It was early yet. }{ open

[deraj]

From what parts of nature she already had influence over to how she calmly told of how she stopped a fight between a and a human, Deraj was thoroughly impressed at what she said. This was one elf that was not to be underestimated.

Deraj had a difficult time keeping a straight face when she whimsically willed that the wind blow the petals about the gazebo. Her ability to change her appearance came as perhaps the biggest surprise. I could be wrong but I don’t think that is an ability all elves share. She can’t change too much but such minor differences might just be what we need if one of us needs to disappear into a crowd.

The necklace also intrigued Deraj. For reasons he could not readily explain, he did not like it. He longed to know what bad things happened when it interfered with Ainutsa’s abilities but sensed that it was not a place he was meant to tread.

He nodded to indicate that he understood. “You are definitely an elf to be reckoned with… As for myself, you’ve already seen some of my abilities.”

“I have a certain measure of influence over nature.” He looked up and raised a gauntleted hand to a hole in the roof of the gazebo. The vines covering it pulled back and they could then see the storm clouds rolling in. “Unfortunately, that coming storm is my doing. I was a bit aggravated and depressed earlier and in my frustration, I summoned that. I had thought about dismissing it but it just feels too nice right now.” He lowered his hand and the vines fell back into place.

He raised his hands to eye level. The right was consumed in a blue flame and electrical sparks leapt between the fingers of his left. “I also have control over the elements to an extent.” He clinched his fists and the magic was undone. “But those are all things that any standard magician would be able to do with time.”

“The things I have been working on in recent years are a lot more interesting.” He pointed and concentrated on a butterfly that had clearly flown into a spider’s web and died. The web burned away and the butterfly’s wings began to flap. It fluttered over to Deraj and landed in his outstretched palm.

[Summerchika]

Deraj asserted that she was an Elf to be reckoned with. Thinking about that for a moment, she supposed he may be right. She had not thought herself powerful before; she felt only as if she could hold her own if need be. She realized now, however, that her grandmother had indeed prepared her to interact with the world beyond the forest. Now, she questioned why her grandmother had told her to stay to the forest if she had prepared Ainutsa for the outside world already?

Putting those thoughts aside for another time, she listened intently to Deraj's explanation of his abilities. His show and tell was much more exciting to Ainutsa and she could not help the grin that came to her face as the vines were pulled back to reveal the stormy sky.

Realizing that laughing at his depression would not be so nice, she held back a surprised giggle that his mood swing would bring in a storm. The elements that he made appear and disappear in his hands intrigued Ainutsa. She had not seen a manipulation of those before; they had a fierce beauty that drew Ainutsa in.

His last demonstration shocked Ainutsa more than anything. It was a flash back to her grandmother's awful lesson that had taught Ainutsa the importance of the natural order of things. Eyes widening, she watched as the once dead butterfly flew over to rest on Deraj's palm.

"Uhm..." she stuttered, shocked at what she was seeing, scared of what may happen, and awed at the beauty of the butterfly all at the same time. "Interesting would be a good word..." she moved her wide eyes to Deraj's, looking for an explanation. "How...?" Her question was a pathetic indication of what she wanted to know, but she could not think of a way to phrase what was going through her mind.

[deraj]

Deraj saw it in her eyes that she was afraid and at the least leery of the butterfly or perhaps what it represented. She stuttered a bit and struggled to remain polite. He could tell that she was walking on eggshells so he worked a glam upon the butterfly so that it appeared as if had never died. In fact, it was more vibrant and graceful than any butterflies that were native to the area. “and with a little work one would never be able to tell the difference.”

[Summerchika]

"Amazing." she whispered as the butterfly's beauty enhanced. She had seen many beautiful butterflies before, but this one was truly special. It was a pity that it had died.

Taking a head-clearing breath, she made herself recover. "No difference? Truly?" she asked. When her grandmother had brought a tiny bird back to life, though it had looked fairly normal, the consequences were quite far from natural.

"I mean to say, is the butterfly truly back to life? There is no... catch?" she asked, for lack of a better word. The possibility brought hope to her, but she could not bring herself to dismiss the lesson so easily. There had to be more to it.

