Log Date: 12/7/96 Log Cast: Ktai, Rayek, Daia, Neela Log Intro: Rayek has learned from Ktai that Alorn has begun plotting to try to steal him out of the Palace, and this has proven the last straw needed to rouse Rayek into striving to organize the elves in the Palace into a regular defense for it. Seeing him taking such initiative has spurred Ember to call him no less than a chieftain, but her well-intended comment only angered Rayek, who insisted that he had no place of leadership in the Palace. But after a heated argument between him, Ktai, and Ember, and much to the astonishment of all involved, the three have wound up joining in Rayek's chambers. And now.... ---------- Rayek's Chamber(#7481RAFJL) Smaller than many of the other chambers of the Palace of the High Ones, this quiet nook is the place Rayek has appropriated for what passes as his rest. Like the rest of the Palace, it is a room of oddly rippling walls and ceiling and floor, a room where a flicker out of the corner of your eye might be a shadow -- or perhaps a lingering spirit. Ekuar's deft and ancient touch is everywhere you look, in softly smoothed stone and gently curving walls. Shaped torch-holders bathe the chamber with a warm glow when the tapers are lit. The old rockshaper has crafted this place to be restful for the spirit, radiating the care he feels for his Brownskin. Obvious exits: Corridor Ktai takes in a breath, then holds it as she wakes and memory returns. Did that....? With.....! A moment, then she exhales and opens her eyes slowly, taking care not to move. She doesn't wish to disturb... Nearby, quite near, are the drowsing forms of Rayek and Ember. The airwalker has an arm draped over the huntress; for once, his dark, lean features seem utterly relaxed in sleep. Ktai smiles softly, her dark eyes looking towards the sleepers. Her nod is more self-directed, almost imperceptable. Yes... relaxed. As he needs to be now and then... She sighs softly, remembering those sends that were not his, not Ember's. It wasn't a dream, and she must tell... but let him sleep peacefully for just a bit more... Sleep he does. Strange how he looks without lines of strain at the corners of his eyes, about the bridge of his nose. A sleeping face like this might almost be said to belong to a happy elf. Ktai looks to him as if to memorize his face, as if to forever remember this moment... for it cannot last for long, and she knows what the future might hold. She has forgotten so much... but she cannot forget this. It means far too much to forget. After a time, eventually, he shifts, features beginning to tauten, possibly reflecting the awakening of his restless mind. Ktai's sigh is so faint, that perhaps it cannot be heard. But still she remains silent, watching, the soft smile on her lips. Rayek slides an eye open, murmuring a wordless noise. Ktai's voice is soft, though not enough to wake Ember. "Hello, Rayek." Rayek's other eye comes open; as memory and awareness assert themselves in their proper places in his mind, his mouth actually curls up on one side. ** Hello, ** he replies, sounding perhaps more at ease than you can ever remember hearing him. Her send is faintly uneasy, and perhaps why she hadn't before. ** Did you sleep well? ** His gaze, banked now, a memory of an earlier golden fire, settles on you. ** I did. ** But his eyebrow quirks, as he picks up the nuance of your send, and his smile fades. ** But you did not...? ** Ktai smiles, for a moment delighting in your gaze, then sobers. ** I slept quite well. It was in the waking that I was - disturbed. ** Rayek's brow furrows. ** Tell me? ** Ktai sighs faintly. ** Kytek sent. Alorn has been... causing trouble. She's out to kidnap someone. ** ** Neela was right... ** Rayek's face shifts again, this time focusing on you intently. He ponders only a moment, then carefully and gently disengages himself from Ember, and sits up. ** Go on. ** Ktai shakes her head. ** Perhaps we should speak of this elsewhere...? ** Ktai glances to Ember's sleeping form. Rayek glances for a moment at Ember, quietly, then nods. He moves for his silks and clothes himself, quickly and quietly. Ktai catches hers out of the air, and rises into the air to dress, thus avoiding possible disturbances. ** I'll wait for you... ** Rayek does not take long, before he nods, and follows you uout. Ktai ducks out quietly, tying the skirt into place. [Rayek and Ktai move out into the open entry hall of the Palace....] Entry Hall(#8823RAF) High-ceilinged, airy, this chamber widens out from the doorway that serves as its entrance from outside to an expansive room, filled with little more than strangely ornate walls and the occasional column, rising up to the ceiling far overhead. Closer inspection of the walls reveals patterns shaped into their surfaces, sometimes of wings, or flowers, or the lithe forms of elves -- and sometimes of images that defy description. The air is full of a subliminal shimmer that plays at the edge of elfin senses, a tingle that feels welcoming even in its eldritch oddness. Among the fanciful shapings in this wide chamber can be viewed a 'black spiral' of rock resting on a low column. A long winding stairway twines its way up out of this chamber and into the upper heights of this place; you might be able to find other ways out of here, but the only other exit in immediate sight is the archway and doors that lead outside. Contents: Ktai Bright Green Tent(#9206JOes) Obvious exits: Corridor Winding Stairway Doorway Rayek glides after you, waiting for you to settle. Ktai settles to