"The Perils of Emotion" Log Date: 2/3/00 Log Cast: Faanshi, Samein, Majidah, Kiera, Vrsa, Rory Log Intro: For months now, Faanshi has considered herself more blessed than she could ever possibly imagine, at least in regards to having not one but _two_ teachers in the art of healing -- the Sylvan FallingStar and the old Varati arch-magus Samein. It has been only natural for the halfbreed maiden to behave with respect to the venerable mage, for not only is he incredibly powerful, he is also a Varati, an elder, and a _man_. But over the last many months he has also become the closest thing she has ever known to a father, at once surprisingly gentle with her and encouraging of the use of her reason in ways she has never known from any Varati elder before. To date, the young shudra has had but an inkling that the Imphadi Samein seems to think very little of Varati traditions -- but she has certainly seen that he has a will of iron to rival that of any Son of Fire. And it's only inevitable that this liberal-minded old arch-magus must eventually run up against the stern tenets of Faanshi's upbringing... and of her faith in the God-King who was responsible from her deliverance into the world at large.... *===========================< In Character Time >===========================* Time of day: Noon Date on Aether: Wednesday, December 21, 3905. Year on Earth: 1505 A.D. Phase of the Moon: Waxing Crescent Season: Winter Weather: Snow Temperature: Freezing *==========================================================================* Old City Garden - Haven A strange thing, to some, to see such a thick, unbridled mass of forest within the city walls. Even during the brightest days, it is shady here; looming tree branches above filter out the sunlight, casting shadows that might be relieving during a warm summer day, or alternatively fearsome by night. The heart of the garden is most often alive with the chirps and chitters of the wildlife that makes its home here. Still, some civilization prevails, if only tentatively. A wide, roughly cobbled road stretches east to west, suitable for the usual traffic of a city street, if a bit precariously. Benches line the various man-made paths, reminding the visitor that this is indeed intended to be a respite from the bustle of the town, and is not merely some uncontrolled mass of trees within Haven. Contents: Samein Obvious exits: Streets Garden Archway Although the weather isn't exactly conducive to traipsing across the city, so crowded have Faanshi's mind and heart been as of late that even the freezing, snowy weather out in the streets of Haven is preferable right now to her over the relative warmth of the halls of Atesh-Gah. And thus, swathed in her thickest sari, extra cloths tied about her feet and hands, the young shudra treks into the gardens. Kosha, rather easier off in the cold with his thick pelt of winter fur, happily gallumphs along at her side, sending up sprays of snow with every impact of his big paws upon the ground. By way of sharp contrast, Samein's pale visage can be seen up ahead in the blinding brightness of the snow, plodding slowly along. His dress is unchanged, his head left exposed to the elements, his gaunt hands buried within his coarse robes. The old man seems determined in his pursuit of a customary walk, ignoring the elements and other stimuli, walking with his head turned slightly downwards towards his accustomed park bench. It's the dog who espies the old mage first, letting out a ringing bark as he does and scampering puppy-like despite his size to catch up with him. Faanshi blinks her green eyes, peering through the falling snowflakes, then calls out hopefully, "Imph--Samein? Is that you, sir?" Samein turns on his heel rather swiftly, his eyes squinting back towards you through the falling flakes. He falls slowly to a crouch, letting the impatient dog jump up against him with a sort of sanguine sense of inaction. He calls in response, "Of course, Faanshi. Good to see you." Delightedly, Kosha thrusts his cold nose against Samein's thin form, sniffing him thoroughly to assure himself of the old man's general state of being, and panting in doggish pleasure. Puffs of white gush out of his open muzzle, sending little bursts of warmth against the Varati. In the meantime, Faanshi catches up with her hound, her face concealed as always behind her veil -- though perhaps in deference to the cold she's added another layer of silk on top of the usual one. Above the blue, though, her eyes are bright with a far shyer version of Kosha's pleasure. Clasping her cloth-wrapped hands at her breast, she bows deeply and pipes, "Namaste', sir, it is very good to see you as well, but I did not expect to see anyone out in this cold!" "I am always out, a paragon of stubbornness. It is good to see the city in different moods, in any case. And my ears have not frozen and broken off, just