Hoping she did not come off as rude, she hurried to explain, "I do not know if it the same as what you are doing, but during a lesson, Grandmother actually showed me a similar thing with a bird when I was young. Things... did not turn out so well. In fact, when I must rest, I find that day actually haunts me. If this butterfly is truly alive, that is a great power you possess!" She ended on a positive note and felt a sense of reverence for this ability.

[deraj]

“I said no one would be able to tell the difference. Unfortunately, it is still dead but if I hadn’t told you would you have been able to tell?”

“The more you speak of your grandmother, the more I wish I could have met her. I do not know what events took place concerning that particular bird whose memory haunts you still but I can assure you that this butterfly is completely harmless. I have for the moment, given it a new life. It obeys me because it knows that I have given it this momentary gift. It moves only because I will it to do so but perhaps my point with all this is that it does move where only moments ago it was a meal for a lucky spider. With my charms I have restored it to an even greater splendor than what it originally possessed. So long as my own will does not waver, it could continue to play in this new beautiful existence indefinitely.”

“If there would be something that would be considered a catch here, it would be that such a thing, if performed on a more complex creature for any substantial amount of time, would render me very near death myself. As much as I sometimes wish otherwise, I am mortal. I grow tired and as much as I may struggle, my will falters.”

With these words, Deraj looked down at the butterfly with an infinite sadness. It’s movements slowed and its vibrant beauty faded. Eventually it stopped altogether. He bent down and put the poor creature in a place that he hoped no one would disturb.

His face grew stern with resolve but then a smile emerged. “But just imagine it, Ainutsa. Imagine if a person could no longer become old or tired or . Imagine if one could grow to posses a will that was truly unconquerable. Imagine if…” He spoke these next words as if he were reciting them from the holiest of texts,” ‘that which is not dead could eternal lie, with strange aeons even death might die’!”

[Summerchika]

Ainutsa listened as he explained the power he used to move the butterfly. Relaxing, she still felt his power to be quite amazing and, she could imagine, quite useful in a myriad of different situations.

Much of his power seemed to depend on his will; what he wills happens, if his will is strong enough. Intrigued by that thought, Ainutsa admired how strong Deraj's will must be. His frustration with mortality was understandable. In fact, Ainutsa had felt that same frustration to some extent. Just as he could not overcome the mortality that seemed to limit his power, she could not grow as she would want to; her necklace limited that.

Feeling Deraj's deep sorrow, Ainutsa watched as the butterfly's movements slowed and then stopped. As Deraj moved the butterfly to a more solitary place, Ainutsa sent a little prayer of peace and happiness to where ever the butterfly's soul rested now.

Obediently imagining the things Deraj explained, she thought of what all of this meant in the larger scheme of things. It was a truly awe-inspiring feeling. She looked at Deraj, seeing the resolve under the smile; this was more important to him than she could imagine.

"Imagine if... ‘that which is not dead could eternal lie, with strange aeons even death might die’!"

Softly, so as not to disturb the powerful silence those words left behind, she asked, "And this is what you hope to find in the hermitage?"

[deraj]

"And this is what you hope to find in the hermitage?"

Deraj solemnly nodded. He was about to speak once more but then he saw out of the corner of his eye a little boy peeking over the railing of the gazebo. He was grinning mischievously. Deraj was thankful that he seemed to be more concerned the idea that he doing something that he knew to be wrong more than actually listening on their rather dark conversation. Unfortunately, Deraj was in the mood for some mischief of his own.

In a voice that was a louder than it needed to be he said, “And that is why it is rude to eavesdrop.”

A nervous, “Oh crap,” was heard outside the gazebo. Suddenly, the vines near the boy detached from the structure and swiftly threw themselves at him. The boy got away and the vines went back to their original state.

Deraj chuckled to himself. “It might be good to talk more but our hiding spot has been found out. It won’t be long till that little spy returns with reinforcements. Would you do me the honor of accompanying me on what could very well be my last supper?” He smiled to indicate that he was joking.

