Log Date: 10/28/96 Log Cast: Winnowill, Rayek, Ktai, Rigar, Delenbae, Kiralee Log Intro: Due to the treachery of Sar and that Glider's influence over the malleable Zirek, Rayek has been poisoned. Due to the quick arrival of Leetah on the scene, he was quickly healed; as the infuriated Ktai and Ember confronted Sar outside the Palace, Rayek was gently ushered off to rest in his rooms, and there, he has been sleeping. But Rayek has received two visitors: Winnowill, from the astral plane, who was surprised to find Rayek in that state, and who promised that she had given no orders that Sar should harm either him or Ktai. But the second visitor, Rigar, interrupted Winnowill's spirit-visit. Rayek grimly told Rigar that Winnowill watched, and as the Cat Elf healer ordered her to go away, she did so -- but not before she overheard Rigar advising Rayek to swallow the petal of a flower intended to give him his strength back, but which would also make his mind wander. Rayek resisted -- aware that Winnowill was listening in -- but once he sensed that she was gone, he grudgingly followed Rigar's advice. The airwalker didn't like the idea of his mind wandering very much, but neither did he like the idea of suffering such profound exhaustion. Thus, trusting in the others in the Palace to keep watch over him, Ryaek now lies dreaming. But Winnowill has come back. ---------- Winnowill's Spirit has arrived. Winnowill's Spirit flickers briefly in and out of existance before gaining cohesion and solidity. Rayek lies where you'd last seen him, bundled up solidly in his sleepfurs, brown face half-obscured by a fall of black hair. He appears to be sleeping restlessly. Winnowill's Spirit seems to laugh softly, a wavering sound that could easily be mistaken for the wind... Rayek stirs vaguely. Wind? He seems to react to your presence, his face turning to the place where you hover, yet something about him speaks of unawareness. Winnowill's Spirit sends faintly. ** Rayek... ** Rayek exhales, slowly, by way of reply. He does not rouse. Winnowill locksends ** /Like the softest of silken velvet sends, she brushes your mind with hers./ ** You locksend to Winnowill, Rayek's mind seems... strange. He sleeps, but there is velvet of a different kind there already, muffling his thoughts. You catch, for the briefest of instants, something like a glimmer of memory: a Rayek-that-was, young, with his right arm slung against his side, practicing the floating of playthings.... Winnowill's Spirit laughs again. wind-like and velvet. Winnowill locksends ** Rayek.... ** You locksend ** Who... calls? ** to Winnowill. Winnowill locksends ** It is I, Rayek. Your lover, Winnowill. /The send is crystalline, yet velvet at the same time./ ** You locksend ** My... lover? But -- you don't live in the Sun Village! I'd know you! ** to Winnowill. Winnowill locksends ** /The send that returns is familiar, shimmering to blur, then returns again, a lighter, insanely familiar 'voice'. nearly identical to Leetah's send... it just might be her./ But don't you know me, Rayek? ** You locksend ** ** to Winnowill. Winnowill locksends ** *The send almost laughs lightly in her teasing manner.* So why didn't you before? Hm? Or are you teasing, Rayek? ** Winnowill's Spirit gathers slightly, blanketing you softly in a strange send-touch. Wouldn't do for you to wake too soon... You locksend ** ** to Winnowill. Winnowill locksends ** *Spunk and fire, the send is returned.* You're the one who is thinking about it, Rayek! And if I'm too young, then so are you! *Her laugh echoes.* ** You locksend ** ** to Winnowill. Winnowill locksends ** *Her giggle. So familiar.* Then, you're not too young, are you? ** You locksend ** ** to Winnowill. Winnowill locksends ** *She giggles.* So? You certainly look the part. *And with that, she flashes her eyes to you, looking at you with her brilliant smile. Young, yes. But still beautiful.* ** You locksend ** ** to Winnowill. Winnowill locksends ** *Laughing lightly, she lithely dances just out of reach after that embrace.* Oh... perhaps Sun-Toucher. *Her send fills with playful reverence.* He is of age, after all. *The facade holds for a moment, then she laughs again.* ** You locksend ** ** to Winnowill. Winnowill locksends ** *She dances, giggling along the way.* Oh... perhaps... Savah... Yes! So perfect for you, Rayek. *conspiratorially* She's of age, you know... ** You locksend ** ** to Winnowill. Winnowill locksends ** *Oh, how she giggles.* You're blushing! ** You locksend ** ** to Winnowill. Winnowill locksends ** *She draws to her full height, something that might actually make her look imposing if she were older and a mother of two.