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 Posted: Sun Jan 23, 2011 6:07 pm
 The surface was only a few yards away, little dapples of the sun's late rays dropping like blood onto the floor of the cave in front of Valin. She paused, slipping the dark green goggles that matched the rest of her garb up to her eyes and checking that her sword was secured tightly underneath her cape before gazing at the light before her. It was her first solo trip to the surface, not that she had many with others, since she didn't much care for the company of those she considered theives. There hadn't been much interaction between herself and any others she came with, in fact, no interaction at all other than she made an appearance and followed the others out.
Taking a deep breath, she thought of the reason she had decided to become a surface raider instead of a warrior like she had originally planned upon obtaining the sword. It really had no meaning anymore other than sentimental value. Her name and her sword were all that she currently possessed, even though some would argue her name had been taken from her as well, and she had come here to expand her arsenal. Although she thought of it that way, she was feeling more and more like she was losing her edge every time she came.
Up here in the light her mists did not want to venture, if she could have taken them with her she would have no need for goggles or even company to show her how to move on the surface. But she would not force them, almost as if they had become a living colony of warriors for her to command, and she did not want to cause them undue harm. She was here for one thing and one thing only; music.
Her way of casting magic depended on her song, and she was feeling limited by the few musical pieces she could tie them to. Of course it was easy enough for her to create her own musical pieces, but she found that others could create much better works than she, the emotions tied to them finding form and focus instead of seeming to mill about within the notes. She had come to expand her arsenal, to seek the music that existed more on the surface world than the dark corridors of the one she lived in below.
It was the reason she had chosen this lesser known passage, instead of looking to follow another group out of one of the main ones. There weren't many whom she thought would actually see the value in what she was searching for. Who would think it was something to risk one's neck in the sunlight to obtain, who saw the importance of having something so soft and ephemeral to cling to in a world that was always hard and solid and all too jagged.
Taking another deep breath, she stepped into the sunlight and made her way out of the cave.
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Posted: Sun Jan 23, 2011 7:39 pm
 Even though she was aware that her grove was not very far from a cave that led to the infamous Underdark, Vefeniel was not worrying about it today. It had been a very long time since anyone had come up to the surface through that way, and that last time was a time that she would much rather forget. Such thoughts did not belong in such a glorious day as this, where the sun shone brightly overhead and enhanced the colors of the wildflowers that she was walking through. Birds sang their joy from the trees above her, and the breeze surrounded her with it's wholesome earthy aroma. She couldn't imagine living underground forever, with no sun to warm your face, no breeze to cool it down, and no lovely flowers to look at. She often thought of her underground cousins, pitying them and the cruel Goddess who kept them pinned there like beetles to a rock. If only they would all gather the courage to come back to the light, back to the land of wholesome, growing things and the kinder Goddess who looked after them.
Shaking her head, Vefeniel sought to bring up happier thoughts in her mind as she walked. It wasn't often she found herself outside her grove, having holed herself up in there since she had realized her calling as a Druid, but she was looking forward to commune with the nature outside of her own small realm. The trees would whisper to her the comings and goings of the forest creatures, and sometimes said creatures would even come to her and keep pace, hoping for a tidbit. Such actions always made her smile. The skittish little squirrel and the shy little rabbit coming up to her; her, a drow; something that even the most stoic men feared!
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Posted: Sun Jan 23, 2011 8:36 pm
Out in the open sunlight, Valin's eyes met a sight that she hadn't been expecting to see. She'd never noticed it before, mainly because she'd either come just at dusk or had been leaving through a different route, but beyond the small stretch of bare earth and rock that wound its way away from the cave and towards the places where things to be raided were found, everything was green. And not just because her lenses were tinted with green, everything was... Alive.
For her first venture out on her own she was immediately struck with the fact that she hadn't paid any attention to the outside world other than what and where the other surface raiders were going. She frowned, thinking there was probably a reason that they had stayed to the paths and gone to the places they had, but she had never thought about it before. It seemed almost welcoming, the cool shade underneath thick trees, moist and vibrant. Valin could almost imagine her mists rather enjoying the place if it was a touch colder.