[Summerchika]

With Deraj's solemn nod, Ainutsa found her own resolve; she would help him find this thing that was so important to him. She realized its importance to the world of mortals as well; she wondered if her grandmother would have searched for it if she had not been raising Ainutsa.

Her thoughts were disrupted by Deraj's suddenly loud voice. Eavesdrop? What was he...? And then she saw the little boy and heard his soft "Oh crap." A startled laugh escaped her lips as the vines chased the little boy, no doubt by Deraj's doing.

Putting a hand in front of her giggling mouth, she could not help the words that came as the boy ran away. "Oh, how adorable." she said softly through her hand.

She looked sidelong at Deraj as he spoke, her eyes still laughing. His last question made Ainutsa pause, dropping her hand. She then gave a little half-laugh as she realized he was joking.

"Only if it is to be your last supper." she joked back, turning to walk through the vines. This time, she parted them with a tender touch and a small "thank you." Waiting again for him to take the lead, not knowing the town nearly well enough, she kept the vines open for other, innocent visitors. The beauty of the gazebo was too great to hide, in her opinion.

[deraj]

They wandered out of the neglected gazebo and he smiled in approval when she left the vines parted. He noticed too that she waited for him to take the lead. He offered her his arm and asked, “So what would want to eat if it would be the last meal you would ever have? This village is one of the main centers of trade in Valear so there is always a lot to choose from… Perhaps we could meet your friend who might come with us.”

[Summerchika]

At the mention of her friend, her eyes widened in remembrance. "Oh, yes..." She took only a second to send her message on the wind to Ciar, knowing he would understand. The wind carrying her message twirled around her once and then traveled to through the forests trees in the distance. An answering hawk call -- Ciar -- sounded, distant, but clear as day to Ainutsa.

Smiling, she turned to Deraj and took the arm he offered her. "I do not know if he comes to the town often... or at all. But if Ciar finds him, then I suppose we will see." she said pleasantly enough.

"I have never had a meal in town." she said honestly. "I do not know how to pay for it." she added a bit sheepishly. Her own inexperience and naivety made her embarrassed. She was not even sure how to handle the currency these people seemed to use.

"So," she continued, "I do not know what I would want to eat as a last meal. I have only eaten what the forest gives. And my grandmother's cooking." Which, she admitted to herself, had not been her grandmother's strength by any means. "What would you wish your last meal to be?" she asked, truly very curious.

[deraj]

Deraj began to wonder if his newfound friend was also a telepath of sorts or merely out of sorts altogether when she attempted to contact her “friend”. He struggled to hear some kind of response on the wind, wanting to give her the benefit of the doubt, and he thought he heard the cry of some bird in the distance but he couldn’t be sure. Ever the master of his own person, he kept a genial expression.

It came as no surprise to him that she had never had a meal in town but he was glad that she took his arm. There were many things that seemed strange to her in town and concerning common protocol altogether but he was glad that at least this small sign of courtesy was universal.

“Don’t worry about the cost. I invited you to join me. I’ll pay.” He tried to assure her that it everything was fine. Perhaps for the first time today, a sense of embarrassment had taken the place of her bold curiosity.

"What would you wish your last meal to be?"

He thought for a bit as they strolled down the eerily vacant streets. Noticing this curiosity, Deraj casually looked in through several of the storefront windows as they strolled along, not wanting to alarm Ainutsa. He again tried to rationalize the lack of people, assuring himself that perhaps they had all gone to their homes to prepare for the storm, but then the temperature dropped significantly in a matter of seconds. What had been a powerful breeze only moments before mysteriously stopped altogether. The shadows of objects seemed to lengthen in unnatural ways and Deraj, a man accustomed to holding Sabbat with entities that his mortal senses would not all him to fully comprehend, was thoroughly unhinged.

Out of subterfuge and perhaps out of a misplaced sense of chivalry, he forced his body to hide any sense of alarm. He turned to Ainutsa, smiling, and spoke softly, ”Something is horribly wrong here and I have suspicion that it might be a trap of some kind. I think we’re being watched. Can you feel it?”

