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 Posted: Fri May 06, 2011 9:58 pm
Mikaril used the advantage of the momentary silence to look down at the rich-smelling stew, noticing with dismay the small pieces of red meat floating in the savory gravy. Even after all of this time had passed since Haellara's cruel trick of feeding him Kyil's own rib meat, he had never let another morsel of red meat touch his lips since then. Hoping that his host would not take offense, he picked up the spoon and began to take small bites of the stew, taking care to avoid the lumps of browned meat. Once he had put the thought of meat juice out of his mind, he found that he really enjoyed the taste of surface stew. He recognized some of the spices and herbs that flavored it, but these were so much more potent and flavorful. Many of the herbs that the kitchen had cooked with were dried; such was the only way they could be transported so deep underground and not run the risk of them becoming brown and rancid. He continued to nibble much the way Szin was, eventually pushing the meaty chunks over to one side of the plate so that he could eat the rest more effectively.
As Szin spoke, Mikaril paused from his eating to nod and smile. "I am trying to look more ahead of me than behind, but too often Underdark drow find themselves looking behind more and more; you have to, or else you could end up in an alley with a dagger in your back, if you're lucky enough to have that clean of a demise." He could feel Mayune continuing to watch him, and though he was feeling a bit less uncomfortable as the minutes went by (he figured that to a surface drow, he must be pretty interesting to look at, to say the least, and he still hadn't made it clear that he was not a threat), he still would rather she focus on something else for a while.
Seconds later his wish was granted, but not at all in a way Mikaril was expecting. He turned his head expectantly at the sound of the footsteps, but before he could see the one who made them, he felt Szin's hand on his elbow and his friend's warning. "What do you mean?" No sooner had the words escaped from his mouth than Mikaril looked and saw the figure appear through the archway. His eyes went wide, and a jolt of pure fear went through him like a bolt of electricity. even if he had had time to dwell on his friend's warning, the last thing he had expected was a surface elf! The other's comeliness escaped Mikaril completely; all he could see was an enemy who would undoubtedly set upon him and kill him right there in the kitchen. As the elf moved to the table to set the books he was carrying down, Mikaril focused all of his energy into a single leap from the table, intending to flee back up the stairs and out of the temple. He had no delusions about navigating the woods; perhaps later on he would be found by Szin and then he would ask to be taken back to the circus.
But in spite of all this spontaneous planning, it was all brought to a halt when Mikaril moved to rise quickly from his seat, and his knee met the solid, unrelenting wood of the table. Too shocked by pained surprise to even grunt, he sat back down hard, not even daring to lower his hands and rub his smarting knee, lest the elf think he was going for a weapon and move in on him.
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Posted: Fri May 06, 2011 10:42 pm
The force in which Mikaril's knees met the table drew all three sets of eyes to him. Sszin winced as he looked at his friend. Both of his knee's had to be smarting fiercely, the force had been such that it had caused the milk in the two untouched cups to slosh over the sides.
Mayune and Treil both turned to look at Mikaril with a slightly surprised expression. There was a moment when the two shared a look, before Mayune shifted to step back towards Mikaril, her hands lifted and gestured in a small effort to calm him. "I know what you are thinking Mikaril." She murmured softly. "I had the same thoughts myself when I first saw the sylvan elves. You need not fear Treil, he is a peaceful elf. A scholar and student of the stars, he will not harm you. This is why I married him even." She soothingly attempted to speak.
Beside him, Szin shifted and murmured softly to Mikaril. "I should have prepared you better for this, and I apologize Mikaril. I thought I would have a bit more time to get to this. I should have not waited so long." He sadly spoke.
Treil, for his part, remained silent. He let his wife and son speak to Mikaril. This was not the first wayward drow to have come to the temple after all, and he did not wish to agitate the situation by speaking or making a move to further spook the wild eyed youth. He merely crossed his arms over his chest and waited for the boy to either dash out the archway beside him, or settle back down so they could speak civilly.
