|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Posted: Sun Jul 22, 2012 12:25 am
Having the entire day to get into full swing, the circus was well into its later hours when Mikaril carefully wound his way through the thinner parts of the crowd hanging about at the outskirts, where fewer booths and tents were located and the pickings became easy as prospective targets deliberated on spending their money on such frivolity, unaware that it might very well have taken flight already without their knowing it. Usually it would be a prime place for the thief to exercise his fingers and lift a few purses, but he had more pressing things on his mind at the moment.
How lucky he had been the night before when he had managed to find his way back to the circus before it ended for the night, the events that had transpired at the temple still buzzing about in his mind. He felt as though he had taken a step off of a very deep crevasse, and he was falling still, the wind whistling past and making him giddy, not entirely sure what he would meet at the bottom. He had taken a step that he had never thought he could or would, and it had all seemed to happen so suddenly. With the entire community of stars as witnesses, he had turned his prayer to another, a deity other than Lolth, in the hope that he would find what he had been searching for; love and acceptance, even the knowledge that his best might actually suffice, rather than serve as a particularly high stepping stone for Lolth's favorites, the females.
He was amazed that he had been able to find the circus on his own afterwards, but his view from the tower had pointed him in the right direction, and with his cumbersome surface goggles perched on his head instead of clouding the already murky shadows, he was able to follow the light and make it all the way back to his tent long before Ssu returned from her long string of performances. Of course, Sszor was with her, and in the mood Mikaril had expected him to be after having his charge give him the slip for most of the day. He had half expected Ssu to reprimand him for striking out on his own in such a dangerous place, but instead she had chuckled at Sszor's being so put out, stating that her Ril was a drow used to wandering about as he wished, but OF COURSE he had the sense to not wander off so far that he would be beyond help should he need it. If anything, she had been more put out that aside from the little bits he had stolen before he bumped into Szin, he had very little in the way of stolen spoils. He had a few flowers that he had stopped to pick on his way back, but Ssu had waved them aside with the remark that they would just die in a day or two. Mikaril was more than happy to give them to Kyil, and placate Ssu with the remark that if he stole too much on the first day, word would get around and less people would come for fear of pickpockets. Everyone seemed better after that, except of course for Sszor, and ever since then, whenever Miky saw the disgruntled drow, he was fixed with a very intent and piercing stare, as though the other was trying to get a mental lock on his 'charge'.
Mikaril was grateful that there was no such lock on him tonight. He had said little to Kyil other than he had been out exploring the surface, and he promised to being back more flowers so that he and little Mikky could at least have a bit of surface beauty in the wagon with them. He knew that if he were to tell his friend of his intentions this night, not only would he be doubly worried for his sake, but he could only imagine the reaction if he was made to tell anyone where he had gone. He felt bad withholding this from him, but he swore that once it was finished, and his soul was purged and cleaned and soothed, he would tell Kyil all about it.
At the moment, he sought to remember the path he had taken, also wary of the patrolling females he had seen the night before, as he had sat with his friend Szin atop the temple's tower. He still had no wish to run into a fierce and armed female, follower of Eilistraee or no. Were it him, he would likely shoot first and observe later, and he expected it from everyone else, most especially other drow. He was just about convinced that he had found the correct path and was very close to the temple, when he saw a sudden flash of light off to his left. He froze and crouched down, right on the path, unsure of what he had just seen. There had been no noise to accompany it, but then what had made such an eerie, greenish streak in the night air? He turned his head slowly in the direction he had seen it, and gasped as another streak burned the air just inches from his nose. Even more startled, he scrambled up and stood in the middle of the path, watching in alarm as the air suddenly seemed filled with strange, blinking green lights, dancing around him like tiny, green stars that gave off no heat. What sort of strange magic was this? Was it part of the ceremony? How he wished Szin was here!
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Mon Jul 23, 2012 10:06 am
The night was perfect. Cloudless, so the stars and moon dominated the sky. A very faint warm breeze was coming in from the north, which carried with it the deep scent of the evergreen woods. Sszin had spent some of his afternoon simply enjoying the bustle and chatter of the temple. He had needed something to distract him from his thoughts of Lird. When he was left alone for too long, the pangs of loneliness would strike so deep that he would feel such a shadow of hopelessness and he would question the wisdom of ever leaving the Underdark.