yet." The old Varati's tone is pleasant, and he squints up at you thoughtfully for a moment before rising once more to stand, his hand resting upon Kosha's shaggy head. His other hand reaches up, brushing your veil back away from your face to expose it to cold air and his perusal, before he plants a soft, chaste kiss upon your cheek. Without a hint of any realization of impropriety, he sweeps the veil back into place, his thin fingers scratching behind Kosha's ears. Layers of silk reveal Faanshi's delicate visage, a bit flushed from the cold -- and then startled at the freedom taken with her veil. But she does smile shyly, and then all at once leans over to give her elder teacher a hug. It is just as chaste as his kiss, but perhaps surprisingly impulsive for the lass... and so's the giggle that escapes her as Kosha plops down into the snow and sends further sprays up behind him with the force of his wagging tail. Samein's hand rises from the dog's head to loop briefly around your waist, returning the embrace. Once freed from that pleasant obligation his hand flees once more to the relative warmth within his robes, and Samein murmurs quietly, "I am glad you chose to be out and about as well, Faanshi. What have your activities been, of late?" Kosha yurfs, swinging his head around to nudge at his young mistress, who is being negligent in her Scritching the Dog duties. Faanshi reaches to take care of this oversight of hers, then breathes, "I have... oh, sir, I have spoken with the Maharani... she had Imphada Kiera in hawk-shape in her rooms, but she did not know it was her!" Samein's somewhat blank expression seems to indicate that he might fail to understand the precise significance of this information. He looks at you for a moment, and the remarks, "A plausible situation." Your excitement remains a mystery, and he glances briefly down at the dog, remaining where he is. No more scritching for him. "Imphada Kiera... is a graisha, you see, sir," Faanshi explains earnestly. "She becomes a hawk when it is the time of the full moon! And it seems that a bard captured her, and brought her to the Maharani as a gift..." The shudra is apparently still rather baffled by this herself, nevermind the amount of bafflement it might cause her aged mentor. "I do not think that the Dominus Gaelius knew it was really Imphada Kiera... at least... I hope not. But I found out when the khansamah sent me to the Queen's rooms with food for the hawk... and then I saw it was my imphada!" "Yes, yes... I know of Kiera's traits. We go back far." Samein gives a small, dry chuckle. "An amusing anecdote, I suppose, and one which I would imagine the haughty Kiera was not well pleased with." He gives a slow, rolling shrug, murmuring addendum: "A rather interesting melodrama you inhabit, Faanshi." He is looking at you directly again, eyes meeting yours over the veil, however hooded his own gaze might be. Faanshi begins to shake her head, an explanation that her imphada and the Maharani do _not_ like one another about to spring to her lips before your observation catches her off guard. "No, my imphada was--" The guileless green eyes above the veil blink. "Wh... what is 'melodrama', sir?" "Ah. Melodrama... like a stage play. Something overwrought, dramatized... more intense than reality. Like your excited manner when you tell stories." He gives you a quiet smile, not unkind and truly rather warm. The old mage stirs, peering up into the falling snow. He comments dryly, "The cold was not so bad when I was moving about." Faanshi blinks a few more times, her young brow crinkling, and then she immediately offers, "Then we should keep walking, sir. Kosha, come, come!" She slaps lightly at her leg, coaxing the dog to get up again, and then gestures in query in the way both you and she had been going. Then she returns to the notion of 'melodrama', and ventures thoughtfully, "It _was_ very exciting... but I do not think I thought so at the time! I was mostly just very worried, because I knew that Imphada Kiera would be very angry when she became herself again in the Maharani's chambers." She pauses, and then dolefully appends, "Imphada Kiera does not like the Maharani very much." "Yes, yes..." Samein's smile is widening at the thought, as he finally appears to be getting into the story. "I can see that the scene would be quite amusing indeed. If a bit predictable." He commences walking again, a faint shiver running through his ill-protected form. The maiden sets herself to matching her teacher's pace, her brow crinkling again at the notion that the encounter she witnessed was 'predictable', and the look she gives you suggests that she's wondering how often you might happen to see graisha turning back into their human forms in a Queen's chambers. Then she blows out a soft breath behind her veil and finishes, "The Maharani tried to get her to hug her since Imphada