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Posted: Fri May 06, 2011 11:09 pm
Mikaril could feel his face turning red as all three sets of eyes turned toward him. His heart was hammering painfully in his chest from the worst fright he had had since his and Kyil's escape from House Torlyl, and his shaking the table had made a right mess of the milk. Scared as he still was, he felt a pang of embarassment; he very well might have made Szin look silly as well. He was HIS guest, after all.
Somehow the calm words of Mayune pushed through the hammering of his blood in his ears and registered in his head. He wanted to deny it with his loudest voice; that there was no such thing as a peaceful elf, that they were all against his kind and would love nothing better than to see every last drow laying dead in a pool of blood, and even those who studied books were the ones who shamelessly warped the history of both their peoples, justifying the slaughter of the drow and going against their own so-called rules of peace and goodness. Even as he gazed upon Treil, the elf's arms folded pristinely over his chest, he mistook the placating gesture for arrogance, and he felt his throat sting with bile.
Looking at Szin and seeing how sad he was helped Mikaril check his mounting feelings, and after biting his lip and letting the small pain bring his mind back on an even keel, he fixed his gaze upon his friend and took a deep breath before speaking. "No, I'm the one who's sorry, Szin. I should have trusted you and known that you wouldn't put me in any danger while I'm here." His scare still kept him from looking for too long at the surface elf, but he turned his attention to Mayune next. "I'm sorry about the milk; can I clean this up for you?"
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Posted: Sun May 08, 2011 11:03 am
Szin was not certain if his own words or actions really had any effect on calming Mikaril. Even when the clearly shaken drow male would turn and apologize to him, Szin still wondered if he was really all right with this sudden appearance of his father. His lips did lift a little when Mikaril attempted to push past his obvious fear and onto the topic of cleaning up the milk.
Mayune kept her red gaze on Mikaril for a few moments, but she did not say anything in accordance to his apology to her son. Instead she moved to a drawer and took out a pair of cloths. With a small half smile she handed him one of the cloths and began to dab some of the milk up. "It is fine Mikaril." She murmured. Behind her Treil shifted and dropped his arms from across his chest.
"So...should I just leave you three for the evening then? I can always take my dinner to the belltower. There are going to be some..." Triel paused as Mayune turned to fix him with a faint glare.
"Oh no. Your not using this as an excuse to go watch some falling star shower. You've slipped away from dinner the past two nights for this." Mayune lifted a finger and wagged it at Triel as he began to turn a rather sheepish color of red.
Szin leaned towards Mikaril and murmured softly for the other in explanation. "Father has a deep fascination for the stars. He believes that the stars can reveal secrets, though he is not certain what yet. Mother tends to have to drag him to bed some nights when things like falling stars streak overhead."
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Posted: Sun May 08, 2011 11:24 am
Mikaril was all too eager to take up the cloth and help the female wipe the spilled milk from the table. Had he done such a thing at his own house, he would already be somewhere out of sight, being whipped and flogged somewhere far from the dining room where the rest could continue their meal without being interrupted by his screams. Still it seemed like such a paltry penance to simply clean up the mess after shattering such a promising atmosphere. Much as he did not care to see the surface elf, it was still his own house, and he did not wish to do the deplorable thing (what he would expect of the other's race) and drive him away. "I'm really sorry," he said sincerely to Mayune as he mopped up the last of the liquid and carried it to the sink, holding his hand under the dripping cloth so not to get the floor wet. After this he sat back down, too thoroughly miserable to even pick up his spoon and continue eating.
He did not so much as smile during the couple's obviously light bickering, though he did marvel at it somewhat; light bickering was something very dangerously done in his world, akin to walking magic-less across a tight rope over an abyss or going up to an illithid and pulling its tentacles. As a result, he watched them with a sort of morbid fascination, as though they were both doing an insanely dangerous trick.