So he kept his mind focused on other things. On the light laughter of the males in the temple as they cleaned or prepared the place for use later. The soft chatter of the females as they shared stories of their hunt, who was looking particularly cute, and general girl talk. He helped with the garden a little bit, but for the most part oversaw the circulation of air through the temple. His natural magic allowed him to move dust from the halls while keeping the place a little cooler on hotter days. He liked being useful, but the periods of meditation that he typically used always ended with him in tears. He could not be alone with his thoughts.
The preparation for Mikaril's conversion was a happy distraction however. He had spoken with a few priestesses and found two willing to perform the ritual for him. Since Mikaril was not going to be a part of the temple on the surface, it was decided to make the ritual more private. If he had been staying the ritual would have been something of a larger thing. So the rest of the followers would have a chance to get to know Mikaril of course. Sszin had spent some of the night waiting for Mikaril then, and in time he spied the lone figure making it's way through a pass in the field that he had first brought Mikaril thought.
Mikaril was staring at the flashes of color when Sszin came down the way. He glanced towards the field, watching it light up in a show of dancing lights. "The males fly about in the air." He quietly spoke as he approached Mikaril. "They flash their lights in a specific pattern, while the females crawl through the grass. The females flash their lights back, and when a male finds a female mimicking his pattern, he approaches her to mate. It's a rather sweet display. Searching for ones perfect mate by winking lights in the distance."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jul 24, 2012 12:01 am
Completely unaware that the beings drifting around him were harmless creatures engaged in a dance that he only just happened to be an obstacle for, Mikaril remained still as he watched them. Time and again he tried to make out just what these things were, but whenever one drifted close enough to inspect, the blinding light would obscure any details he hoped to pick out and leave him with smarting eyes. He was amazed at how little heat they actually gave out, making him even more convinced that they were some kind of faerie creatures. He hoped that whatever they were, they did not see fit to bite him in passing; he knew this was a strange place, and he was quite close to the temple; he could even see it's shape, illuminated slightly from within as the residents lit carious candles and lamps. For all he knew, these creatures could be under the protection of the Goddess herself, and to merely swat one might invoke her wrath just as crushing a spider was sure to bring the vengeance of Lolth upon one's head.
His eyes darted over to the form of Szin as it materialized beyond the glowing circle. At least he seemed unbothered by them. His head tilted slightly at his friend's quiet words, his eyes widening as he would describe them so. "You mean....these are.....?" He reached out gingerly as one lazily drifted close and cupped his hand around the green ember, which immediately dimmed enough for the drow to see an insect, standing out against his dark palm. He pulled it close and peered at it with the utmost fascination as it crawled about, seemingly unconcerned that this naive giant held it in it's grasp and had interrupted it's passionate dance for the sake of curiosity. Looking out across the fence and into the meadow where the creatures had first come, he then noticed the dozens of other lights winking in the grass, hopeful that their one particular display would attract a male with the same kind of light pattern. What a fascinating way to mate! Even the insects here mated with more tenderness than the predatorial masses that lurked underground.
Mikaril smiled as he watched the insect crawl all the way up to his finger, where it perched for a second before opening its wings and taking flight, giving the drow one more wink of its light before fluttering away to continue its search for a perfect female. Looking out at the meadow, Mikaril couldn't help but think how monumentous a task it must be for one small bug; there had to be thousands in that forest, as many as the stars up above. The smile stayed on his face as he turned to Szin. "I like these creatures; they're like......star-bugs. What do you call them?" As his eyes darted over to the temple behind Szin, the smile was quickly tinged with nervousness. "Do I need to....prepare somehow?"
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jul 25, 2012 12:50 am
There was such a childish wide eyed look to Mikaril right now. Sszin stood in silence just so he could enjoy watching Mikaril. He was glad that the other found something as small as these little bugs as a source of awe. He could only imagine how he would react to seeing the change of the seasons. When the trees were flush with color. Or the sight of a doe with her newborn wandering through the morning mists. There were many wonderful things to be seen here on the surface. He hoped Mikaril would have a chance to see them all.
Sszin gave a small chuckle as Mikaril inspected the insect. While the tiny thing crawled over his fingers, Sszin turned to the field and lifted his hand. With a small circular motion of his finger, he caused the soft breeze to shift and move. Gently blowing a small group of the flying insects towards him, he started to laugh as the insects landed in his hair. They were just a little disoriented by the breeze, and landing helped them regain their baring. Though in the meantime...Sszin had himself a small display of flickering lights in his hair. "We call them Fire Flies, or Lightning Bugs. It depends on whom you speak to. We have green and some yellow ones here, but I hear further north you can find blue and pink variations as well." He decided to share before turning to look at the temple.