She shook her head and started along the path, thinking that this was a route she'd taken only once before and not very recently so she'd do better to stay where she knew she wouldn't get lost instead of gallivanting off to satisfy some needless curiosity. But still, it did look a lot nicer than any of the places she'd seen or been to before in her other brief visits to the surface world. Thinking about it some more, she'd only really come up here three or four times, maybe she should have waited to come alone until she knew more places and routes to wander without fear of getting lost and trapped in the cursed blinding light by herself.
Her hair fell away from where it had been resting on her shoulder as she turned to look back at the entrance of the cave. It wasn't too late to go back and find another group to join, wait to come explore this place after she had learned more about it. Maybe this time she'd ask questions and...
No, that was stupid. What was she doing? Her, a Drow, afraid of some light and some pale creatures who had no idea what life was like in the depths of the gloomy earth? She scoffed at herself, it wasn't like there weren't ways to find out where she needed to go from anyone she might come across. Her mists might be trapped in the world below, but she still had her voice and her sword, though her skill with the latter was sorely limited since she had chosen this as her second profession. Maybe she could find something about swordplay while she was looking for music? Then she wouldn't have to find money or someone to teach her or spar with.
Lost in her own thoughts, like she had become used to doing a long time ago, wandering along the shores of the Glimmersea by herself, she failed to notice that she had begun walking again. She continued to wonder what other types of things might be found in a place where she'd find music as her feet carried her not along the path, but towards the green grass and the cool shade that lay before her. Thinking about music, she began to hum the Moldau, as it was the only actual piece of music she knew.
The land around her was so, peaceful she could describe it. Calm and unthreatening, and not quite quiet but soft sounding, making her song seem to blend right in. Before she knew it Valin was singing wordlessly among the trees, her doe eyes closed in a wonder she had never known before. It was almost like being back on the shores, with her mists gathered warmly about her and the waves lapping gently about her feet.
Her singing paused mid-crescendo. She was actually feeling the waves at her feet, the fringes of her dress and cape beginning to weigh heavily as they were soaked. Looking down, she found that while she had been walking without watching where she was going she had wandered into a small stream and had been following it for apparently some time, as nothing around her now looked familiar.
Great, she thought scornfully, since she had been fearing exactly this, I'm lost.
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Posted: Sun Jan 23, 2011 9:33 pm
Not far from the very stream that Valin had so unknowingly walked into, Vefeniel paused suddenly, her ebony ears straining. She could have sworn that a moment ago, someone had been singing. It had been a nice sound, a song that she was not familiar with, and it was this that concerned her. Though she was in a rather secluded part of the woods, she knew the occasional traveler to walk down the path that meandered close by the stream, and while she did not often show herself, she did like to hide and observe them as they walked by. Many would say nothing at all, for fear of drawing animals and, she was certain, the 'drow witch' rumored to make those woods her home. But some let the cheeriness of the woods lift their spirits, and they would sometimes hum or even sing as they walked along, drinking in the wonder and good spirit of nature and taking it with them as they vanished from her sight.
But this wasn't like any song she had heard from the travelers who had passed by there. She could be mistaken, but.....she was almost certain that the song had been sung in drow. She felt overcome by a mixture of feelings. There hadn't been any other drow in that forest for what seemed like a hundred years. There had been a colony once, a village of peaceful drow like her who had followed Eilistraee and communed with their surroundings as though their ancestors had never left there. Of course, they were all gone now, slaughtered long past by drow who had come from that very cave that Valin had emerged from. Vefeniel was the last of these, and she had not sought to reconnect with any other drow on the surface, but remained behind in a sort of penance, caring for her grove and the wonderful secret it contained.
She paused for a moment longer, waiting for the song to continue, but when it didn't resume, she shrugged and continued to walk through the woods, using her rune-covered staff as a walking stick. She could hear the trees whisper about her, how there was a new face in the woods, but the lack of urgency in their tone helped set her at ease; surely someone who went out of their way to sing was not looking to sneak up on her in mischeif. Perhaps it was just a traveler who had heard the song somewhere and had no clue of it's meaning; it sounded just like a human to do such things. Why else would they sing such oddly violent songs to their children?