But as Szin would wisper to him, Mikaril turned to Szin in astonishment, mouth open, bickering forgotten. "You mean he....your stars fall.....like a shower?" Since he had laid eyes on the pinpricks of light overhead, he had always fondly compared them to the shimmering lights over the Glimmersea, winking in and out and still always there. He had even at times found himself trying to memorize the way some of the formations looked, so as to use them as a means of navigation. But he had given up before too long; he had several times been witness to chunks of the glowing mineral falling from the high ceiling above, gathering speed until it landed in the water with a splash that echoed ferociously in the wide open cavern and made him look around anxiously for surfacing beasts who thought the rock to be an unlucky traveler fallen from his boat. But now he was picturing such a thing in abundance, hundreds of chunks falling down at oncefilling his vision with glowing light and making such a racket that they might hear it all the way up into Menzoberranzan.
Looking quite astonished at the thought, he found himself peppering Szin with questions, not caring if the other two overheard. "How many usually fall? Isn't he scared one of them might land on him? Do they make any noise when they fall? Does the sky grow new ones after it happens?"
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Posted: Sun May 08, 2011 8:13 pm
While Mikaril deposited the cloth he had carried into the sink, Mayune continued to fix Treil with her glare. The surface elf male spread his arms before him as he tried to calm his wife.
"Now Mayune...Be sensible. The boy is clearly..." He paused as Mayune would reach up and grab him by the cloth of his shoulder. Holding him by the shoulder, she directed her husband over to the table while Szin would gain Mikaril's attention.
Szin smiled a bit and took a small drink from his glass. Having Mikaril suddenly so captivated was sort of amusing to him. At the very least it showed that Mikaril was still, on some level, somewhat calm. His head nodded a little and he motioned upwards with his spoon. "Yes. It's a rare occurrence, but sometimes the stars seem to fall from the sky. When there are lots of them father calls it a shower, though it's not like they fall straight down. They sort of arch overhead." Szin paused as he noted the keen interest his friend was showing. He looked at Mikaril, then gently nudged him to look across the table to where Mayune was pushing his father into the empty seat beside himself. Mayune sat herself between Mikaril and Treil then, to ensure that the two males had a buffer of sorts.
"Why don't you ask him yourself?" he nudged. Perhaps if Mikaril spoke to his father on a subject he was clearly into, then that would help ease his fear?
Triel paused mid scoop of his stew to look at his son and then over towards Mikaril. He glanced at Mayune, then murmured with some sense of amusement. "I suspect my wife will be most put out if I don't at least eat dinner while it is still warm. Though if you have some questions I am sure I can answer them. Right Mayune?" He asked while looking over towards her.
Mayune arched a brow as she resumed eating her dinner. "So long as you boys eat I suppose a little dinner conversation is fine." She granted.
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Posted: Sun May 08, 2011 8:45 pm
Mikairl found himself continuing to be riveted by the idea of bits of light falling from the sky. What a spectacle it must look! He wondered how long they glowed for once they fell to the ground, and if they fell so rarely why the ground on the surface wasn't littered with little holes and bits of glowing things. And arching overlead instead of directly falling; how in the blazes did they accomplish that?! Was it something about what they were made of? So many questions bubbling up.......and then Szin would motion to the surface elf and insist that he ask HIM instead.
His first instinct was to pout like a child yet to have their first whipping, but reason told him that the other was indeed the right person to ask these questions of. He also knew the reasoning behind the suggestion; his friend wanted to help him be more at ease with his father, the surface elf. He did seem a bit less arrogant as he visibly placated his wife and then sat down to eat with the rest of them. He looked back down at his stew and had a fleeting idea of asking the other to finish off the meat chunks for him. He dismissed it almost immediately; no way was he THAT comfortable yet.
At least Mayune didn't seem to worry about being momentarily left out of the conversation. She probably was glad to be out of it for a while after having to deal with a skittish drow male. Clearing his throat, Mikaril raised his head and tried looking directly at Triel as he spoke. "Well.........are they made of minerals, like the ones in our world, or something else? And what makes them fall? Do they become dislodged or something?"
