Log Date: 5/23/96 Log Cast: Rayek, Ktai, Sothel (brother of Ktai's dead lifemate), Youngblood Log Intro: Rayek, having sent to Savah in distant Sorrow's End to ask her to send Mender to the Palace, continues his solitary habits of hunting, water-seeking, and working on the new cave he is making into a home for himself and Ekuar. He does not notice, for once, a new arrival at the Palace... Sothel, the brother of Ktai's dead lifemate, who comes seeking her. Sothel has encountered Tilia, who points him towards looking for Ktai outside the Palace itself.... ---------- Down by the Palace, Near the Palace, Sothel**Ktai, ... Are you near?** Ktai stirs. Something is ... wrong... Down by the Palace, Near the Palace, Sothel increase the strength of his sends, **Ktai, friend... It has been a long time, it is Sothel, Ktai?** Ktai frowns in her sleep. Her burnt magic senses twinge, but nothing comes of it... at least, nothing enough to wake her... Down by the Palace, Near the Palace, Sothel considers the things others have said to him in recent days... He floats high above the hillside. Down by the Palace, Near the Palace, Sothel takes a great breath into his lungs, long unused vocal cords straining already..."KTAI!!!!" Down by the Palace, Near the Palace, Youngblood sitsbolt upright as Sothel's cry, woken. ** Huh? Wha? ** Ktai sits bolt upright. What in the name of the High Ones was that? Down by the Palace, As Sothel floats, he can get an excellent view of the hillside -- and, high up on a crag overlooking the Palace's shimmering form, he can glimpse a half-hidden cave entrance. Down by the Palace, Near the Palace, Sothel squints toward the hillside cave, With much effort he channels send and voice together.. **KTAI?* Down by the Palace, Near the Palace, Youngblood glances towards Sothel and steps towards him. ** What is wrong, Sothel? ** Ktai whispers softly. "Oh.... no.... no...no...no...no...." She shakes her head sadly. She knows that voice... and no doubt why he has come: Winnowill has sent him to drag her back. Down by the Palace, Near the Palace, Sothel looks down on Youngblood **I am trying to find Ktai, It makes sense that if she is near she will hear...** Down by the Palace, Near the Palace, Youngblood nods. ** Yes, but...is she near? ** he stops, cocking his head, ** I hear something. ** Ktai sighs. Well... make the best of it. Go send him away... before his - wonder - drives everyone insane... including Rayek... She pauses, glancing about her. She wasn't here when she went to sleep. Did she offend Rayek so much that he left? She sighs, wishing he were near to help. Down by the Palace, Near the Palace, Sothel stare stays fixed on the hillside cave, he has a feeling ...**She is. Very** Ktai sighs, and gathers what is left of her shredded wits about her and steps out of the cave. Near the Palace, Youngblood glances at Sothel. ** How do we find her then? ** Ktai is now in sight of any who happens to glace away from the Palace, a frail yellow-clad shape. Near the Palace, Sothelsmiles, **we already have.** Near the Palace, Youngblood looks puzzledly at the elf. ** Let us hope indeed. ** Quite the contrary, her face indicates she is anything but pleased to find Sothel here... and even less pleased that she has to face him... unable to protect herself... and unknowing of Rayek's whereabouts. Ktai approaches the huge stone structure. Youngblood watches Ktai expectantly, curiously. Ktai finally nears enough for you to hear her. In a whispery voice, she states simply. "Sothel." Sothel half bows, his long hair sweeping with him, He forces the spoken words, "Ktai, After so many turns, you are still a lovely creature, No wonder you and my brother ahd a meeting of minds. "He smiles broadly.. Ktai rolls her eyes. He hasn't changed a bit. She eyes the tactless one before her and asks flatly. "What do you want, Sothel?" Youngblood steps back slightly, watching the two silently and curiously. Sothel slowly blinks, " I guess I should not hope for more, ...I come to ask you why you abandoned your Daughter to Winnowill's ...Tender .. mercies.." Ktai bristles. Odds are, if she had something in her hand, it would no doubt be thrown at him. Her voice hisses low. "Because you went and hid, and She threw me out! Do you think I would have left her behind? Your - brother made my child put me to sleep and then I woke Outside! What do you think of that?" Fury reads in her voice and face... be glad she isn't armed... ask Rayek what happens when she is angered... Youngblood blinks in alarm. Sothel seems to settle in for this, " That was TWO THOUSAND turns ago!! Don't tell me it is that hard to find your way to the mountian!" Disbelief and anger cloud his face, " Or are you like the rest now, Too afraid of Winnowill to fight back.." Ktai smirks wryly. "Little you know, Sothel. I returned to the Mountain not long back now... I returned to witness a battle... and my own child thrusting a dagger into Winnowill. It was Eveshka who gave me cause to leave again, not Winnowill. My child has no use for me, and so no longer acknowledges me." For a moment, her face is sad... but a cold steely expression shields her quickly. Sothel sighs, **At least the child still has spirit.