The thought of children made her smile a little. When there had been more than just her, she had been the one to care for the village's children; taking them out on excursions through the forest and teaching them plant lore and the most basic survival skills. Deemed not quite adept enough at teaching them the ways of Eilistraee, she was made to teach them everything else; much like a human teacher. She recalled times where she had led them all through the meadows, picking flowers, dancing about, and singing happy songs. One such song came to her mind; a silly little tune she had heard from a human about the different animals of the forest. Before she knew it, she was singing the song aloud as she walked in the shelter of the trees:
"Over in the meadow
In the sand in the sun,
Lived an old mother turtle
And her little turtle one.
"Dig," said the mother,
"I dig," said the one,
And they dug all day in the sand in the sun!"
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Posted: Mon Jan 24, 2011 6:38 pm
Positive she was lost, Valin seethed at herself and strode angrily out of the stream, drenching her skirt even more with every violent splash. How could she have been so careless? She'd let the harmless seeming trees and stream and the overall peacefulness of the woods overtake her and now she had no clue where she was or how she was to get back to the caves. Worst of all, she was seemingly in the middle of nowhere with no one to approach and ask for directions. Not that anyone would likely give them.
If she ran into one of the pale skinned creatures they'd likely scream their wits off or try to kill her or in general be anything other than helpful. And if she ran into a Drow she wouldn't know if she could trust them not to lead her falsely and try to take whatever possessions she might have, not that she had many, for themselves. After all, most surface raiders were thieves, hence the term 'raiders', and Valin despised theives. Actually, she despised most other Drow.
The only other Drow she'd met that she didn't completely distrust was Divintra, and that was mainly because she owed him her life. Other than him, there weren't any Drow she'd met more than once whom she hadn't parted with on hateful terms. She supposed Mikaril was alright, even though he was a theif, but given the circumstance of their meeting she doubted either of them would be overly enthused to encounter each other again.
Breathing out a sigh, Valin almost missed the soft echo of another voice, raised in song as if answering the Moldau she had been singing earlier. Not recognizing it and being unable to discern more than a few words from the faintness of the tune, she listened a moment before lifting her voice to sing the melody back with her own version of the words she couldn't hear:
"Underneath the moon's glow
A Singing in the night,
Lived a solemn little bird
Who ruled o'er the woods in flight,
'Dream' sang the moonlight,
'I Dream' sang the night,
And they sung with the bird in the woods in flight!"
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Posted: Tue Jan 25, 2011 11:04 pm
Smiling at the fond memories that the childish little song was bringing, and wondering whether she would be better off singing it in her grove where she could have a little 'audience participation', Vefeniel was opening her mouth to sing the second verse when she heard the song strike up again. Wait....no, it was different this time. The voice was certainly the same, but the song was different.....almost as though whoever it was had heard her song and was trying to sing it back to her! Still smiling, she tilted her head slightly and listened as the verse was sung in drow, with the lyrics altered, to say the least. What a wonderfully poetic verse! she thought happily; it must be an extraordinary soul to compose lyrics like that after only hearing the tune once before!
Now she was more convinced than ever that whoever had wandered into the forest was decidedly non-threatening. Not only did drow raiders NOT give themselves away by singing (she wasn't even sure if her Underdark cousins knew what singing was), but someone who knew about moonlight and birds..... had another follower of the Dark Maiden found herself wandering these woods? If so, why hadn't the trees mentioned it? Well, no matter; not every surface drow followed Eilistraee, and it certainly wouldn't matter to Vefeniel so long as they were friendly and showed the proper respect to the forest.
Keeping her ears open this time in order to indicate the direction of the singer, she sang the next verse, making sure to sing more loudly this time so that her mystery singing partner could pick the tune up better.
Over in the meadow
Where the stream runs blue
Lived an old mother fish
And her little fishies two.
"Swim," said the mother,
"We swim," said the two,
And they swam all day where the stream runs blue!