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Posted: Tue May 10, 2011 12:10 pm
Szin glanced at Mikaril and watched his face as his friend struggled clearly with the suggestion he had just made. Mikaril had traveled the underdark. he had lived in the house of a woman that had tormented him. He had struggled all the way up here to the surface. Of all of these trials, Szin could not think that the challenge of speaking to a surface elf could prove to be harder on him then any of that.
Mayune, for her own part, sat with a rather pleased expression of er face. Having her family sitting peacefully with their guest was a good thing. She watched Mikaril, noting rather clearly the way certain portions of his stew did not seem to be disappearing like the vegetables within it, though she said nothing.
Treil, for his part, had dug into his stew with a hearty appetite. His smile seemed to be a constant thing on his face, and when Mikaril would testingly attempt to shift his conversation from Szin to himself, that smile continued to grow. "Well, the stars are clearly lights in the sky. I suspect they may be some sort of metal, as they manage to fall from the sky to the surface. There are so many legends of weapons and armor made of starmetal that I can't help but believe that is true. I am not certain why they fall. I can only guess that some stars are like the ones far above. They stay in place and travel the sky in a very set pattern. I think there is a second type of star, ones that travel through the sky. I think these traveling ones are special and have a purpose. Though I'm not certain just what yet. I am studying the pattern of their appearance. Some show up seemingly randomly, but there are others who have observed and recorded the appearance of very powerful stars that appear on set days and years." Treil smiled brightly and took a drink from his glass.
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Posted: Wed May 11, 2011 10:25 pm
To his friend, it might not have seemed such an ordeal for Mikaril to speak to a surface elf as all that he had been through at the hands of his family and the Underdark in general, but even all of those things had been disturbingly familiar and even a bit expected. Here he was, talking to a surace elf, the very embodiment of all that was hated among his people. As far back as he can remember, Mikaril had been told that the surface elves were to blame for everything: every lash across his back had come with a reminder that they had been the ones forcing them to live such a merciless life underground, every stale breath of air came with the observation that the surface elves hoarded the decent air and would steal it from the breath of a dying drow because they thought him undeserving of it, and every splash of infant blood upon a sacrificial altar was a grim reminder of the many that had died as their kind had fled the world of light, down to where their temperamental Goddess demanded the same that the surface elves had taken, as a tribute to her.
He could still feel his emotions stirring within him like coiled snakes, wanting to burst forth and strike out at the handsome face. But as he became more absorbed in the thought of the shooting stars, he fancied he could feel them becoming slowly more placid, as though the snakes had worn themselves out and were settling down to sleep. As Treil described the mystery of the lights in the sky, Mikaril was unconsciously spooning the rest of his stew into his mouth, listening with rapt attention until all that remained on his plate were a few small puddles of broth and a mound of meat chunks piled neatly in a pile at the plate's edge. His finished stew left him reason to talk. "Huh.....well, we use Glimmersea minerals in armor and weaponry, and they're the closest to stars that you'll ever see there, so it stands to reason people would do the same here. But that would mean that your stars are metal....." His eyes widened. "And if they still stayed bright when they fell down, that must mean they're Hellfire hot! It's wonder they don't burn the whole world when they fall." He pondered more at the thought of stars travelling the skies like packs of earth gliders, floating about in patterns and formations. It made his Glimmersea minerals seem that much humbler in comparison. "I can hardly imagine seeing ones that moved around so; if the Glimmersea minerals could move around like that, then everyone would spend their time looking at them and nobody would ever reach the other side."