** "She may have need of you now, She did not take Mathyn's death well.." Ktai's eyes narrow. She does not - cannot - hear that send. Perhaps it's a good thing... "And why do you suppose that I cannot even lift the smallest grain of sand with my will? Why I cannot hear a send... or even feel that blasted piece of rock?" She gestures towards the revered Palace. "I knew she needed me and when I tried to go to her, it nearly killed me. It is a large part of Rayek's help that I can even walk without magic!" Sothel "Still, you can walk and Blue mountain is that way." Points from the way he came, "Is there a healer here that can help you or do we go in search of one, " "Or do you no longer care what becomes of you kin after your 'loss' " Ktai glares, then turns as fast as her battered senses allow. She sways as she starts to walk back towards the cave. "Think what you will Sothel. I will not go back to the Mountain with you, or with anyone else." Her voice is shaking; she does not need this. Her eyes scan the valley for Rayek. Where is he? Has she chased him off again....? No sign of whoever it is that Ktai seeks -- there is, only, the cave up the hillside from which she has emerged, and the few signs of elves camping in and around the Palace that can be seen. Ktai sighs, searching... then stiffens, closing her eyes and swaying.... sending.... Ktai locksends ** ** Wide Pass Through World's Spine Mountains This wide pass is nearly an entire days' ride from one side to the other, from what you can tell. The sun is still hard and heavy here, but the looming presence of the mountains to either side seem to lessen the drain of the barren waste. Contents: Palace(#500Jae) Obvious exits: Northwest South After a time, a slim figure floats into view over some of the nearby crags, black hair flowing out slightly behind him. Rayek, his body glittering in a veil of golden sparkles, pauses in the air as he nears the Palace. Frowning to himself, he scans the immediate area. Near the Palace, Sothel glides straight up and piviots on his head above Ktai, spinning in mid air to land in front of her and faceing her." Then I suppose it is left to Her suragote family and myself to help her,.. Oh Highones, I did not come here to argue.." Near the Palace, Ktai only has sights for Rayek. She had done with Sothel... and the only way he will get her attention now is most likely a touch. Her wispy voice calls through the valley. "Rayek..." Spying the pair of tall elves near the Palace's entrance, and from his distance -- rapidly closing -- seeing Ktai looking up towards him, he soars down into view. Palace(#500Jae) You see before you a tall stone structure, taller by far than any elf or human or troll. There is something odd about its appearance -- it almost seems to blend in with its surroundings, at least if you are not close to it. But the closer you get, the more it seems to *tug* at you, and show to you its battered towers and spires. The nearest wall sports a long, winding ripple that might once have been a mighty crack, and the nearest visible entryway, a doorway at least as tall as two elves, sports a pair of heavy, ornate doors. Contents: Ktai Youngblood Sothel Traveling Tent(#6955ALe) Obvious exits: Doorway You approach the huge battered stone structure. Sothel considers the lack of responce from Ktai, **Like mother , like daughter.** With a childish grin Sothel strikes out with the one weapon most Gliders consider least... Sothel stomps on Ktai.s toes.!! Sothel Any who have before looked on Sothel would hardly know this elf now. Gone is his ragged apperance, his tattered cloak. Replacing it is a jumpsuit of fine blue silk.