Kiera would not bow to her, and Imphada Kiera was very surprised and would not do it. But at least the Maharani said that she does not have to bow to her, and so Imphada Kiera has promised that she will be at Atesh-Gah more because the Maharani wishes to get to know her." This, in the world according to Faanshi, is apparently a Happy Ending; her voice, at least, takes on a note of gentle contentment. Samein's stride is somewhat broken as he strives to pay attention to the flood of words, his own brow crinkling slightly in a thoughtful squint. At the apparent conclusion he pauses, turning his head again to look at you, and finally lets out a soft, genuinely mirthful chuckle, a rare joy in the tone of his laughter. He peers at you a moment longer, before finally suggesting, "Come, Faanshi. I think that hot tea in the library would be a fine idea indeed." Hot tea does, in fact, sound marvelous -- and a surge of added pleasure courses through Faanshi at the notion of having in the library. She knows of only one library to which Samein would offer to take her, and she is about to joyously accept when memory abruptly stops her. Imphada Kiera is still very vivid in her mind, aiding her recall, and her elation drains out of her as she blurts, "I... would like to, sir, but... my imphada... asked me not to go into Delphi." Samein's response is a rather noncommital grunt, and he murmurs, "I see. You will join me, then. Because you would like to. Because you were pleased by the offer." He continues to walk, picking up the pace now, his worn old boots swishing through the snow. _You have never said 'no' to a man in your life, have you?_ Quite abruptly, Kiera's voice wings across Faanshi's recollection, and the maiden bites her lip behind her veil. Her eyes turned troubled of gaze, she pauses for a moment in indecision, one hand upon the head of her curious dog; then, she seizes upon a crumb of resolve and sets herself back into motion to resume pace with her teacher. "I will be happy to accompany you as far as the Rialto, sir," she murmurs regretfully, "but I did promise Imphada Kiera that I would not go into Delphi, and... she _is_ my imphada." "A pity." Samein's words come almost immediately, but it takes some time for his stride to slow, drag, and finally stop. He stares off ahead towards some fixed point ahead of him, his mouth tensed into a thin line as he appears to wrestle with some decision. "When one ignores oneself, there can be no growth from within. No learning. And no point in teaching." Faanshi stops dead, her heart suddenly shooting up into her throat -- or so it feels to her. While Kosha shoots a distracted gaze off into the bushes, whurfling at some perceived hint of prey lurking therein, the halfbreed girl stares aghast at the old Varati mage, and it takes her several seconds before she finds her voice. When she finally does, it has gone toneless, the spark of childlike enthusiasm she had displayed in telling the tale of her mistress's encounter with the Maharani hidden away, vanished. "If you mean to say that you will not teach me any more if I do not go and have tea with you, sir," she murmurs, her gaze dropping downward, "that is your right as an elder and a man, but... although I am... a-a healer, I am also a shudra. The Imphada Kiera is my imphada, and my friend, and... it would not be right for me to do something she asked me not to do." Closing her eyes against the prickle of tears, for she does not want them to freeze upon her lashes, Faanshi turns to try to regain Kosha's attention, urging him hoarsely, "Kosha, come, we have to go home now..." Samein's voice is laden with a stern strength, his lips curling back from his teeth in faint distaste as he speaks. "Kiera... is a childish wretch, and has remained so even when laden with fanciful powers. Your unwillingness to follow or even develop a Will of your own saddens me greatly, especially when it comes at the bidding of an infidel to Reason. To have my hospitality and my willingness to teach, to comfort, to nurture like some cooing nursemaid all trampled upon time and time again by a stultified sense of duty to a system I loathe is.... too much. Too much." His head has drifted slowly, and he stares now at the snow just before the toes of his boots. The tonality of his voice now is rough, jagged at the edges as if from some unformed emotion. "This has become a lesson to me as to the perils of emotional extension. Do not simplify this as a matter of /tea/." Despite the cold, the tears begin to come. And all at once, the shudra girl whirls back to face her teacher, anguish hot and bright in her green eyes, lending a sudden volume to her voice as she cries, "What would you have me do, sir? Go against the wish of she who _saved my life_? She who is my mistress b-by the mercy of the Most High? I... I am a _halfbreed_, and... the _only_ reason... the only r-reason