* Oh, am I? ** You locksend ** ** to Winnowill. Winnowill locksends ** *She reaches out and tickles you* I am? Well... let's see about that! ** You locksend ** ** to Winnowill. Winnowill locksends ** *She laughs* Then we're even! *She continues to tickle* ** You locksend ** <'Even, when you can *gasp* *giggle* use your magic on me? I don't call that *giggle* even!' But he doesn't seem to be fighting you very hard.> ** to Winnowill. Rayek, ever so slightly, smiles in his sleep. Winnowill's Spirit watches, the send blanketing gently. Winnowill locksends ** *So she uses one hand now.* There! Even! ** You locksend ** ** to Winnowill. Winnowill locksends ** *She squeals in delighted protest.* Cheater! That's no way to win! ** You locksend ** ** to Winnowill. Winnowill locksends ** *She giggles herself.* We'll see, Rayek. ** You locksend ** ** to Winnowill. Winnowill locksends ** *Her smile is still as bright, her eyes as glistening, and she laughs softly.* Rayek...? Are you ill? ** You locksend ** ** to Winnowill. Winnowill's Spirit drifts closer still. Winnowill locksends ** *She opens her arms to you.* Then, Rayek.... come to me. *The send has a soft edge to it, lightly hypnotic and yet somehow still Leetah's.* ** You locksend ** ** to Winnowill. Winnowill locksends ** *Ever so slightly, there is a shift, and it seems the most natural shift in the world. Her hair darkens, straightens, her eyes narrow and darken, a quite different elf in his arms, yet still smiling.* Is this what you want now, Rayek? Am I of age enough for you? ** You locksend to Winnowill, Rayek all at once shakes his head, slightly baffled. What happened to Leetah? ** I... I want... ** Rayek's eyes open for a moment, glazed, perplexed. Winnowill locksends ** *She waits.* ** Winnowill's Spirit moves now to caress you, the send softly penetrating. You locksend to Winnowill, Rayek drifts, still fogged by whatever the healers must have given him, though now he struggles to focus on his dream. You.. look different, but still, there is a potent need within him that has not vanished with your change in form. Even as he stirs a little within your enfolding arms, as though considering floating away, the need is there. Winnowill locksends ** *Soft, the velvet send caresses you, rippling through./ What is it you need, Rayek? You can tell me... ** You locksend ** I... I need to know... ** to Winnowill. Winnowill locksends ** It is as true as you wish it to be. ** You locksend ** ** to Winnowill. Winnowill locksends ** *She is wholly Winnowill before you, the facade fallen, faded from mind.* I am your soul's other half, Rayek. ** You locksend ** ** to Winnowill. Winnowill locksends ** *Her send beckons.* Come to me, Rayek. Tell Sar that I have called you, and come to Me. ** You locksend ** I cannot... .... I cannot...! ** to Winnowill. Winnowill locksends ** Why not, Rayek? Are you not free? ** You locksend ** What kind of freedom can there be in bonding with you? ** to Winnowill. Winnowill locksends ** Come find out, my lover... come and find out. ** You locksend to Winnowill, Rayek's mind spins, however, torn between your call and the effects of the stuff in his blood. You can feel him reel back from you, dazed, exhausted. Winnowill locksends ** /The words echo through you./ Come... come.... come..... come...... come....... come........ ** You locksend ** ** to Winnowill. Winnowill locksends ** /She offers you that water, her send cool and gentle./ ** You locksend ** ** to Winnowill. Winnowill locksends ** /She waits for you, like that cool spring, nearing slightly./ Come.... ** Rayek's mouth parts and his breathing quickens. You locksend ** ** to Winnowill. Ktai locksends ** Rayek? ** Winnowill locksends ** Come to Me, Rayek... come, My Soul's brother..... ** You locksend to Ktai, Rayek does not answer you, though you can sense his mind in the Palace. But there is a strange, blurred distance to the feel of his presence.... Eren soulsends ** Rayek!? ** You locksend to Winnowill, Rayek's mind blazes with alarm and indecision under the haze that veils his consciousness. But his soul's arms lift as though of their own volition, reaching for you. You locksend ** ** to Ktai. Winnowill locksends ** /Her own arms outstretch, offering a place for you to rest within them./ Come.... ** Out in the corridor, Ktai has arrived. You locksend ** ** to Winnowill. Out in the corridor, Rigar has arrived. Out in the corridor, Rigar frowns, following Out in the corridor, Ktai darts in, pausing only briefly at the door. Out in the corridor, Ktai has left. Ktai has arrived. Out in the corridor, Rigar has