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Posted: Sun May 15, 2011 7:29 pm
Sszin finished his meal and quietly folded his hands in front of him. He watched Mikaril closely for signs of returning unease. As far as he could tell though, he seemed to be coming along a bit more easily then the other drow that made it to their chapel. It was rather encouraging really. It gave him some high hopes that perhaps Mikaril was more acceptable to...well... other lifestyles. His lips curled upwards as he recalled the Glimmersea himself. Just as Mikaril described it, it really did seem like a good comparison to the starry night sky. Though the stars did move and the Glimmersea seemed more likely to stay the same. Szin glanced across the table towards his step father, and could already see he was thoroughly immersed in the topic.
"Oh but they do burn!" Triel replied. he held his hands up and made a sweeping gesture overhead. "While in the sky, they are faster then anything mortal. They are so bright and hot whole kingdoms can see them! When they get close to the land, they light it up like a pale sun!" His eyes sparkled as he glanced at the ceiling, though he was clearly imagining something else. "They do scorch the earth, and they strike with the force of a giants fist. There is always a deep crater where they strike, but the soil always seems to be revitalized. Though the plants are burned away, they come back flourishing and often healthier and more vibrant then ever before. I can't help but think it has something to do with the magic of the stars." Triel glanced towards Mikaril, a rather joyful expression on his face as he continued. "The metal of the stars are the purest of mithril in color. Yet they are oddly cool to the touch, even after they fall, they cool so quickly that by the time you see it and walk to it you can touch it. It takes a master dwarven smith to be able to forge the metal, but I hear it always has wonderful properties. The magic is undeniable and most curious!" Triel formed a fist and leaned his cheek on it as he gave a small dreaming sigh. "Ah Goddess. What I would give to be able to hold something made of Starmetal."
With Triels sighing, Mayune reached her hand over to lightly smack his arm. "Elbows off the table Triel. Honestly, you forget all your manners when you start gushing about the stars." She admonished him softly.
Szin glanced towards Mikaril, then cleared his throat a bit. "You know, I believe it is fathers turn to wash the dishes tonight, and dinner seems to be over. Mikaril, why don't I take you up the tower. We can talk some more up there until it is time for you to return to the circus? I am sure you will be missed." He offered with a glance towards his mother. Triel's cheeks flushed a faint pink and he sat himself back with a soft murmur.
"Ah yes. Of course. Forgive me my rough manners." He apologized to Mikaril before leaning over to peck a kiss on Mayunes smiling cheek.
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Posted: Sun May 15, 2011 8:13 pm
Talk of the Glimmersea made Mkaril long more and more for the few yet potent comforts of the Underdark. The surface world was beautiful, and the thought of the hundreds upon hundreds of small white-hot metal pieces winging their way through the sky made it seem all the more amazing, but picturing his beloved minerals shining above him, comforting and unchanging, made him remember that he always would belong there, no matter how many things he shared the darkness with that would love nothing more than to kill him.
Still, it was fascinating learning about such things that made the surface more fascinating and ultimately a little less frightening. "So they burn, but they get cool enough NOT to set everything on fire by the time they reach the ground. That is really strange; I wonder if it's something to do with what they're made of? A metal that cools so quickly after it burns would surely be coveted for armor. And they nourish the place where they fall so taht the plants grow back better......" He couldn't help but wonder what such an occurence would do to his humble little pot of roses. He could even remember fondly how he had one day wished to add mineral from the Glimmersea to the soil in the rose pot, to see if it would cause them to glow. Would it instead be nourishing? He never would have come to such thoughts on his own. Even if they came from a surface elf, it seemed like a pretty fabulous idea. He tilted his head a bit as he tried to recall a time when he might have seen anything made of starmetal. If such a thing was precious here on the surface, where the stars themselves fell, then it was bound to be priceless beyond compare down in the Underdark. Still, he HAD once stolen a chalice from the second highest house in Undrek'Thoz; he bet he could steal something made of starmetal for the elf to hold, if as a favor to his friend Szin.