pace quietly on the stone. As she paces, she sends. ** It seems Alorn os after someone... Kytek thought it was you... and I got upset... ** She still -is- upset... ** And I fussed at him... ** Ktai shakes her head and stops to look at you. ** Rayek... we can't be here when they come. We'll loose. ** Ktai looks at you for a moment. Rayek has come to a standing halt, and as you send and pace, he watches you, taking in the set of your features and the tone of your sending. Nervous, and upset, Ktai stands there, looking to you as if things are so far out of her control that she has no other options. Her face is pale, alternately upset and afraid, for she shows fear as easily as she might rise into the air about her. Rayek finally scowls, but only for an instant. He steps to you and lifts both brown hands, clasping them to your shoulders. ** Calmly now, beloved. You believe that Alorn, then, will be coming for me? ** Ktai looks to you, her eyes startled for a moment, then clearing as she nods. ** I am afraid so... and if not her, then Kytek. ** Rayek's black brows draw together. ** Why, then, would Kytek warn? ** Ktai looks down for a moment. ** I think he loved me once. ** At that, the airwalker blinks a bit, then gives a faint half-smile. ** The Underworlder has some measure of taste, then. But hear me, Ktai: I know that both he and Alorn have power, but nothing I have seen of either shows me anything those in the Palace could not match. Kytek, I know, shapes: but then, so does Ekuar. Alorn might have my magic -- but I know how to shield against it. And we _do_ have healers here. ** If she weren't so upset, she might blush. As it is, she bites her lip and looks worried. ** I don't want to risk losing you... ** Daia steps in from outside. Daia moves away from the huge stone structure nearby. Daia has arrived. Daia flits in, glancing around curiously. ** Nor am I, ** replies Rayek pointedly, ** eager to be lost. But I will not allow fear of one or two elves to drive me from this place. ** Ktai stands, facing the door, and at once becomes as pale as a ghost. Her mouth falls open and she stares in total and complete shock. Rayek, back to the doorway of the great entry hall, sees the shift in Ktai's expression first, then, feels a subtle shimmer in the currents of magic about this place. Someone, gliding? He turns, black eyebrows crooked. Daia appears to see Ktai for the first time, double-takes, then shakes her head. Naah. Couldn't be. Daia Tall and willowy, as all gliders, yet there is a difference about this elf. She has none of the proud haughtiness so often associated with her kind - she is an elf, and nothing more. Wearing simple leathers in muted shades of green and brown, her blue eyes shine brightly, taking in her surroundings. Long, raven-black hair flows down her back, caught up by several small bits of green and brown leather.... She glances back at you, and smiles brightly. Ktai's eyes widen. Almost a mirror-image of herself... but younger... No... the spirits play tricks. They must. Daia lands, with perhaps a little less finesse and grace than she might have liked. She observes, to Ktai, that "You look awfully like.. " before trailing off. Ktai blanches again. A voice. No... Rayek eyes Ktai's thunderstruck expression, then faces the newcomer, and sends intently, ** You are, maiden? ** Neela comes down the stairs from above. Neela has arrived. Daia takes a step or two back, defensively, before contributing ** I'm Daia. You? ** Neela floats down the stairs slowly. Ktai swallows, and begins to sway lightly. ** Rayek, once of Sorrow's End, ** comes the reply from the brown-skinned one, with the long black hair and amber eyes. His sending is not hostile, nor particularly threatening, but it possesses all the straightforwardness of a young sun, glittering golden. His gaze narrows a bit at the newcomer's introduction, and then flashes to his taller, also black-haired companion, perhaps inquiringly. Ktai decides that sitting on the floor is a good thing, so does so. Her send is whispery and fragile. ** Daia... ** Neela stops at the base of the stairs, hanging in mid air. Eren soulsends ** I... was certain she was dead... Winnowill said so... ** You locksend ** ** Winnowill, ** replies Rayek musingly, ** has been known to lie. And to twist the truth to her own purposes. _Is_ this the child you thought you lost? ** ** to Ktai. Ktai locksends ** I... do not know... perhaps to send.... ** Daia shakes her head. ** Can't be, ** she sends distractedly, ** Just can't. ** She turns, as if to leave. Ktai rises slowly, with magic, and not by standing. Hesitantly, she moves towards the mirror-self, and frowns slightly, tilting her head. ** Daia...? ** Neela pauses a moment, then looks between Ktai and the stranger. He stays in the background but moves a bit closer. Daia glances back, and nods, ** I'm Daia. But you can't be m-.. whoever. ** She does, however, pause, neither retreating, nor advancing closer. Rayek crosses his arms along his mostly-bare chest, watching this unexpected tableau. His expression remains impassive, save for the sharp glint of his regard. Eren soulsends ** It's her. It has to be. ** Ktai nervously moves forward, offering a hand. Daia steps forward rather uncertainly towards Ktai, taking the offered hand. ** I.. knew. ** Eren soulsends ** ** Ktai looks with unreadable eyes to the mirror-elf before her. ** How did you find me? ** You locksend ** I am here. ** to Ktai. Rayek slips, on noiseless feet, up behind Ktai. Not intrusively behind, but palpably present. Ktai