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Posted: Sun Sep 16, 2012 8:46 pm
It was only after she replied in song that Valin realized exactly what it was she had done. If there was another within the soft hush of the forest with her, were they really one she, a fearsome Drow, would like to strike up a duet with? If they happened to come face to face, what would the consequence be? She had been skeptical of a pale faced creature's response to her nature, again with the screaming of their wits off or the trying to kill her, but would they still be so wary if they knew she was the voice replying to their song?
For a brief moment she entertained the thought it could be another Drow who had been at other end of the voice. But again she berated herself, since when did any Drow other than herself strike up a melody? Most reacted to her way of controlling her mists with surprise or scorn or both. She almost, almost, panicked at the thought it would actually turn out to be another Drow and they would wreak insults upon her before leaving her stranded in the greenery, not only lost but burning with injured pride as well. Of course, after the initial shock of the path of her thoughts went fleeting past she realized that in order for the other end of the melody to find her they would be singing as well, in which they would be insulting themselves so much as Valin in so far as any uncouth gestures could be concerned.
But then she was confusing herself, or deluding herself, thinking it could possibly be another of her race that produced such radiant and gentle notes. Which led her back to her first worry. The voice was most definitely female, and she had heard that the females of the surface dwellers were of a generally weak mind, feigning damsel instead of warrior, reacting exactly opposite of the tyrannical females she was used to seeing in the world below. It would be unsettling for her to see, to say the least.
She was debating turning around and attempting to head back in the general direction from which she came, but as her skirts sprayed the petals of the flowers along the stream bank with impromptu mid-morning dew, the song was taken up yet again.
Her curiosity was getting the better of her for the second time today. Who was it? It was obvious the tune was foreign to her, just as her reply was probably foreign to the receiver of her verse, so who, besides herself, would willingly attempt to make contact with an otherworldly singer? She brightened a little and a small grin splayed itself upon her features. Maybe whoever it was had more music, music she could learn, the very music she had come to the surface to find.
Ears pricked and steady, wondering if it was that the other singer had increased their volume or was finding their way closer, she let her eyes drift towards the rustling of the canopy above her. Yes, it was indeed the same tune as before, the words striking up a more steady cadence now the she could clearly hear the song. Her eyes slid downwards again, her head turning in the direction she deemed the voice had come from as her mind filtered through the words in her head until she had come up with a suitable reply.
She lifted her voice again, taking a step forward and letting flow the music with more vigor as the excitement of this melodious encounter seized her.
'Neath the sun and the sky
'Twixt the glowing clouds of gold
Lived a lonesome little lark
With a story to be told.
"Sing," trilled the lark,
"We sing," trilled the gold,
And they flew through the blue with their words to behold!
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Posted: Sun Sep 16, 2012 9:07 pm
Upon hearing the melody and words drifting back to her, Vefeniel almost danced in place in her ecstasy. Larks and clouds and sky! This simply HAD to be a drow more like her, who not only knew of the surface world, but would care to walk it in the daytime, a time when many of her kind with their less than kindly intentions would rather be ducking down low in shallow caves or cursing the ball of light that singed their skin when they had need to venture forth under it's incessant gaze. No drow like that would sing praises to the sun.
She wondered if she ought to seek the mystery singer out. The trees still seemed placid and calm with the newcomer, and her curiosity was roused in spite of herself. On the other hand, though this soul didn't seem to mind singing out to a faceless person in the forest, they might have different thoughts entirely if she tried to sneak up and catch a glimpse of them. The voice was clear and lilting; a female for certain. She chewed her lip thoughtfully; female drow made her particularly wary. They were so clever and quick to make up any sort of lies if they believed it would help them achieve their ends, and anyone unlucky enough to get in the way was simply cut down and trampled upon. But could this female drow in the woods be clever enough to fool her friends the trees? At least by them she knew that the singer was alone; a troop of raiders would be felt by them regardless of stealth and she would have known of it by now. She grew ever more curious, and decided she would at the very least venture within seeing distance of this stranger, if just to glimpse her and see for herself what the trees were unable to elaborate upon.
As she began to stealthily creep through the underbrush, she offered up another verse, allowing her smile to come naturally as she sang.
"Over in the meadow
In a hole in a tree
Lived an old mother bluebird
And her little birdies three.