[Summerchika]

His words comforted Ainutsa a little. At least he knew what to do; she was in good hands. Still, she was embarrassed, but glad to learn. However, the thought of him paying for her made her unsettled. It was kind, but she felt that she did not deserve it; she did not want to impose. He was already letting her go with him to improve her magic. She vowed to learn more about this paying process and currency; she would pay him back when she knew how to, she decided.

Smiling, satisfied with her conclusion, she walked easier, enjoying the feel of the ending day. The town seemed quiet, more quiet than the forest was at dusk, but Ainutsa had not spent a good amount of time here, so she wrote it off as something village-like. Perhaps they were unaccustomed to being outside during storms. Goodness knows Ainutsa did not understand that, but she knew that village people lived their lives differently.

However, when the temperature changed rapidly -- too rapidly to be natural -- and when the wonderful and rather strong breeze that Ainutsa had been enjoying stopped all together, she stiffened. Something felt wrong. Her hand tightened on Deraj's arm for a slight moment, but then she forced herself to relax. She would do no good stiff and worried.

Alert, she looked back up at Deraj as he spoke. He did not seem alarmed, but his words said otherwise. Returning his smile, giving an extra eye sparkle for the benefit of whoever may be watching, she nodded and then added a giggle as if Deraj had said something humorous just then. Her grandmother would be proud and she sent a silent thank you to her grandmother for teaching her well.

"'Tis unnatural." she said just as softly. "Who...?"

Turning her thoughts to who would possibly want to set a trap, her eyes widened only a little as an idea came to her mind. "Minions?" she asked, using as little wording as possible. She did not know they might come across them so soon. But who else would want to set a trap for them?

The eery look of the streets made Ainutsa widen her senses for any sign of unnatural movement, but she did not know the village terrain and so did not know for what to look. Ready to move in an instant, but making herself seem quite relaxed, if not cold, she placed a hand on her hip in a feminine manner, a teasing smile present on her lips. Her dagger would be just a few inches below through a subtle, hidden slit in her leg garment if she needed it.

Keeping her eyes on Deraj's, she waited to see what he would do. This was more his terrain, though she wondered if he was used to traps. Even so, she waited, fighting to keep a calm and level head.

[deraj]

He was not expecting her to play along so well and had a hard time not laughing in surprise but he managed.

"Minions?"

He did not respond but just weighed over the option in his own mind. I suppose it is possible but why? How could they even know of my plans to make use of their former master’s equipment?

Just then a cloaked bent figure hobbled out into the street from a side alley. At first Deraj thought it was just some poor old homeless man who was seeking shelter from the oncoming storm but he knew deep down that this wasn’t the case. The strange man managed to hobble halfway across the street before falling into a violent fit of coughing.

Deraj looked to Ainutsa as if he were thinking over what to do . He knew that this was all likely to be some kind of a trap but Deraj could not just stand aside and let an innocent old man die in the middle of a street. “Stay on your guard.” He rushed forward and caught the old man as he was collapsing.

The hood of his cloak still shrouded his face in darkness. The man continued to cough and made no attempt to stand on his own. Deraj found that this unfortunate had more fresh dirt on his cloak than a man who was living in the streets should. The stench was unbearable and distinctive. It was the smell of rotten flesh.

The coughing grew into laughter as Deraj pulled back his hood to reveal what was left of the fiends face. He quickly dropped the animate corpse and stepped back. “My master sends his regards. In my opinion, he couldn’t have chosen a better successor.”

I didn’t even know he was still alive. How could he have known of me, let alone chose me? “What do you mean, successor?! Speak fiend!”

The creature again gave a malicious grin and spoke, “Come now, Deraj. You didn’t really expect to find that journal of yours so easily did you? Do you really think that one who had secured immortality would loose it to some would be adventurer? Even now, my master anxiously awaits your arrival. As a bit of reassurance, he has chosen me to speak with you.”