bites her lip, her hand holding that of an elf who she had long considered gone from her. The shift is almost imperceptable, the slight turn towards Rayek. Daia takes a long, slow, shaky breath. "Mother?" Eren soulsends ** How can we know? ** Ktai smiles softly. ** Yes, Daia... Mother. ** You locksend ** If she is the product of your Recognition, your soul should know hers. ** to Ktai. Eren soulsends ** It wasn't Recognition... ** Rayek's eyebrows quirk again, though at what, he does not reveal. The veil of uncertainty seems to drop from Daia, who throws her arms about Ktai in a childishly exuberant hug. ** It really is you! ** Neela, remaining out of sight behind Ktai and Rayek, smiles slightly. He eases back a little further, since this doesn't concern him any longer. Ktai is startled by the sudden display, but brings her arms around the other, her eyes looking over to the side as if trying to see Rayek. You locksend ** Your mate brought her into being for you both? Or did Winnowill? ** to Ktai. Rayek watches all this, expression flickering with slight bemusement. His mouth quirks in something that might be a smile. Eren soulsends ** I... wish I could say... there was a time when we were not sure why children were born... were they our own, or were they Winnowill's ... tests... ** Daia's expression becomes rather downcast. Ktai closes her eyes, holding her breath for a moment. Eren soulsends ** ** Daia looks a little indignant. ** I didn't drown! ** Neela eases on back to the edge of the stairs, watching quietly, as he ever so slowly starts up the first few steps. Ktai opens her eyes, shocked. ** Then what happened? ** You locksend ** ** to Ktai. Neela locksends ** I have no place here, as it does not involve me, but if there so a need arrises that I could be of some assistance, I shall be in the scroll chamber. ** You locksend ** You know as much as I do, about this. ** to Neela. Eren soulsends ** ** Neela locksends ** actually I probably know more.. at least know of it from a different perspective.. ** Daia pauses a moment. ** I, well.. Silent fished me out of the stream! And I stayed with him, 'cause I knew he was safe, and that you'd come and find me soon enough... ** Her demeanour is sad, now, if anything. ** Only you never did.. ** You locksend ** I do not doubt it. ** to Neela. ** But, we're here now! ** The smile, never absent long, returns to Daia's face. You sense in a locksend, Neela realizes his previous words, ** Forgive me.. I honestly did not know if Ktai would have spoken of her first daughter... Daia supposedly drowned, Eveshka having seen it happening... ** You locksend ** So she told me; we spoke of lost children, once. ** to Neela. Ktai shakes her head, a bit overwhelmed. The news is shocking, and perhaps wonderful... but something weighs on her mind. ** Daia... have you heard from Winnowill since... you left the Mountain? ** You might have noticed a very distinct difference in the Neela of late to the one that came to the Palace originally. His disposition is much milder and peaceful. The storms in his eyes, mainly vanquished. Daia looks serious for a moment. ** The one who was always .. /there/? No.. only in my bad dreams.. and those only when I was still little, really. ** Ktai nods. ** And of others from the Mountain? Your sister, perhaps? ** Neela interrupts only once and very briefly, ** If you will excuse me.. ** before heading back up the stairs. His sending soft, almost a whisper to the mind. Daia shakes her head, ** Never saw any of the others at all. Where are they? Are they all here too, now? ** Neela makes his way up the long staircase. Neela has left. Ktai sends rather quickly. ** No... only a few visit from time-to-time... ** Ktai looks up, then sends. What Rayek notices he keeps his own counsel on, at least here and now, with Ktai's unlooked-for surprise showing up on the Palace doorstep. He does glance after you as you retreat up the stairs, but perhaps only to mark your departure. Daia ohs, going quiet. Ktai looks to Daia. ** Perhaps you should go to the Mountain...? ** Daia looks back. ** With you? ** Eren soulsends ** ** Ktai swallows. ** I... can't. I am forbidden. ** Daia sends openly ** Well, we can say that you're me. I'm not, am I? Forbidden, that is ** Ktai shakes her head. ** Daia... it's not that easy... one send... and they will know... ** Daia sighs softly. ** I suppose.. ** She's quiet for a moment, before adding, ** It's not fair! Why are you forbidden? ** Ktai smiles faintly. ** When you were gone, I despised Winnowill for her refusal to help find you. I acted against her many times. I still do. ** You locksend to Ktai, Rayek cautions, firmly, that Daia, if this is truly she, must be known to be clear of Winnowill -- and must give free consent -- in any plan against her. Rayek waits, silent, amber eyes taking all this in. Eren soulsends ** ** Daia nods. ** Why wouldn't she help? ** she wonders, before her thoughts trail off in another direction. ** Missed you.. missed you all. But I thought you'd come and find me. ** Rayek slips up behind Ktai, now; his lean brown hand lifts to her shoulder. Ktai doesn't have an answer, and Rayek's touch saves her from having to falter about it. She turns slightly to look to him. You locksend to Ktai, Rayek counsels, quietly, ** Either her thoughts have been shaped quite well -- or her innocence is unfeigned. Either way, she needs to know much. And you need to know much of her. ** Eren soulsends ** My beloved... so clear... ** [We had to end there; the scene was never finished. End log.]