"I took care of the preparations, so all you need to do is follow me. I hope you don't mind, but I arranged a private ceremony. So it will be just us and the priestesses overseeing your conversion" As he spoke, Sszin lifted his skirt and carefully stepped over the fence and into the field. he lifted his hand and pointed across the way, over the tall grasses and through the drifting sea of winking lights. "We'll be holding it in a glade, I am sure you'll appreciate it." he found himself grinning some as he started across the field. "I even have some juice and cakes for afterwards, if you want to sit and ask questions of course."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Jul 25, 2012 8:28 pm
Mikaril had just enough time to gasp in wonder when a wave of Szin's hand sent a multitude of the glowing insects drifting toward them like a wave. They blew all around him as he squeezed his eyes shut at all of the sudden flashes of light, and then blinked as his eyes moved upward as far as they could. The inside of his hood was glowing, and several of the insects had nestled contentedly in his hair, winking down at him and lighting up his face. Looking down, he even saw a few clinging to his armor, inspecting his slightly glowing runes with curiousity and even trying a few tentative blinks at them before returning to the meadow and their daunting task.
"Fire flies......." Mikaril liked the sound of that. He wasn't entirely sure about lightning, but they sure seemed like little dots of fire when he had first laid eyes on them. And to think, they had just as much color as a drow's faerie fire! It was so wondrous and curious, to see something from his home so mirrored way up here on the surface. He smiled and gently moved his hand to cup the fire flies from off of his chest and watched as they moved about in his dark hands; liquid light with no magic. Or was it magic of an entirely different sort?
As the insects took flight and streamed away from his hands, Mikaril blinked and looked over at Szin, smiling in spite of his nervousness as he saw his friend also bedecked with lights in his hair. "I...I don't mind at all. I don't really know anyone here outside of you and your family, and I will probably be nervous enough.....but I'll try really hard to not be. I don't want them to think I have any second thoughts. It's just......" He made a face of frustration; he hated it when words failed him like that. He wanted this so much, but this wasn't like whispering curses to Lolth or openly defying his family and the Spider Queen's so-called plan for him and all males. This could easily be the biggest and most life-changing act he will ever do, and his baser instincts, honed to perfection in the Underdark, still whispered in his ear of the possible dangers. Would a servant of Lolth show themselves and disrupt the ritual? Would Sszor find him and bring the entire circus down on those who were helping him so? Or even worse, would this new Goddess misread his hesitation and reject him? This last came with a stab of pain that brought small tears to his eyes. He just HAD to do well tonight!
Taking in a deep, steadying breath, Mikaril nodded and looked at Szin with determination. "I think......a glade would be perfect. And yes, I would love to be able to ask questions." It thrilled him to think on it; Lolth's entire religion balked at questions, especially coming from males. It was not their place to question, but obey. To actually have a chance to sit and find out as much as he could about the one he was preparing to pledge his soul to......the thrill was almost enough to banish his nervousness!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sat Jul 28, 2012 10:26 pm
Sszin carefully began to wade through the tall grasses of the field. He stepped lightly and with care not to crush any of the winking lights underfoot. He did not pause or glance back towards Mikaril, as he assumed the other drow would simply take up following him across the field and to the edge of the woods. As he walked. Sszin glanced around himself. The field of fire flies now flickered around him, making him feel as if he were walking through a sea of delicate lights. Casually Sszin waved his finger around, directing the breezes in the field to gently push the bugs in a swirling pattern before they reached the edge of the field.
"It's normal for someone to spend a few days in the temple after a conversion like yours, but I suspected you would not be able to do that." Sszin carefully climbed over the old stone wall edging this side of the field despite being in a skirt and turned to face his friend now. "So I will do my best after the ceremony to make certain you have no questions when you leave." he turned his head then, and pointed his finger past the large and tall tree's to where a dim blue light flickered. "The glade is not too far in. That there is a watch light set up for us, as I'm sure you have never wandered these woods. It would be horrible to lose a initiate just because of the darkness of the woods!"