left. Rigar has arrived. Ktai sends openly ** Rayek!? ** Rigar enters hurridly after Ktai ** Friend? ** Ktai sends frantically. ** Rayek!? ** Rayek lies under his furs, one arm slightly lifted from them. His mouth is parted as though trying to drink water right out of the air; his eyes are closed, but the lines of his brown face reflect vivid longing. Ktai darts to Rayek's side, taking his hand, sending earnestly. Rigar blinks ** Rayek???? ** Ktai locksends ** Rayek... beloved... hear me... ** You locksend to Winnowill, Rayek shifts, dazed. From somewhere outside the haze, someone is calling. Winnowill locksends ** /The send is cool and offering refreshment of soul./ Come.... come to me.... ** Rayek does not seem to hear either of your sendings. His head lolls slightly sideways, as though resting against a pillow that isn't quite there; his hand is limp in Ktai's. Perhaps a slight tingling becomes tangible, causing magic senses to prickle. Then again, perhaps it's just the wind and the situation. Eren soulsends ** Rayek? Beloved? ** You locksend ** ** to Winnowill. Rayek's mouth moves without sound, and his brows draw together, ever so slightly. Rigar frowns, scratching his head. Winnowill locksends ** /The send sharpens, drawing you ever closer./ No.... I am Winnowill... your lover, your soul's other half... come to me... ** You locksend ** ** to Ktai. Ktai glances back to Rigar. ** Healer, aid him! ** Ktai's eyes turn back to Rayek with thinly veiled horror. Eren soulsends ** Rayek... please... come back to me... Don't leave me here alone. ** You locksend ** ** to Winnowill. Winnowill locksends ** /She draws you closer still./ Rayek... give yourself to Me and she will never harm you again... ** Rigar moves to Rayek.. soft golden glow at his fingertips as he presses them to the dark skinned one's temple You locksend ** K... Ktai? ** to Ktai. Soft healing presence fills your mind accompanied by a soft send ** Rayek?? ** Eren soulsends ** Rayek... my beloved... don't go to Her... please... Come back to where you are wanted... and loved.... ** You locksend ** ** to Winnowill. Winnowill locksends ** /She offers you a sendril to use to block the light./ Rayek.... come... ** Rayek's brow furrows a little. And, wanly, light glitters at his temple where Rigar touches him, for an instant; in that instant, the healer's fingertips feel a slight resistance before they can truly contact Rayek's skin. Rigar frowns thoughtfully, his eyes closing, consentration building. The healing warmth sears through you, drawing at your consciousness. You locksend ** ** to Winnowill. Ktai's mind whirls. Winnowill. It can only be Her. For once, anger and desperation fall into place, and she begins to concentrate. She's lived here long enough. It's time she put her knowledge to use. Eren soulsends ** Rayek! I love you! Please...! ** Winnowill locksends ** /The send is velvety./ Good, my Soul's Brother. So very good. Come to me... and learn what it is to truly live. ** You locksend ** ** to Ktai. Ktai frowns. Dare she draw on the Palace? Only if she has to. You locksend ** ** to Winnowill. Rigar does, without thinking, using its power to fuel his touch, drawing at Rayek's consciousness.. Eren soulsends ** Rayek... beloved.... don't leave me... ** You locksend ** ** to Rigar. Winnowill locksends ** /The sendril builds, offering more for you to use, but at a price which slowly becomes visible: to be Hers./ ** Rigar frowns, how could he have been so thoughtless.. he fights.. fuling to purge the drug from Rayek's system... You locksend, to Ktai, Winnowill, Rigar: ** ** Winnowill locksends ** /The velvet sendril pulses with deeply throbbing power./ ** Rigar locksends ** Rayek.. friend.. she is taking you from us.. you must fight.. Ktai will follow you to that darkness.. do you want that for her?.. For the one who loves you.. asking nothing in return?.. Winnowill will only use you.. you know it to be true.. ** Ktai scowls. So be it. She opens her mind now, reaching for the Palace. It has been long since she reached for power, and it may burn brightly through her, but she will win. By the High Ones, she cannot fail. Rigar bites his lip, drawing blood as he surges his power into Rayek, lending his own physical strength to the healing. You locksend, to Ktai, Winnowill, Rigar: ** ** Eren soulsends ** Rayek! I am Eren! Please.... come back! ** Winnowill locksends ** Rayek. You are Mine. Leave them and their petty lives. You are meant for better. ** Out in the corridor, Delenbae has arrived. Rigar's face softens, the hue around his fingertips brightening into an intense white before flickering and snuffing