The sight of Triel being admonished brought Mikaril out of the exceited state he had picked up from the elf, and he looked at Szin with surprise as his friend mentioned taking him up to the tower. He had almost forgotten how time would have passed since he had set foot in the chapel, but at the same time he wished to remain longer. Perhaps if he was lucky, he would be able to see one of the stars falling from the sky, and he could tell Kyil about it when he returned! He would probably love to hear about such things, and he would have to have a good many things to tell him about to appease the worry of him being gone so long. He should have asked Ssu if the circus carried on into the night; he might not be missed as long as he had anticipated when he had first chosen to follow Szin.
Nodding, Mikaril stood up and offered a formal bow to Mayune. "Thank you very much for the stew. I hope I did not offend you by finishing, but I......haven't eaten meat for quite some time." He wasn't quite ready to share why with anyone just yet, not when the very thought of what he had done still caused his stomach to turn unpleasantly. Turning to Triel, he offered a small smile. "Thank you for the talk. It was.......nice to have met you." Trying to shake the strange feeling that came with speaking so civilly to a surface elf, Mikaril turned and looked at Szin expectantly. "Shall we?"
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Posted: Sun May 15, 2011 10:22 pm
Triel began to rise from the chair as Mikaril spoke a bit more about the stars. His head bobbed as he collected some of the plates and Mayune collected the rest. "It's my hope to someday witness a falling star personally, so I can write a firsthand account rather then just recording other peoples tales." He murmured softly.
Mayune stacked Mikaril's plate on top of her own and gave a slight nod of her head. "You do not need to apologize Mikaril. I know that some peoples diets exclude certain elements. I am glad you enjoyed the stew however. Perhaps if you visit us again we will have something a bit more to your liking." she gently returned.
Szin waited for his parents to head off towards the large pile of dishes stacked up on a stone counter. Triel gave a deep sigh as he looked at multiple plates and glasses left over from the priestesses evening meal. "Why haven't we hired someone to do this for us?" He spoke to Mayune as Szin gestured for Mikaril to follow him. Mayune's response was somewhat faint to Szin, though he guessed from his fathers laugh that it had something to do with needing to divert coins from purchasing ink for his studies if he wanted to hire someone. It was a typical threat on his mothers part that kept his father up on his side of the chapel chores.
Szin led Mikaril to a narrow stairwell that coiled up within a outside located tower. Reaching the top, he pushed a trapdoor open and stepped up into a walled in tower top. A small copper bell hung off the side of the tower, and some blankets were tucked into a leather satchel. Chuckling to himself, Szin pulled the blankets out to sit down on, thus allowing him a better view of the valley and night sky. "Father sometimes falls asleep up here." he explained while waiting for Mikaril to join him. "If you look towards the forest you can see the lights from the circus, and may catch a glimpse of one of the priestesses on their watch."
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Posted: Mon May 16, 2011 6:58 pm
Mikaril found Triel's wish to be surprisingly agreeable. He himself wouldn't mind seeing such a spectacle as a single falling star. He wondered if they were so fast that you had to force yourself to not blink, or if they were so slow in falling that one could just sit back and follow the trajectory, even guessing at where it would land, though you probably wouldn't have much time to rush to the landing point and collect the already-cooling star-metal.
He nodded gratefully as Mayune not only accepted his simple explanation but did not press the matter further. Such a thing was so hard for him to share, and at times he felt as though it would seem silly to some; after all, Kyil was many miles away in the circus caravan; even if his hosts were the type to do something so harsh and cruel, it seemed unlikely that they would go through the trouble to torment him personally with more rib meat. Still, he couldn't shake the image whenever he saw the sinewy pieces of flesh cooking on a stove, the fat dripping off and bubbling in oily puddles.......it made him feel so sick and......evil. Listening to Triel's halfhearted grumbling about doing all the dishes made him smile a bit and cause his mind to go down another path; if Kyil had been there, he would have been happy to tackle the pile of dishes and wash them all until the last spoon shone like it was made of star-metal.
