should take a little time to-"
"And  I'll tell  Leandra, then I'll get  to work on helping Radiant Heart with Westbridge."
"Sanria..."
"Thank you, Fenlauch.  Thank you for helping him."

Sanria  watched as  the huge  man rose  and bowed slowly.  "I believe you  should take  time to let yourself understand and  heal.  I will not force you out of  here, but be  aware that your clan needs you to be strong and coherent."
"I am aware," she whispered.
"If you have any questions, please come to me."
"Thank you."

Without  the huge presence in the room, Sanria felt her body crush.  She leaned forward, taking in a breath to let out a deep sob, when a bouquet of flowers appeared on her desk with a card written in druid script: "Thanks for earlier.  If you're busy and stressed, smell the flowers. Enjoy while they last!"

Traggik Happenings (1-2)

"Sanria?  Sanria, wake up."

Sanria sat up, realizing  the daylight  was streaming through the windows of her  office.  She had fallen  asleep hunched  over  her desk, her face smashed on the pages of her herbal guide. She sat up and  looked into the eyes of  Enmach, who  stared back with a raised eyebrow, waiting for some good reason.  "I... just got busy..."
"I know  better.  Listen, I know  you've had a lot going on and with your picnic being a failure-"
"Enmach, it  was business, not a... picnic.  So it wasn't a failure.  Not only that, I'm still married to Colin, so it is officially  classified as business.  Nothing more."
"As you wish," Enmach answered cooly.
"Please, don't do that."
"Why were you reading the herbal?" Enmach asked, moving on.
"I was thinking of  making myself some teas but I don't have everything."
"Perfect.  I'll keep Nioma, you go out and do gathering."

Sanria  found herself in  the Elven Valley, lost  in thought, until a man ran into her, nearly knocking her over  and  knocking himself down in the process.  After  profuse  apologies, she  discovered the  man was himself searching for herbs.  Desperately  so.  She  looked at  the drawings  and smiled. At last, something she knew completely.  "Ah, those are simple to find.  The dandelion root can be fresh, as the chamomile. Rose hips are a little more difficult to come by, but I carry some on me at all times."
"You're perfect!"
"I'm sorry?"
"Why didn't I think of it!  You can help me!"
"I... wh... well what did you need help with?" Sanria asked.
"A friend of mine is injured and needs some help.  That is what the items are for."

After  agreeing to  help, Sanria  found herself  barely able to keep pace with the  shadowy figure.  Though being in Westbridge made her uncomfortable, she kept up  until they reached a  large home.  "I found them!" the man crowed.  "Ok, maybe I didn't find the herbs... but I found her..."

The man  moved out of the way.  There, in the  same room, was a woman who appeared to be a priest, and on the floor being ministered, was Ror. 

Sanria found herself staring  at the elf, her mind  uncomprehending.  She did not know how, but after she had decided to avoid all further contact, here they  were... albeit  only one of  the conscious.  "Apparently earth magic rebounded  on him. I've asked Alsin to get  some herbs, but perhaps you have a better idea?" The voice of the woman brought her from her stupor. 
"He offered to help cleanse a room of mine of a deathly aura," Alsin said.
"He was mid incantation when he collapsed."
"I was on the right track then perhaps," the woman said.

The only thing  Sanria then found going through her mind was the audacity of a sage to attempt to remove an evil entity.  Wizards work.  Sorcerer's work, in fact. "You called on a sage to incant for you? How foolish could you be?!"
"I didn't ask him to do it, he just up and offered and off he went..."
"So foolish, Ror," Sanria sighed quietly.
 
Knowing  that no others  had been able to revive  Ror, Sanria set to work  making a tea from the herbs in her pack. She made introductions while she worked, learning  Alsin's  name as well as  Casandra's.  Once the tea had been made (amongst discussions on the nature of the problem when one tries to hire the wrong person for the job), Sanria held Ror's head in her lap. Carefully, she  poured the tea  down his throat while Casandra incanted a healing spell.  It wasn't long before the entity Ror had swallowed forced its  way out, leaving  the elf vomiting and the room darkening.  Quickly, Casandra cast a protection spell  on the entire  group.  "Alsin, how long has this been in your home?" Casandra asked. "Ummm... maybe a  century or two... I don't remember a time in this house when I didn't feel that aura in that room."
"Oooo.... did anyone get the number of that donkey cart?" Ror moaned.
"So you set him to work on a centuries old entity?" Sanria asked Alsin.  It was infuriating to consider.  "I didn't exactly set him to it," Alsin answered. "I told him not to try,  I had wizards  and other try their hand at it before.  He insisted and as  I said.....just started off on his own."
"Hey... is it Thursday already?"