With a cheerful little chuckle, Sszin began to lead Mikaril into the woods. They would not have walked too long before the tree's would suddenly part to reveal a small meadow. The opening was barely large enough for a cabin to have been built upon, but it was formed into a perfect circle. Instead of grass, the ground was covered in a lush carpet of clovers.
A pair of children suddenly ran past Sszin, causing him to jump back as his toes nearly got stamped on. A small drow girl, wearing nothing more fancy then a white shift dress, and a gray skinned boy with blond hair and red eyes chased each other through the circle. The pair of them held little thin wands, out of the tops which issued tiny blue and white sparks of light. They waved the wands around, making little designs in the air. Sszin watched them for a second, then called out. "Sharii...Jaceden...do your parents know you are here?" He questioned the pair. The two stopped and scampered over to where Sszin stood.
"Sharii wanted to see the underground elf!" The boy declared before looking directly at Mikaril. The girl stepped behind Jace, her own red eyes peering curiously from around his blond hair.
"Ah, but that is not an answer to my question." Sszin chastised the boy softly.
From behind Jace the girl spoke. "Mom knows we're here. She said we could watch the underground elf and the ceremony if it was okay with you." Her eyes flickered back to Sszin questioningly.
Sszin turned to Mikaril, a faint smile upon his lips. "I believe this is your call, as it is your ceremony..."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Sun Jul 29, 2012 1:58 pm
Taking as much care as Szin not to step on the little winking lights that dotted the grass, MIkaril followed closely behind the other, his gaze alternating between the ground and the forest surrounding him. Despite the disappearance of the sun that made his eyes sting and his skin glisten with sweat, the nighttime surface still held a brightness that made him squint a bit. He imagined the stars above his head had something to do with it; with all of their brilliance, they had to shine some light on this place. He wondered with a smile if any of the little bugs that escorted them through the woods had ever thought to take flight straight up into the night sky and attempt to reach the brightest lights they had ever seen. Imagine if one of them succeeded! Then there would be firefly stars, and Szin's father would undoubtedly be beside himself with delight.
He shook his head as he followed, speaking quietly among the unfamiliar trees. "You suspect right; while I discovered that my going out alone wasn't as big a cause for concern as I had thought, I would likely be missed if I were gone for more than a day, and the last thing I want to do is bring a search party here." He smiled as he climbed over the same wall and fell back in step with Szin. "Don't worry too much about the darkness; to me, this is actually quite bright. But I would definitely not like to get lost in them just the same." Even the watch-light, so thoughtfully set up, was illuminating everything enough for Mikaril to perceive everything as though it were merely a cloudy day. He slowed his pace as the trees suddenly parted and they came upon a meadow strewn with some curious plants. A heady perfume reaches his nose, and he saw a few dots of white and purple flowers peeking shyly out amidst a bunch od grass that appeared to be oddly flattened in groups of three. He had seen small bunches of these beside the roads he had walked on, but never in such an abundance as this!
The sudden appearance of the children and their sparks shocked Mikaril out of his wonder at the scenery, and he was ready with his dagger in an instant. This is it! he thought grimly, I knew the Spider Queen wouldn't sit idly by during all of this! He was ready to move past Szin and take the brunt of whatever damage was to come, but the size of his assailants caused him to pause, and as Szin addressed them as children, he nervously moved back into the other's shadow so that he could sheath his dagger. It would not have looked well for any watchful eyes if he had chosen to retaliate against little children, even if he had been taken off gaurd. Perhaps luck was with him and the defensive gesture had gone unnoticed; such a thing would have filled him full of arrows by now in the Underdark.
Now that he was certain there was no more danger, he moved back with Szin to look more closely at the children, who were assuming postures of contrition as Szin would gently scold them. His eyes widened as he looked at them; the little female was a wonder in a simple white dress; even as young children, Underdark females were conditioned to wear the proper garb of their status; a dress like this was more likely to be seen on a beggar child, and even then nowhere near as spotlessly white as this little one's. The boy was another matter entirely; Mikaril's astonishment was open as he stared at him. Obviously some kind of mixed breeding had caused the child's skin to be as gray as ash, and blond hair was something very rare and wondrous in the Underdark (something that Haellara had reminded everyone until even her mother grew tired of it and had threatened punishment if she continued). He doubted a human would give the boy's skin such a hue, so the only other explanation would be....... He recalled more than ever now Szin's surface elf father. Could it be.....?