“What do you mean chosen you? If you think I would go now at the behest of one who…”

“Don’t be so quick to decide. “ The corpse turned as if to hear down the alleyway behind him. ”Perhaps your decision has already been made. If you haven’t noticed, no one is in town. That’s because they are at my funeral. Ha. You should have seen their faces when I decided to leave. Funny how things change. No one would come and see me when I was alive but now that I’m dead. The urchins didn’t even have the courtesy to clothe me in all my finery...”

“Shut up, you maggot ridden bag of bones.” Why would they come after me? I can just play along like the crowd. “What does your master want?”

“He wants your company and that of your new student?” He glanced over at Ainutsa and then back to Deraj, “And don’t try to just blend in with the mob when they arrive to kill me for a second time. I’ve already told them it was you who raised me.” The wicked creature broke into another bout of laughter and coughing as Deraj backed away toward Ainutsa. “Oh, I nearly forgot! My master has made new arrangements for your journey. You’ll find two of his own beasts waiting for you just out of town. You’d do good to find them before they become impatient and find you. He wants you but with his power, I doubt he needs you alive.”

[Summerchika]

As the cloaked figure came closer, Ainutsa's sense were drawn and focused into it. She had seen figures like him before in town. She wanted to help the poor, hobbling figure, but for some reason, she stayed where she was as if her feet simply refused to move.

When Deraj told her to stay on her guard as he rushed to the old man, Ainutsa did just that. Her hand moved lower to grip her garment as if she were anxious for the old man's health, but in reality, it brought her a finger's width from her dagger. Though, she now wished for her sword that was awaiting in the forest. She would not want to use her magic if she could help it, not if she could avoid it.

But by the time Deraj reached the old man, the stench reached Ainutsa. The unnatural, deathly smell. She tried to ignore it, but it alarmed her, especially when Deraj was so close to the smell. She took a step forward as Deraj pulled the hood back.

The sight underneath the hood made her stop in her tracks as her stomach rolled. He was rotted. He was dead, and yet he moved. The rotting flesh and awful smell seemed as if it should belong in her sleeping mind, not in her waking hours. She put a hand to her mouth to keep her shock and revulsion back.

"My master sends his regards." His master. So he was a minion, albeit a rather new one by his description. How had they encountered one so quickly? Deraj seemed as if he did not know either. His tone grew harsh and angry as he spoke with the rotted man. He seemed to know what to do well enough.

The new student found her feet and stepped closer as the disgusting thing spoke of his master wanting their company. Deraj stepped back to meet her as she stepped forward.

A rumbling sound, yes rumbling, made its way to her ears. Angry shouts that came from fear of the unnatural became more distinct as the village's inhabitants came back from the funeral in search of this rotted man and the man who had supposedly brought him back from the dead.

Putting a hand on Deraj's upper arm, Ainutsa glanced up at him, but kept her eye on the rotting man. "We need to go." she said urgently, tugging on his arm. "If this thing speaks the truth, the mob will not leave us alone. We must go whether we take this new transportation or not."

They could take the beasts, but after the look of this man, she was unsure if she wanted to lay eyes upon the animals that were to take them to this master. Regardless, she took a step away from where the mob was coming, her hand still on Deraj's arm. She would not leave without him.

"Come." she urged again, now looking up at him full on to see his expression.

[deraj]

"Come.” She urged him on when he most desired to clear his good name, his honor. However, he knew that there would be no reasoning with that mob. They were angry and they had been secretly waiting to kill someone for a long time now. They had tasted blood and they wanted more. A talking corpse with a justification for their violence was just the thing they had been praying for.

He knew then that it was more than mere coincidence that this elf girl wandered into that bar earlier. Had she not been there, he would have stayed and tried to calm the crowd. As it was, she was the voice of reason he most needed. He nodded and with some reluctance went with Ainutsa.

As they were running away the corpse spoke again, “Don’t worry about finding His Lordship’s dragons. They will find you.” Deraj gave one glance back at the horrible old man. With the fiend’s last unnatural breath, he pointed the crowd to Deraj and Ainutsa. That malicious grin would forever haunt Deraj.