I-I am not the slave o-of the Warlord Hashim is... is because the Imphada Kiera _saved_ me... and the Amir-al showed his mercy to me to let me live as her servant! Do you want me to disobey the Amir-al?" Horror at this very concept suffuses her words, and she sobs freely now, hurt, stung. Kosha is diverted back to her now on the strength of her crying, prey forgotten in the abrupt torrent of Faanshi's shocked pain. "You a-are asking me to be like a candala, but... I _can't_! I can't! I-I am sorry, Imphadi Samein... you a-are the closest thing I have ever had to a father, but..." And then, all at once, the storm breaks. She whirls back, defeated, breaking into a run to bolt back the way she'd come. Samein says something, in a sad murmur to himself, but it is undoubtedly lost in your sudden flight. He turns his head to watch her go, in a sort of quiet resignment, and off to your left you see first one stone park bench, then another, morph and twist odd, half-hearted tentacles towards you, as if to catch you. None come close, but the benches stay as they are, like melted ice sculptures. Kosha howls in dismay as the benches begin to change -- and between their morphing and the fleeing of his now heartbroken mistress, the dog needs very little urging to follow Faanshi off into the snowfall. In moments, both the hound and the shudra maiden are gone. [Faanshi and Kosha pelt back to Atesh-Gah, and shortly....] You pass between the heavy stone pillars that flank the entrance to Atesh-Gah, and enter the famed embassy of the Varati people. Courtyard - Atesh-Gah - Haven(#430RJM$) If indeed the Hebrew folk of lost Earth are correct in their legends, then this must be the legendary garden from which mankind was expelled. The flat expanse of the great courtyard of Atesh-Gah is covered in the most luxurious grass of bright emerald green, broken only by a cobblestone path for riding and walking to prevent wear upon the lawn. Rich copses of carefully tended wood grow by the walls, lovingly groomed flower gardens acting as a barrier of colour before the rising trees. Perhaps even more relaxing than the sight of the yard are the sensations of it. The lovely scents of flower and tree; honey-suckle, apple blossom, peach, and jasmine; combine with the soft cushion of green grass to provide a sense of peace and harmony that defies the looming sand-hued walls of unbreakable stone. Not even the shadowed maw of the main gate, nor the blocky, unimpressive presence of the impenetrable main keep can overshadow the beauty of this place. Indeed, the stark contrast serves only to enhance it. Contents: Majidah Vrsa Obvious exits: Temple Fountain Out Entrance Foyer Stables Majidah ascends the stairs to Atesh-Gah's sturdy double doors, allowed past by the ever-present Agni-Haidar. Majidah has left. Kosha passes between the heavy stone pillars that flank the entrance to Atesh-Gah, and joins you in the courtyard. From the top of the stable roof, Kiera nods, then. She offers no other words, no other threads of conversation. Only watches the old man. Once, her regard flickers to Majidah, but when that woman has gone, Kiera looks back to Vrsa. Then Faanshi garners Kiera's attention, and keeps it. Faanshi is rather hard to miss, truth be told. The girl is sobbing as she stumbles into the courtyard, her veil drenched with twin streaks of tears threatening to turn into the slightest sheen of ice in the cold. Beside her, Kosha hopgalumphs along, whining unhappily, his ears laid back along the thick fur of his skull. From the top of the stable roof, And no sooner has the state of the shudra been determined, then a wind comes to coil around her, to manifest solid and lift the young woman (sans dog) into the air and draw her up. Up to the rooftop where Kiera, jolted into animation, stands with her wings mantled and her gaze intense. "Faanshi! What has happened?" Vrsa's eyes turn again to the newest arival. It seems it is his day to work on compasion, and who is he to question the Will which causes such things to be? Once again he starts the slow walk across snow and ice, bare feet cruching through thin sheets of surface ice as he goes, towards the young shudra. Still without using a single word of place or position he adresses the weeping one. When the wind comes to cricle her and draw her up he simply stops. Watching the scene on the roof he stands still and silent as stone once more. You ascend to the stable roof. Stable Roof - Atesh-Gah - Haven The white and grey granite motif that cobbles the courtyard floor, below, is repeated here in elegant, sweeping style. The roof slants at a pitch which allows run-off of precipitation without compromising footing--either Varati or of the great queen wyvern who sometimes resides within the stable. From its top height to its bottom gutter, the stable roof stands lower than the surrounding walls of Atesh-Gah, but allows