'Sing!' said the mother
'We sing!' said the three
So they sang and were glad
In the hole in the tree!"
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Posted: Sun Sep 16, 2012 10:21 pm
Awaiting the response, Valin once more let her gaze wander, no longer caring that she was lost. Well, still caring that eventually it was going to take her some time to find her way back underground, but not necessarily worrying how long it would take her to find it. It was quite enjoyable here on the surface.
No masked intentions or murderous females, only crisp air and budding flowers, the curled fronds of ferns teasing playfully at her skirt as she swept past, reminding her of an upper world instrument she had seen once in an illustration of some sort. No hunts for swords or names, or watching her scant few possessions from the threat of thieves every time she came across another Drow. There was the little twitter of birds above her, the fluttering of various insects dancing through the trees around her, and the scuttling of little creatures dashing this way and that in the undergrowth at her feet.
She began to wonder why most Drow avoided this strange, calming place. Were they perhaps prone to violence in a habitual sense so far that a peaceful site such as this would make them uneasy and unable to relax? Or was this maybe not so peaceful to other Drow, instead a strange place full of foreign and suspicious lore, a fickle and viscous land that had once cast them aside, driving them into the underground and threatening that the bright orb above them cause them harm should they strive to venture forth into it again?
Yet why was she unaffected? Was it her own brand of solitude that allowed this style of placidity to acclimate her? She always thought that most Drow were solitary, sullen, unwilling to cooperate with each other outside of deceit and ill intent, that her actions were albeit a little more than her kin, but not that noticeably so. Her views on the slimy acts of thievery and the general conduct of other Drow notwithstanding, at heart, Valin always thought herself just as viscous and immoral and seedy as any of her race. Albeit in a twisted way, and she had her own points of pride that could possibly be likened to a sort of chivalry. But deep down she saw herself as a Drow, and these unsavory facts were basically that as a Drow that scanty type of being was what she, well, was.
The sudden stillness that had surrounded her upon the descent of such thoughts, making her little grin straighten into a firm line as her eyes sought out the ground, the only familiar thing she could set them upon at the moment, was broken by the return of a now welcome melody. She lifted her head to listen once more, now certain that the other singer was moving in her direction. Valin herself paused.
Now uncertain as to whether meeting the other mellifluous individual was such a good idea, she belayed her reply. What if the other truly was one of the surface dwellers who would attempt to drive her back to the very tunnels from whence she came? If she were forced back, if her search for the little light that she had found in the underground world ended so abruptly and with such malevolence tied to the very light she was seeking, would she be able to venture forth once more? Or would the goggles that currently adorned her blood red eyes have been achieved in vain?
She scoffed at herself, thinking that if she were to turn back here on such pathetic little worries, or if she were turned back from her goal by such small resistance, then she would be unworthy of the very goal she strived towards. It occurred to her in some small place inside her mind how unDrowlike those kinds of worries were to begin with.
Shoving past her hesitation, she strode forward, the music leaving her lips with nary a thought at the words she was letting slide off her tongue.
"Sprouting from the cliffs
In the crannies of the stone
Swooped a stealthy little bat
Used to living all alone
'Fly!' cried the bat
'I fly!' came the moan
So he dove through the cracks towards the freedom he had sown!
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Posted: Mon Sep 17, 2012 1:27 am
Even as she walked quietly and calmly, Vefeniel did not miss the hesitation that came before the singer's reply. She hoped that whoever she was, she was not thinking of fleeing before she got too close. After all, if she really meant the singer any harm, she would certainly not be singing back to her! She had a decent enough voice, but a siren of the deep she was not. Vefeniel herself sang because she knew she was safe; this was her home, and it would aid her if she had need of it. The staff that was for now serving as a walking stick was thrumming with earthy magic, and at the slightest threat, she had but to tap the ground with it to summon thorny vines, ranging from as thin as a rose stem to as thick as a drow's waist, all supple as rope to ensnare the offender. Such thorny growths were what surrounded her home deep within the forest, allowing none but the animals safe passage to her inner sanctum.