Sanria looked at Ror with a smirk. "If you wanted to see me before Thursday, you should have just sent me a card, Ror."
"So you  know him?" Alsin asked, and Sanria merely nodded.  Why it seemed there was a  collusion to have her and  Ror  meet, Sanria couldn't figure out. But after another several moments spent admonishing the elf, she left the house, whisking herself back to the castle. She would have to be more  careful.

She had no sooner plopped down at her desk, when the hulking form of Fenlauch peered into her office.  "Sanria, may I speak with you?"

Dousing Flames (1-2)

Sanria wandered back through the forest to the cavern, taking the time to think.  She hoped that Thasmudyan  was still awake so she  could tell him what she had done: she had  given him up to someone in TriPower.  She had not only given  him up to help  *him* find  answers, which was the nobler cause - but also to make Ror stop asking her questions.  Better Ror think Thasmudyan  knew a lot than to let on  just how much she truly knew.  The idea  of what she had done made her sick, and  as anticipated, Thasmudyan was not very pleased either. His face, normally a mask of calm, was open, blatantly upset and... afraid.  At least he was willing to meet Ror, even if it didn't completely ease the shame Sanria felt. 

They sat there in the library of the cavern for only a few silent moments when the conversation turned to Maya.  Sanria gave herself little time to dwell on the feeling of pain she felt when Maya had come to the cavern so long before.  With Thasmudyan absent and other  things happening, she had been able to keep  herself from dwelling on it at all.  But it  seemed it needed to be discussed.  "Once all this is sorted out, and I hope it will be, you should go  to her and try to  work things out.  You were quite attached to her, weren't you?"
"No," Thasmudyan answered after a pause.  "What... did she say, anyways?"
"You two were going to be married.  You'd been with her many times-"
"I never agreed to that."
"What do you mean?"
"I never agreed to marry her. And many times? It was one time. A moment of weakness, I'm  ashamed to admit...  Well, one time after we... I mean..."

The sting  of the words caught Sanria by surprise.  Of course anyone with any  ability to count could  determine that Thasmudyan had been with Maya after Sanria - Sanria  was a house while Maya was not - but knowing it as a fact left Sanria aching.  An ache  that her newfound  cool was quick to stitch up. "Well, things are the way they are. We won't make that mistake again, will we?"
"It seems that fate has conspired once again to keep us apart."
"I wouldn't blame it on fate."
"No, you wouldn't, I suppose. Oh well.. I didn't expect you would believe me, anyway."
"Believe  you?" Sanria asked  with patient incredulity.  "I can obviously tell what happened, I don't  think there's any way around that.  There is evidence," she said, thinking of the girls.  "I just... it doesn't matter anymore."
"But do you know why it happened?" 

Sanria felt her heart grow heavy. She wanted to be told that he loved her, because if he loved her, it meant that he wasn't just out for a good lay. It  would mean that he wasn't likely to do it  again.  It would mean that  she could  forgive him.  Unfortunately, the  answer of "Not exactly," was far from what  she wished.  "I didn't... I don't trust Maya.  Getting involved with her in the first place, was a  mistake."  Her mistake, Sanria thought.  She had introduced them...  "If I'd just been honest with her... and told her there was someone else in my life... Perhaps she'd have just left us be and that'd be the end of that."
"So, why didn't you?"
"Because  I don't think  she would've.  I thought that, if I refused her, she'd suspect, and  her first suspect would be  you.   And she would come here, exactly  like she did... and had she caught you without Colin here, thought you were going to 'steal me from her.'"
"So you were afraid..." Sanria said, more a statement than question. "You give her far too much credit and me far too little.  Though, perhaps with all the times I called on you helplessly, you could see me as no more than helpless.  I don't blame you, I suppose."
"As I said... it was a mistake."
"We've all made them," Sanria said, staring into the fire.

Still, though the words were spoken as simply as any, they were a strain. Certainly, Sanria had made her share of mistakes, she had made them for a long time.  But, as she stood up to take her leave, she knew that at some point, the mistakes had to end. If that meant she had to cloister herself in the castle and deal only with the clan and the Rilmani, she would take that road to its end.  "I'll stay out of your way, of course. If you have need of anything, you can call on me and I'll come," she said at the door.
"You don't have to, you know."
"Don't you think it's better that way?"
"No... I don't.  But, I understand if you do."
"Why not?"
"Nothing that's  happened.. has changed the  fact that I still enjoy your company.  You  understand me  like... well, like nobody  else alive today does.  I'd like it if we could still be friends, at least."
"Second time  I've heard that phrase today...  We can remain friends.  Of course.  It doesn't make the love part go away, but perhaps in time that, too, can shift."
"It'll have to, I suppose.."
"If we're to remain friends... yes."

