Welcome to Gaia! ::

Ah! He gained a soft whispered reply from one of his moths about the same time the knocking came at his door. Lird was outside the door right now. That was...a surprise indeed, and Szin worried that perhaps his small elemental had been spied. Oh! It would be no good at all if Lird became upset with him for sending the creature out to follow him! Stupid stupid stupid!

Szin berated himself as he wrapped his fingers around the softly glowing blue orb of fairy light. He disliked dimming it so much but...he didn't want to blind Lird. In the deepening darkness, Szin carefully approched and opened the door. His green eyes peering nervousely up at the tall male. Why had he let this strange curiousity grip him? Why couldn't he have just left well enough alone? Why was it so hard to keep himself from reaching out to touch that strong face?


"Ah...hello Lird. Is....is there something you want?"

He sld have stepped back...or brushed that touch off. He should not have found himself wanting more then just a mere brush on his shoulder. Certainly not! After everything that he had been through and endured he should not have fallen so easily into this sense of comfortableness. Rested and fed, with no aches or pains plaugeing him. Szin struggled to focus his thoughts on the fact he ought to be leaving soon. That he should be getting away just as soon as he was completely recovered. Just as soon as he managed to find a way to the surface. All he needed to do was get strong enough to summon a better Elemental. One that could last longer then a few hours. One that could speedily scout the tunnels and find one that led safely to the surface.

Instead though he found himself standing, holding his fairy light in his palms as if he was holding his own heart in an attempt to keep it from beating so quickly.

Lird's words helped with that though. Or rather, they caused his heart to skip a beat and his green eyes to widen with fright. He hadn't realized someone had noticed him doing these things! He had been so...so careless! Inwardly he berated himself anew. he had been too comfortable! Too careless! Szin's fingers gripped the light more tightly. His eyes tearing up as he fought to keep from just...bellowing an apology. just the fact that Lird was...excuseing him.

he shouldn't be. he should be furious. he should be yelling or threatening him. not asking him to be more careful. not telling him that it was okay with him. Szin felt the fingers brush against his hair, and he heard those kind...kind words....

"I'm from the surface! I'm a surface elf! I was born and raised there and I should not stay here anymore because your going to get in trouble and you've been too nice and I don't want anything bad to happen!" The words just... exploded from his lips. He was too nice. Too kind. And Goddess...if there was at least one drow like him down here he did not want to end up being the cause of ruining him!

The urge to lean himself against that big scarred chest was overwhelming. Szin was far too emotional. That had to be it. All of the emotional damage he had suffered was finally making him crack to the point he imagined there was some sort of shroud of safety in the shadowed embrace of this stranger.

Everything yelled at him in his head that he was just still too tired. Too scared. he was being a fool. Yet Szin could not help himself. Lird's compassionate and comforting words made him want to bawl like a baby. As it was tears had already begun to flow from his green eyes. He released his hold on the blue fairy light, and pressed his palms to his eyes to hide them.

"But...Lird...You don't..." He gasped. His attempts to protest was strangled to silence by the gentle words coming from the taller male. He was going to protect him...he was going to help him get up above... Oh Goddess! It was almost too much for him to believe!

"I"m not...from this side though. I'm from the other side of the world. And..and... Something bad will happen. I know it will. It must! Your Goddess would not be pleased at all. Something horrid would happen. I'm a horrible danger to you and I..I..I just... your nice...the first drow aside from Pella who has even given me a small bit of help."

When Lird's arms wrapped about his shoulders. Szin felt a sense of light headedness. He should have pushed away. Placed some distance between himself and Lird. He was still just a stranger after all. GOddess! He was blubbering like a schoolboy who had just failed his first test or something similar. What the simple fact was, he was speaking too freely. He was saying too much and opening up too quickly. He should not have said a word. Not a single word.

But something made it incredibly hard for him not to do this. Maybe it was just being so long without being able to speak freely? To really be himself? Was he that desperate to tell someone the truth that he would risk his temporary freedom? It hardly felt like a risk though. With Lirds arms around him he felt a warmth and calm that refused to make sense to him. The hand that strokes against him calmed his emotions and helped him press back the tesrs that kept threatening to spill.

Maybe there was a quality like his father in Lird. They were both tall strong looking males. Well...Lird was more muscular then his father. But he did seem to have a soft spoken way to him. And he seemed genuinely kind like his father. This all made it so very hard not to lean against Lird's chest.