She was still pretty certain that such a spell would be unnecessary here. The singer more than likely knew now that she was being approached, but Vefeniel still hoped fervently that she would still remain where she was. She could have summoned the thorns anyway to block the singer and prevent them from leaving before she arrived, but that would be a cruel and needless waste of magic. She never used it in such a way unless absolutely necessary, and nowadays her mere curiosity was abysmally low on her list of necessary times.
Bats? She grinned to herself. Now THERE sounded a more drow-ish verse. She herself didn't mind bats; they kept the insects from becoming too numerous and irritating to all of the forest dwellers, including herself. Still convinced she was on the right track, she offered up another verse.
"Over in the meadow
In the reeds on the shore
Lived an old mother muskrat
And her little ratties four.
'Dive!' said the mother
'We dive!' said the four
So they dived and they burrowed
In the reeds on the shore!"
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Posted: Mon Sep 17, 2012 8:05 am
Valin stubbornly persuaded her feet to carry her still more forward. The other voice was very close now, maybe she could attempt to hide somewhere so as to catch a glimpse of the owner before she was found. After all, her green cloak blended in well with the shadows of the trees and her cowl could easily be pulled lower to mask her face. She dismissed the thought as soon as it came to her, she may have been able to conceal herself perfectly in her mists in the Underdark, but here there were too many open spaces, too many directions the voice could choose to slide around and approach her from.
It was probably best to stop here and sit out in the open, show that there was no malevolent action to be taken against whoever her singing adversary might be. They probably knew the area better than Valin, at any case, they would surely notice something off kilter and investigate only to find a Drow hiding in the shadows in a cape, with a sword at her hip no less, and luring the other to her. Valin sighed, tentatively brushing her hands up to remove her hood, letting it fall back and reveal her large curly locks of grey and sea green.
She let her eyes roam downwards to take in her tattered and torn dress, suddenly feeling like she probably should have tidied it and fixed the holes before coming to the surface again. At least the bloodstains were no longer there, her mists had seen to that, though her scars were probably still visible if one looked for them. It wasn't like she had anything else to wear. She probably could have been searching for suitable clothing the past few times she had been in the upperworld with the other Raiders, but seeing as she never expected to actually meet someone to hold a conversation, a song at least, with, she hadn't found it high in her priorities.
Straightening her back and lifting her chin, yet letting her hands rest passively at her sides, she lifted her voice and watched the greenery in front of her, waiting for the other to appear.
"Down in the hollow
In the bank by a stream
Pitched a willow little reed
Who swept o'er the wind to dream
'I sway' hummed the willow
'We sway' hummed the dream
And so the willow stayed in the sun with a gleam."
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Posted: Mon Sep 17, 2012 7:32 pm
So close now! Vefeniel could practically feel her ears twitching to pick up the song, now so close that it sounded as though it was coming from the very next opening through the trees. She could already see the part where the grass grew suddenly brighter, without any tall trees to steal away its sunlight. She strained her eyes a little, trying to pick out a glint of armor or a sudden shift of movement that would tell her there was something other than an animal in the clearing. So far she was unable to catch a glimpse of anything unusual, but the trees around here seemed excited; her mystery singer had to be close.
Had she known what the other drow was thinking about her clothes, Vefeniel would have laughed, not unkindly. She considered her own manner of dress to be outright homely, with her simple cloak and green tunic; the fanciest thing in her entire ensemble was the plain, functional silver broach that nestled beneath her neck and ornamented her forest cloak. She had no need for elaborate robes or gleaming jewelry. All around her, the most beautiful things in the world resided for her to look at and partake in. She always thought the humble rose had the most captivating of gowns, ones that the priestesses could only hope to compare theirs to. And the flowers that dotted the landscape and nodded to her as she passed were every bit as beautiful as a hoard of jewels and piles of gold. She cared very little about appearances, as she would offer the same sort of kindness to a half-naked urchin as she would to a lavishly gowned princess.
Coming to the incorrect conclusion that her singer was still a ways away yet, Vefeniel resumed her walk forward and struck up another verse:
"Over in the meadow
In a snug beehive
Lived a mother honey bee
And her little honeys five.