Log: 08012013 - Ror and Alsin

OOC commentary: First time meeting Alsin. Interesting roleplay session that starts in Phil's bar and then gets gradually out of hand. Surprisingly, several other people (Rakasha, Casandra and Sanria) ended up getting involved, which was absolutely awesome. At this point in time, Ror spent his time in bars, drinking. Later on this changes and he spends most of the time in bars, reading.
 

Return (1-2)

Colin stood, his gray eyes staring into the mirror in his white-walled recovery room.  He slid a razor carefully down his cheek, removing some more of the nearly two inch growth of beard from his face, and rinsed the razor in a basin of water before repeating the process again.

The past two days had been long and frustrating, full of questions that normally ended in something Colin didn't know the anwer to.

  'How did you come to this place?'

  'Fenlauch brought me.'

  'How do you know Fenlauch?'

  'I met him through the Keepers of Balance.'
 
  'How did you come to know the Keepers?'

  'I... I... don't know.'

The holes in his memory were painful, both emotionally and physically, but Amilach was not providing any answers.  She had told him that it was better, for the time being, if he didn't try to push it.  She said it would speed his recovery and help the pain to lessen more quickly.  He was definitely interested in lessening the pain more quickly because every day so far had ended in splitting headaches.

Colin didn't know exactly what he had been through in order to remove the black makou which had become a part of him, and Amilach wasn't talking about that either. She simply said it was Rilmani knowledge for Rilmani only.  At times, Colin felt like he had been strained through a sieve and then reassembled, only some of the pieces didn't make the reconstruction.

Colin finished shaving and wiped his face with a towel.  He dressed himself in a plain cotton shirt and pants that Amilauch had left for him earlier.  Somehow, his normal armor just didn't feel quite right for this occasion.  He packed the rest of the meager possessions he had brought with him and sat on the bed to wait.

Today, he was going home.

It wasn't long before Fenlauch knocked on his door.  Colin rose from the bed and quickly opened it to allow the golden man entry, followed closely by Amilach.

Fenlauch spied Colin's bag with a serene gaze.  'So, you are ready to return then?'

Colin gave a singular nod.  'Yes, thank you.'

Amilach and Fenlauch shared a hesitant glance and Colin could tell there was something amiss.  He sat upon the bed with a small sigh.  'Ok, what is it?'

Fenlauch clasped his hands before him and looked upon Colin with the temperance of eons.  'Colin, I will be taking you back to the Prime Material, back to Westbridge, but I'm sorry, you cannot return to the cavern.'

Colin glanced to Amilach, who merely gazed upon the floor, before looking back to Fenlauch in confusion.  'Why not?'

'There is someone else living there now.'

Colin shrugged dismissively.  'Who, Thasmudyan?  That's no problem, he has stayed there with me before.  Believe me, the place is plenty big enough for the both of us.'

Fenlauch shook his head slowly.  'No Colin, there are several people living there. A family.  I'm sorry but you can't return there right now.  We have made arrangements for you at the Westbridge Inn.'

Colin rose from the bed, 'Fenlauch, the cavern is my home.  None of this makes any sense.'

Amilach stepped forward, laying a soothing hand on Colin's shoulder.  She looked at him with apologetic sympathy.  'Colin, please, listen to Fenlauch.  This is what must be done.  You still need time to heal.  I beg you, don't push this.  Just let the questions be unanswered, at least for now.'

Colin returned Amilach's gaze with a frown and was about to respond when Fenlauch extended his hand toward him.

'Colin, I feel our window opening, we must go now.'

There was only a moment's hesitation before Colin let out a defeated sign and simply nodded.  He owed his freedom, his life, to these people.  He had no choice but to follow them.  Amilach gave him a brief embrace and he shouldered his pack, taking Fenlauch's hand.

'Alright then.  I guess it's time to go.'

A Thanks

Humming to himself, Ror walked through the hallways of the TriPower Tower. As he reached the room of Rakasha, he knocked on the door to see if she was there. No response came, and so he assumed she was not there. He pushed against the door and to his pleasant surprise it swung open. He walked inside, spotted the desk and placed the bouquet of flowers on it. He read the card he had attached to it once more, and then nodded to himself. After leaving his flowery bouquet to say thanks for the help earlier, he walked out of the room and closed the door behind him. Humming, Ror resumed his way to Casandra's room, where he would deliver a bouquet of flowers as well. They had after all both done their best to help him. 

A little card

It's blank at one side and at the other side says in druidic:

Thanks for earlier.  If you're busy and stressed, smell the flowers. Enjoy while they last!