Mikaril grew even more astonished when he saw that the children were staring at him just as intently as he them. The little girl even hid behind the boy as she beheld him. It was almost laughable; a female, afraid of him! There wasn't anything particularly amazing about him; he was just an ordinary drow male, who now felt exceedingly glad that he had renewed his covering spell for his ears with all of these new eyes upon him. He had thought about it before he left, but decided that he would be better off not inviting trouble by going bare-eared. Hopefully if the priestesses noticed, they would see it for what it was and not mention it. He jolted himself out of his thought as Szin turned to him. Mikaril looked down once more on the little ones, so different from what he perceived to be a child in the Underdark. They looked so strong and happy......would that his own little Mikky could grow to be this way, with no fear or evil blossoming in their small eyes. "Sure...if....if you want. It's.....fine with me."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Tue Jul 31, 2012 12:22 pm
The moment Mikaril would stammer his permission for the two to watch the ceremony, it seemed as if he had unlocked some unspoken requirement that they not address him. Like rapid-fire they both began to speak, raising their voices a little even to try and be heard over one another.
"Sszin says you all live in caves, is that true?" The boy asked while eying Mikaril with uncertain disbelief.
"Mom says there are mushrooms as big as the trees down there, is that real?" The girl piped up while coming out from behind Jaceden some. Jace pushed her back with one hand, as if by doing so it would mean he got to have his questions answered first.
"Are there really fish as white as the moon there?"
"Do you really ride around on lizards bigger then bears?"
"If a spider crawls in your nose and lays eggs are you allowed to take them out?"
At this point Sharii gave Jace a firm push. "Spiders don't crawl in your nose stupid! They crawl in your ears!" She snapped.
Jace turned to Sharii and gave her a return shove. "Not your ears, cause they are all full of potatoes!"
"Children!" A sharp voice cut through the glade, causing the two squabblers to fall silent. A tall blond haired elf, and a slightly shorter drowess entered the glade through a pair of tree's. The two held small packs of cloth wrapped items, held minor stern looks on their faces, and wore not a stitch of clothing. The blond spoke first, waving her finger at the two. "You should not pester our guest with your squabbling."
With a short nod of the drowess' head, Sharii and Jaceden retreated to the edge of the glade, where they resumed their argument with much softer voices and less physical pushing.
Sszin gave a wry smile as he reached to place a hand on Mikaril's shoulder. He had of course seen how he had jerked back when confronted by the children. He simply hoped the presence of the priestesses would not cause him more alarm. "Mikaril, this is Rowan and Moragan. They are the priestesses who will oversee your conversion tonight.
In the background Jace and Sharii had moved on from potatos in the ears to worms for brains and onion breath insults.
The drowess stepped forwards and smiled at Mikaril. "It is a pleasure to meet you Mikaril. Normally when we hold a ceremony for conversion, we have a few days to sit and speak with the supplicant. We like to make certain you are fully prepared for the change and truly accept the Goddess as your own. Sszinaun however has impressed on us that you do not have such time to spend in contemplation." Her red eyes moved to Sszin for a moment before returning to mikaril.
The blond elf had lain her pack on the ground and begun to open it while the drowess spoke, a soft chuckle coming from her. "Moragan likes to stick to the traditional ways and has a hard time accepting improvisation and exceptions." She explained. "But Sszinaun has insisted that you are ready for conversion, so it was decided that we would forgo the period of reflection for you."
As Rowan spoke, Moragan eyed the female behind her with a faint smile. "There is nothing wrong with preferring to live by the standards and expectations laid out for us." She turned back to Mikaril and added. "If I truly had a problem with this I would not have agreed to help oversee the conversion after all."
A sudden shrill cry of alarm broke through the glade. Sszin gave a small jump, and turned to find Sharii on top of Jaceden. Her lips puckered and making kissy sounds as the boy flailed.
"MOOOOOOOOOOM! Sharii's trying to give me COOTIES!" He hollered while pushing her face away from his with a disgusted look.
For a moment both females looked a little startled...then Moragan spoke up. "Then give her cooties back boy. You can't let a little girl push you around with Cooties." She firmly stated.
Jaceden looked at his mother for a second, then got one heck of a impish grin on his face. "Okay mom." He said, then jammed a finger up his nose. Wiggling it around, he pulled it out and started to wave it in Sharii's face. The girl this time screamed. Rolling off Jaceden, she fled, screaming 'ew ew ew!' at the top of her lungs while Jaceden chased her.