impressive visibility of the structures and events within those walls. Marring the aesthetic quality of the roof is a pile of several blankets. The corners of the blankets are wedged down--crammed between roof tiles and weighted with stones that used to live in the garden--to remain fixed in their location. A collection of mahogany-brown feathers in creases of the blankets and nearby cracks of the roof might well indicate who has defiled the cleanliness of the roof with these blankets. Contents: Kiera Obvious exits: Down From the courtyard below, Kosha howls his protest, but rather ineffectually, as Faanshi is seized and pulled aloft. Stricken green eyes turn their gaze to the winged halfbreed, blinking at Kiera in a mixture of anguish and shame, and it seems to take the girl in sari and veil much effort before she can be heard to mumble in a tiny, heartbroken voice, "I-I lost o-one of m-my teachers...." Kiera sweeps forward, continuing that show of motion, of which she seemed so stiffly incapable, a few moments before. Her wings curl around Faanshi, shielding the shudra from view, and Kiera's words come soft, "This one has died?" Of course Kiera's first thought equated 'lost' with 'misplaced', but she got past that one pretty quickly. Kiera reaches to touch the taller woman's face, to draw her taloned hands over Faanshi's hair in an unprecedented show of concern. From the courtyard below, Rory passes between the heavy stone pillars that flank the entrance to Atesh-Gah, and joins you in the courtyard. From the courtyard below, Rory has arrived. From the courtyard below, Standing ankle deep in the snow Vrsa is looking towards the roof of the stable, where Faanshi and Kiera speak to each other. From the courtyard below, Kosha plops his haunches down into the snow, ears still laid back, whining in decided unhappiness at his mistress having been so abruptly whisked out of his reach. Faanshi shakes her head several times, her gaze falling to her feet even as Kiera's wings reach out to enfold her, and she sobs all the harder at the worry the smaller halfbreed demonstrates to her. "The Imphadi Sa-Samein... will not teach me anymore... h-he is angry... oh, imphada, I... I... we had a fight...!" Kiera has a hard time even envisioning Faanshi engaged in killing small pests that plague her dog, much less fighting with an Imphadi. "Tell me," Kiera does murmur, however, demonstrating that she may just have a few of those Mother Instincts, though she seems to remain stubbornly barren. "What happened?" Within the curl of those wings, Faanshi has Kiera's strict attention. From the courtyard below, Despite the rather unpleasant afternoon weather, a particularily bright smile accompanies a young mongrel woman within the gates of Atesh-Gah, and for once her common sense has not deserted her. That is to say, slippers actually adorn her feet this go around, a surprise for any who have happened upon Rory more than once. Khalida silks fluffing through drifting snow with vigourous wisks, tiny snowdevils trail in her midst. Yet her tracks towards the temple are waylaid by the rooftop, small gathered audience, and particularily performers. Imphada Kiera. She remembers. Pausing to the side and outside of nuissance distance, the quiet woman's curiosity has definately been captivated. From the courtyard below, Vrsa's head tilts very slightly as he watches the drama playing itself out above. What had been a matter of mild intrest suddenly flares and sharpens in his eyes at the name Samein. The snow that started to gather heavily about his shoulders slufs off to fall with soft plops to the ground below him at that motion, and then starts to accumlate again when he goes still. Sobbing as hard as she is, Faanshi can barely speak coherently, much less relay a steady account of what has befallen her as Kiera has requested. The taller halfbreed hugs her arms about herself tightly, her head hung in shame. Slowly though, and in broken little syllables, she mumbles out the tale. How she went walking with Kosha in the city gardens. How she met the imphadi, her teacher. How he invited her to the library in Delphi for tea. And how she, Faanshi, remembering that Kiera had asked her not to go into Delphi, had offered to walk him as far as Delphi but had tried her best to explain why she could not go into the Citadel itself. And how Samein had become angry. "H-he... said I had no will, imphada, a-and... he spoke ill of you, and... I did not mean to make him unhappy, o-or angry, but you are my imphada a-and I could not do something you a-asked me not to do, I couldn't... I couldn't..." And with that, on those last few gasped out words, Faanshi just... sobs. From the courtyard below, Ahh, no good watching this sort of scene, as it only serves to humiliate the person who has gained an audience. Passive features turn with the rest of her clothed form, and towards