< A gift from a friend>. Sothels once matted black hair now hangs straight and brushed, and twirls around his knees with all the mats gone. His silver eyes focus just a little more on you and you seem to notice the trace of a smile on his lips, **It may be good to be alive after all** Now he has a purpose. Carrying: glass of rum Rayek hovers nearby, frowns at the unfamiliar -- though clearly Glider -- stranger, and speaks up firmly, "Ktai, is there a problem here?" Anger and pain flush across her face. Raw senses overload, and she would react save for she remembers one thing: he can Glide. She cannot... he isn't worth her time. She turns, looking away angrily, trying to hide tears as she angrily spits her answer. "Yes... he wants to take me back," The last word is spat... and without the send, it is easy to tell it is the Mountain to which she refers. Sothel glides up into the air with a lazy pirooutte, "No Ktai, If you do not wish to return, so be it, "He sighs and stops spinning to face Rayek. "Is this the love mate you have taken since my brothers death?" Rayek's black eyebrows arch. His amber gaze flicking from Ktai to the other two elves present, he knows better than to ask whether Ktai told this newcomer no; studying the newcomer in question, he states bluntly, "Ktai is not fit to travel anywhere far from here, much less Blue Mountain. I've summoned a healer for her." Ktai freezes. Nothing more, nothing less. She doesn't dare turn around. She'd -kill- him. Sothel turns to hang upside in the air over Ktai's shoulder No? Pity, He's cute." To all eyes, Ktai slowly flushes... but is it sun? She hopes so... for otherwise... oh, High Ones... is she -that- transparent? One corner of Rayek's mouth curls in a smirk as he eyes the stranger, though he does allow a brief glance to Ktai on the ground. Unfazed by the remark on his appearance -- as if he either believes the compliment beneath his notice, or perhaps himself beneath the compliment -- he says simply, "Ktai is Ktai, and she has agreed to wait for the healer I've called." Sothel rights himself and regards Rayek, **You have called a Healer? Good, then I have no fear for her. But it is a long journey back to the mountian, I had best be on my way...** Rayek allows a single, curt nod, neither forbidding nor encouraging. His gaze remains intent and alert. Sothel floats down to stand beside Ktai, just out of arms reach.. "Sister, I meant no offense, I forget that much things have changed on this world why I was lost in my reverie, High ones keep you, Ktai., My brother was not the only glider's eye you caught." Sothel glides up and away quickly. Ktai swallows, sighing. There is nothing she can say... nothing to do... he's gone and said it -all-... Sothel moves away from the huge stone structure nearby. Sothel has left. Some distance away, Sothel has arrived. Some distance away, Sothel heads towards Northwest Some distance away, Sothel has left. Rayek, as the stranger departs, lands. Ktai sighs, shaking. Her voice is weak and whispery. "He knows too well what he says..." Ktai decides that where she is a wonderful place to sit. So, she sits and sighs. Ktai sighs softly, closing her eyes. Rayek settles to one knee, regarding you levelly. "Who was this elf?" Ktai opens her eyes slowly. "An old... family member..." Her voice is quiet... almost afraid of rebuke. Rayek's gaze doesn't waver. "You chose wisely, refusing to go." Ktai sighs again. "I'm sorry... Rayek... he never had any tact... I think it's why he - vanished..." Again, his black eyebrows go up. "Why apologize to me?" Ktai says "Because the fool unwittingly treads where -" Her voice fades as she realises what she was about to say. Finally, "Oh bother. Why can't I just say that I love you, Rayek?" She won't look up... she closes her eyes and lowers her chin. Her lips tighten and she sits quietly. Rayek sighs, quietly, and almost gently replies, "Again, I find you like me -- love is... difficult to profess." Her lips twitch into a wry smirk. "Even harder when you can't send..." Rayek inclines his head a single time, still regarding you searchingly. Ktai may or may not be aware of your scrutiny. She merely sits, her cheeks flaming (from a blush... it must be,) and now biting her lower lip a bit. Rayek begins, "I...", then frowns at himself, unusually at a loss for words. He then continues roughly, "I... act out of concern for you. Know this. You are wise to avoid Blue Mountain and Winnowill, but I do not think I need to tell you that." Her responce is whispery. "Thank you..." Not knowing whether it will ease, Rayek reaches a brown hand to your shoulder and clasps it. "Know this as well. I... spoke rashly, when I said that I would leave." His eyes glitter, with a restrained but fierce light, though his voice is still gentle enough. "I will keep watch, for Mender's arrival." Ktai looks up, opening her eyes and looking to yours. Tears glisten unshed, and a flicker of emotion hides no longer in her eyes... but all she does is nod wordlessly with a faint smile. [End log.]