With one last farewell nod at the two, Mikaril followed Szin up the stairs, enjoying the way it spiraled upward. Upon reaching the top, all he could do was look up at the sky, awestruck at how many stars could be seen from that point. He felt as though there were simply too many of them for one of them NOT to fall, and he was eagerly keeping his eyes fixed to the heavens, forgetting momentarily that he was looking out at what he perceived to be a big, empty void. Hearing Szin setting up some places for them to sit, Mikaril broke his awe-struck gaze long enough to sit down on one of the blankets. "I can see why. I would often fall asleep when I was sailing out on the Glimmersea, looking at the glowing minerals above me and watching them light up the water; it was like I was floating among the shimmering lights, on a small, flying boat....." Remembering that the darkness couldn't hide his glow of embarassment from his drow friend, Mikaril was all too happy to divert his attention to where Szin indicated. He could just barely make out the steady glow of the circus, tinging the nearby trees with gold. So the circus did go on into the later hours; it made him feel better knowing that he might not actually be missed yet, in spite of how long he had been gone.
Leaning back slightly, Mikaril returned his attention to the stars, smiling wistfully as they all seemed to collectively wink at him. "They're so beautiful.......I wish they could always be out."
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Posted: Wed May 18, 2011 6:07 pm
Szinaun found himself incredibly comfortable where he sat. Here it was so quiet. The wind was gentle and warm right now, the sky was remarkably clear, and the lights of the circus provided a contrasting glow in the forest. Looking down, Szin saw a flicker of silver amount the tree's surrounding the vale. Ah, the ever vigilant priestesses on their duty. Szin felt such a sense of peace and security at the moment. He looked over towards Mikaril and considered what his next move ought to be. As Mikaril would admire the view and share a bit of his own history, Szin realized that there was no move to be made.
He smiled a bit and looked upwards towards the moon. Clearly the moves were being made without him having to think about them. "Father says they are." He shared with Mikaril. "He says that he believes the stars are always out and looking down on us. It's just that the sun is so bright that it's light overwhelms that of the stars in the daytime sky." Szin paused and closed his eyes to better enjoy the moment.. "Mikaril. I must ask you..." He slowly brought up the conversation he had wanted to ask him since they had crossed paths again. "Don't you wonder, what the odds were that we would meet since our parting?"
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Posted: Wed May 18, 2011 8:24 pm
Catching the small flicker out of the corner of his eye, Mikaril tore his gaze away from the stars to peer down into the wood, where the glint of silver shone again. Rather than be comforted, he felt a familiar pang of alarm; females so armored had that effect on him. Still, he was entirely convinced now that he was safe as long as Szin was with him, and the females wandering about down there in the woods were no more a threat to him than a burning house on the other side of Undrek'Thoz.
Unaware that his conversation was once again being put in motion by reasons he did not think about nor did care to think about at that particular time, Mikaril nodded slowly as he looked up again, eyes raised not quite as high, so that he could also keep a watchful eye on the glimmering silver of the female's armor and the ever-present golden glow of the circus. "That actually makes a lot of sense. Things that have a smaller light tend to pale when a larger light is present, and the daytime is full of light; harsh, hot, stinging light. I like the sound of the night time light better; the one that ressembles a big silver coin hanging in the sky. It would be more interesting if the daytime light was also gentle enough to stare directly at."
Szin's question caused Mikaril to look straight at his friend with his head slightly tilted. It was true he had often thought of the drow who had rescued himself and Kyil all those months ago, had allowed them to start a new life for themselves instead of witnessing the end of their lives, bleeding out on the courtyard stones with the gate to freedom only inches away. Had Szin thought about him the same way, wondering if the two lives he had saved had ever gone on to flourish and survive in the same environment that he had sought to escape from? He gave the idea a minte more of thought before answering. "To be honest, I thought I wouldn't see you again after we departed. Don't get me wrong; I had faith in your abilities, but even the strongest I have seen have fallen in the Underdark to the simplest of accidents. And of course if you had made it out, I hadn't expected you to be in the same part of the surface world as we would be. I'm told it's quite huge up here."
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