the temple the mongrel begins to trek once more, silence maintained. Kiera sighs, then. "He is an ass, Faanshi. And there are others who can teach you. You have will," Kiera thinks. She's not actually sure about this, on the whole. So she falls silent in consideration. Then she nods. "Yes. You have will. You have learned to control your magic greatly since you have come here. And I have heard the Khalid say that you would be killed, if you did not act as a good Varati woman should. And I do not think that the man Samien has this in his mind, when he asks you into Delphi. I have told him you were not allowed within Delphi and I have told you. If he will not respect this, then what else will he not respect?" Bad-mouthing goes two ways, Faanshi. But Kiera is serious about this. "Will he not respect your wish to become Ushati, and not Delphi?" From the courtyard below, Rory passes through the temple doors, leaving the courtyard. From the courtyard below, Rory has left. From the courtyard below, Ranjeet steps out of the embassy and joins you in the courtyard. From the courtyard below, Ranjeet has arrived. From the courtyard below, Ranjeet passes through the temple doors, leaving the courtyard. From the courtyard below, Ranjeet has left. From the courtyard below, From out of the silence in the courtyard below the deep voice comes up again with it's bright call. "What is your talent, young one?" "H-he treated me... like a father, Imphada Kiera," Faanshi murmurs, "a-and I-I-I never had a father, and n-n-now I will not have Imphadi Samein anymore beca--" But the voice from below makes the shudra girl go rigid within the protective embrace of Kiera's wings, and her stricken gaze flashes down to the courtyard. Who--? From the courtyard below, The old priest is still standing in the snow, which is now piled over his bare feet to the depth of his ankles. He does not call up again, the sudden silence lets him know tht he was heard, and his silence says that he knows he will be answered. Kiera's wing lowers, correspondingly, so Faanshi can better see the old man below. And as per usual, Kiera turns silent. Does he address her? Faanshi swallows hard, trying to seize something resembling composure, and trying to figure out how exactly to keep her gaze demurely downcast when the male who apparently wishes her to speak is quite noticeably physically below her. Finally, as clearly as she can under the circumstances, she timidly calls down, "I-if you address me, imphadi, I-I am a healer..." From the courtyard below, Calling back up the man says, "There are many that can train you in that talent, young one, who will not make you bow down to improper paths. If you wish to be a proper woman and still learn, there are other paths which you may follow." Thank you, Vr-sa. Kiera said that, but maybe Faanshi needs to hear from someone else. So the winged halfbreed looks at the other, to see if she might read expression on Faanshi's face. Faanshi's sari has come somewhat loose from its place covering her head, having given Kiera access to her hair. But her veil is still quite securely in place, hiding half her face from view -- and now, as if horrified that her hair is even only partly uncovered before the sight of a man, the shudra fumbles to pull the dark blue cloth of her sari back up into place over her ebon locks. There is comprehension in her green eyes, visible to the other halfbreed, but just as visible is the bleak look of despair there as well. However, that despair does not make it into her voice, which pitches itself into the near-toneless, demure model of a servant maiden's voice when addressing the lofty personage of a Man. "I... have met no teachers within Atesh Gah, imphadi, w-who have..." Considered a halfbreed worthy of their time and trouble. But we won't get into that. "... been w-willing to... teach me..." And besides, Samein _was_ treating her like a father. But we won't get into that, either. Kiera adds, "Faanshi wishes to become Ushasti, and she wishes to learn to better control her healing magic. I will allow her to be taught by those who will not ask her to be other than this." Is that clear? Kiera's not sure if that's clear. Checks with Faanshi. Clear? From the courtyard below, "I will speak with them. One will teach you, and will teach you in a way that will allow you to grow into a proper young woman as well." There is no doubt in that voice, no pause or hesitance. It does not matter that the girl is a halfbreed, that she is currently a mess, or that the old man looks like a village priest. His voice is certainty and steel that rings in the chill air. [The old priest's offer notwithstanding, Kiera's primary concern is for the peace of mind of the halfbreed who is her servant -- and thus, though she is not exactly accustomed to gentleness, Kiera bustles Faanshi back off to their rooms until she can grow calmer. End log.]