'Buzz!' said the mother
'We buzz!' said the five
So they buzzed and they hummed
in the snug beehive!"
Her voice had just trailed off with the last word when she entered the clearing, and she was surprised to find her singer there after all, standing there as though ready to meet some sort of ill fate. It wasn't hard for Vefeniel to smile kindly; such a reaction was not unknown to her. Even her own kind regarded her with fear at times. "Hello," she offered politely in drow. "I enjoyed your voice."
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Posted: Mon Sep 17, 2012 7:59 pm
Jumping a little in surprise when the other's song struck up again so close, Valin took a deep breath to calm herself. Her tattered dress a complete contrast to her prideful nature, she quickly readjusted to her previous stance, eyes searching the leaves and branches in front of her for any sign of life out of the ordinary.
When the other appeared finally, it was not as Valin expected at all. Another Drow, not only up in the surface world, but singing, and singing to her, who was obviously by language another Drow! She blinked slowly for a moment, her brain backtracking to try and figure out why the other had appeared and, more importantly, why she had been singing.
"Uh-Hello," she stammered in reply, taking in the soft forest green and even softer smile-could Drow make that sort of facial expression?- of the singer in front of her, "It was enjoyable to hear your voice, as well." Her voice sounded a little automatic, as if her mouth were working before her brain, which was at the moment true, and it took her a good pause before she realized that if this Drow really was so at home in the forest that meant this was her territory. And if this was her territory it meant Valin was, in a way, a trespasser, so the polite thing to do would be to introduce herself.
She visibly shook herself and nodded her head at Vefeniel, "Ah-Sorry for intruding, I am Valin of-" she paused for two reasons. For the first reason, she wasn't sure if the other Drow cared at all what House she hailed from, or if it would have any meaning to her even if she did. For the second, her resolution to continue addressing herself by her House Name, even though Scythra had exhiled and stripped her of it, was beginning to waver. She corrected herself and repeated, "My name is Valin."
Oh, that she wished her mists were there to gather comfortingly against her dress and under her cloak.
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Posted: Fri Sep 21, 2012 12:07 am
At first as the singer stood there and blinked, Vefeniel paused and pondered a bit. Had she been understood? Maybe this wasn't her singer at all, but another traveler altogether, just happening to be in the same general area? Not only was the coincidence staggering, but downright unlikely. She did not doubt her use of the language; all her village had ever spoken was Drow. Perhaps she had developed an accent, one that was considered thick by Underdark standards and needed some time to mentally sort out? She would have loved to say that it had never happened to her before, but then again, when had been the last time she had had ANY visitor, let alone a drow? A hundred years? Two hundred? She had long since lost count, since time passage mattered very little to her unless it was regarding the growing of plants.
Vefeniel's smile widened at the sudden answer; she had been understood after all! The female had just needed time to compose an answer. The wariness emanating from the other was thick enough to pull out of the very air, and it in turn made Vefeniel a bit uncomfortable. Even to a fellow drow, she would always have to prove that she meant no harm. She nodded her head once at the introduction and smiled in what she hoped was a gentle way, to set the other more at ease. "Apologies are not necessary, for I do not claim these woods. It looks after itself, for it is as alive and sentient as you and I. It merely permits me to live within it."
She listened politely to the introduction, noticing the hesitation and correction after the name. It hardly surprised her; many drow who came to the surface alone would rather not disclose their house or status, at least that was the way it had been all those years ago. As if she herself would know one house from another, or even disclose that one of such a house had passed by there should someone else follow behind her. Still, a shorter name, with no title added to it, WOULD aid her in remembering it in the future.
Showing no outward sign of puzzlement at the exchange, Vefeniel nodded her head, shoulders dipping a little in a small bow. "I am Vefeniel, and I walk this world as a Druid. Know that you are welcome here, if your intentions are peaceful." She knew that many drow and even some non-drow would consider her profession repulsive, the former even seeing it as grounds for a fight, but she felt confident surrounded by the woods she loved, and this female, Valin, seemed as though picking a fight was the farthest thing from her mind. "Are you lost, Valin?"
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