"Coooootiiiiies!" He moaned after her.
Sszin gently placed a hand over his face and gave a small sigh. "I would like to say all our children do not act like this...but that would be a terrible lie." He muttered softly.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Posted: Wed Aug 01, 2012 12:12 am
Mikaril found himself almost physically blown backwards with the verbal chorus of questions from the two curious children. He stared in surprise from one small, round face to the other, unsure if he should actually make an effort to answer the flurry of questions or if it would have been more prudent to wait until later. Or perhaps those on the surface did not care to have their children learn about a place such as the Underdark, lest they in their need for high adventure look upon it favorably and try to venture down there themselves. He knew it had been the ambition of many a drow child to brave the wilds of the surface and kill as many elves as possible. Such a thought, and the fact that he had once shared in it, caused him such discomfort now.
That discomfort doubled as he saw the two priestesses walk toward him, their grace adding to the majesty of the glade. He regarded their lack of clothes with less surprise than one would normally think; it wasn't uncommon for priestesses to perform important ceremonies in the nude down in the Underdark, but instead of glistening with sweat that mingled with the reek of lust and too much incense, these two shone with a soft light, like a pair of exotic flowers bowing their heads to the wondrous lights above. He truthfully found the pair themselves more surprising; a dark elf and a surface elf, side by side in perfect harmony. Of course having met Szin's parents he ought not to have been surprised at all, but indeed he had to mentally chastise himself not to stare too much, lest it be mistaken for something else entirely. Szin himself seemed unbothered by the pair, and he wasn't about to go making a spectacle of himself again.
Mikaril diverted his attention completely away from the two bickering children and focused fully on the priestesses. He smiled a little at such a formal greeting, unsure if he ought to return the greeting, or bow, or simply put out his hand to shake, as the humans did. Nothing seemed quite right to him, so he settled for a nod with a slight dip of the shoulders, giving what he hoped the respect of a bow. It was a bit strange seeing another drow female besides Ssu with such an open, honest face, but he could see as plain as anything the happiness that radiated from her face, her entire being; the happiness he longed to share in. Feeling suddenly as though he ought to say something, he ventured in a quiet, repectable voice. "I'm sorry if I forced anyone to rush on such an important ceremony, but my friend speaks the truth; I am only here on the surface for a very short time, and I will be easily missed, and..........since I have met him, and even as I had time to think on it, even before then.......I feel as though I have been hearing the footsteps of your Goddess, following me stealthily, but never fully emerging until I was able to accept it. Even as I pushed her away at first, she never stopped following me, and as soon as I was reunited with Szin up here, when I thought I would never see him or hear of the Goddess again, there he was, and there SHE was." He cleared his throat a little. "I would love to do this properly, but I'm afraid if I try, I might never get the chance again, but believe me, in my time in the Underdark, I've had lots of chances to sit and contemplate those footsteps. I don't know if it will be enough, but I will try to make up for it as best I can. And.....I am very grateful that you both want to help me. I'll do my best not to let either of you down."
The cry made him jump as well, but this time Mikaril was hesitant in drawing his dagger. Sure enough, the same two causes lay before him, howling about something......cooties? He watched with fascination as the young boy would cry out, and his mother replying in such a nonchalant way about giving them right back. He watched them dash off again, the boy now holding a finger up as though it were a potent weapon, when all he had done was shove it up his nose. Were these cooties some sort of bug, harmless like the fire flies? It would certainly explain the strange question put to him about spiders and noses. In any case, the priestess before him did not seem at all concerned that her children were in danger of disrupting a ceremony to the Goddess with their play. He watched the whole thing traspire with a look of sheer wonder on his face, until his gloomy friend's words reached his ears. "But Szin....." he turned to look at his friend, momentarily astonished that his amazement was not shared. "They're.....playing. Really playing." He turned to watch the pair as they continued to dash about, an almost dreamy smile on his face. "Underdark children.....they never play. Not like this." He gestured to the two figures romping about in the clover. "Even when they run from each other, there is no real fear, no hostility. Down there, the only games played are those intending to hurt, and even then they don't stay games for very long, because they in turn don't stay children for very long. Such a display would get them into so much trouble down there, and the little boy chasing the girl...." He shook his head in wonder, and just a little sadness. "How lucky they are to have a Goddess who sees their play as something to be cherished instead of beaten from them."
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Reply