"I apologize Lird..." He managed to collect enough of his wits not to continue babbling. How could he possibly explain to the other how...overwhelming it was to feel so..safe....with another? Inhaleing deeply, he turned his green eyes upwrds. The lashes were thick and wet, but no tears threatened to fall from his eyes anymore.

"I.... Am overwhelmed by your kindness. That's all. I didn't believe there was anyone who was truely nice down here. I've been so distrusting and waiting for..well...something horrible to happen. "

His head shifted up and down slowly. He could feel the smooth skin of Lird's chest under his cheek. It was a bit bumpy from the scar that he bore. Oh! The scard! For a moment Szin's eyes dropped down in the dim light, and he gazed at the ugly marking. Was he hurting him by being so close? Lird was not holding him tightly, but that could be for any number of reasons really.

"I think I will need a few more days at the very least Lird. I still feel exhausted and my magic is taking a lot out of me when it ought not to. Staying here in your home will do me some good. A steady amount of food, rest, and bathing will have me recovered in no time I am sure."

Szin felt..uncomfortable leaning against Lird's chest. The scar was a bit of a deterrant to remain close to the other male. It felt odd though. He had never been even half this close with any other male he had met before...it had to be the period of isolation. It was making him...crack?

All the same though, as Lird would make mention of time alone...Szin reached his hand up to place the slender fingers upon Lird's bicep. "No..please... I mean..." Szin's head gave only the smallest of shakes. "I've been alone for far too long. I don't want to be alone anymore. At least not for a time....While a bath would be nice..I've already had one today. I can wait until later to take another I just...."

Szin paused and bit down on his bottom lip. What he wanted to say was he wanted Lird to hold him longer. To stay close to him... " I would like to have something to eat with you. But until then I'd just like to..stay close...I guess. I feel...more comfortable when you are present I think. My mind seems to dredge up fearful throughts when I'm alone and that just...isn't good. I don't want to have another break down like I just did over smething so...foolish."

Szin felt no form of resistance in him when he was pulled back close to Lird.

He was vulnerable. Desperate. Scared. In his mind he could rationalize that he was reacting the way a small child would. All around him was evil darkness and terror. But this one person resembled all that was safe in this darkness. So yes...yes...of course he let Lird hold him.Of course he found comfort in those touching strokes. And he of course wanted to stay as near to this male as he could.

Lird was his night light in the underdark.

A part of him wanted to giggle at the silly notion.

"Thank you Lird." He spoke instead. The constant reassurance that he could seek the other out for company, and that he was no hinderance was doing Szinaun some good. He felt the arm slip around his waist, and for a moment Szin's cheeks flushed with a unexpected heat. Lird was being terribly... cozy? Was that the word? It certainly seemed like it should have been. Still, Szin made no protest. This was fine. Lird was just trying to help confirm in Szin's mind that he was safe here and that he meant him no harm.

So it was that he allowed the other to escort him. His head tilted down shyly as he walked. "That actually sounds very nice Lird. I will definatly be more comfortable there. Perhaps we can...talk a bit more there too?"

When Szin was escorted into the library, his green eyes slipped around the room eagerly. He had not explored the place overly much really, mostly out of fear and doubt. After just this short period of time with Lird though..all of that had vanished. Perhaps so long as he remained near Lird the sense of comfort would not fafe. He would no longer feel the overwhelming depression of the darkness...

The cushions were so... inviting! Particularly next to fireplace! Szin immediatly lowered himself to his knees. He was a bit more delicate in selecting the cushion to sit upon, and after a thoughtful moment he pulled another close so he could lounge easily on his ide while facing the fire place. Szin crossed his ankles, and propped his head up on a elbow. Thus made comfortable, he turned his attention back to Lird.

The book that the other had choosen seemed interesting at the moment...but...he had to ask...

"You were right when you mentioned that we were beyond the point of still being strangers. I have many questions I would like to ask, but I am unsure of where to start. I suppose I should start by asking you if there was anything you wanted to start off with sharing?"

Szin's gaze was directed to the book when it was that Lird began to speak of it. Shifting up on his elbow, those green eyes widened considerably once he was able to get a good look at the title.

"That...that's a..." The words choked off. Such was his surprise. Surely no underdark drow would ever willingly own a book like that!?

Glancing up at Lird with huge questioning eyes, Szin found himself sitting upright on his cusion. A questioning look upon his face.