out, the last of his strength given.. spent he collapses at Rayek's side. Out in the corridor, Delenbae has left. Delenbae has arrived. Ktai is no healer. With alarm and dismay, she notes Rigar's fall, yet cannot aid him. Rayek is in danger, and must be saved before all else. Rayek shifts where he lies under his furs. His eyes are tightly closed, and his face is etched with confusion and yearning; what can be seen of his slim form is taut with some kind of struggle. Ktai kneels on one side of him, clinging to his hand; Rigar has just crumpled on his other side. The air fairly crackles with power. Delenbae peers inside. ** What occurs here? ** You locksend ** I... No... I am... ** to Winnowill. Ktai's soft voice is traced with strain and seriously distracted. "Winnowill..." Winnowill locksends ** /Velvety and thick with power./ You are Mine, Rayek... My Soul's Brother. ** Delenbae frowns, and moves forward. ** She dares, even here? ** Ktai's only answer is a curt nod. Delenbae moves to Rayek's side. ** Perhaps we can be rid of her in concert? ** Ktai can only nod, sending for all that she is worth to Rayek. You locksend, to Ktai, Winnowill: ** ** Delenbae reaches out, to touch Rayek, his hands beginning to glow with his own magic. Ktai's locksend to Rayek spills out openly, but she is beyond caring. ** Rayek... beloved... -please-... do not go to Her! ** Winnowill locksends ** /The velvet sendril pulses, offering the power to repel Ktai./ ** You sense in a locksend, Delenbae's presence touches yours, slightly. ** Master of the Palace? ** You locksend ** ** to Winnowill. Rayek arches slightly for no apparent reason under his furs, inhaling as though struggling to catch his breath. He can be felt to shiver, perhaps with need. You locksend to Delenbae, Rayek does not answer you, at least not in words; only dimly, through two layers of fog that seem to permeate his mind, does he even seem to know that someone is calling him. Ktai's jaw sets, and she pulls at herself and the Palace now. She's nearly kileld herself once fighting for him, she's not about to give up now. Still sending, she leans forward, placing her lips on his. You sense in a locksend, Delenbae flares his magic for a moment, golden and bright... he reminds you that your body exists. ** Master of the Palace? ** Eren soulsends ** Rayek... please.... I need you here... I love you... ** You locksend, to Ktai, Delenbae, Winnowill: ** ** Winnowill locksends ** /She sends that sendril closer./ ** One of Rayek's hands, the one Ktai is grasping, lifts slightly. But his arm is trembling violently, as though the effort greatly costs him. Eren soulsends ** Rayek... beloved..... please.... fight her.... ** You sense in a locksend to Ktai, Winnowill, Rayek: Delenbae changes his tack, then.. searching for the connection between Rayek's mind and body. He calls again. ** Brownskin? ** Out in the corridor, Kiralee has arrived. Out in the corridor, Kiralee has left. Kiralee has arrived. You locksend, to Ktai, Delenbae, Winnowill: ** ** Ktai leans now, resting her forehead on Rayek's, so tired in the physical for what she does in the mental drains her. Kiralee comes running in. "What in the name of the High Ones was that?..." Rayek lies under his sleepfurs, one trembling arm lifted, his hand in the desperate grasp of Ktai. Delenbae kneels on Rayek's other side, his hands alight with power. And Rayek's face is contorted with struggle and need. The very air is heavy with power: healing power, and sending power. Eren soulsends ** Rayek... my beloved... ** Kiralee A tumble of wild silver curls spill over Kiralee's richly tanned shoulders down her back, nearly to her knees. They shine like moonlight on a snowy field. Long silver lashes sweep back from violet eyes, a light, clear color that catches your attention like a twinkling jewel in the sand would. She offers a sweet smile, lighting up her already stunning face. Even this ethereal beauty cannot hold your attention forever, and your eyes drift down her... Kiralee could maybe be called an hourglass figure. Or perhaps, more accurately, a wineglass figure, considering her proportions. A pair of soft doeskin shorts hug her shapely hips and thighs, the pale violet of tiny forest flowers in the spring. A top of matching material has been fashioned into a top that doubles as a sling, halter-style strap about her neck coming down to criss-cross over her breasts, supporting from beneath the feature that nearly makes a caricature this beautiful elf maiden. Gracing each foot is a sandal of leather, the thongs wrapping about her ankles to hold them securely on. Delenbae Tall, tall, very tall.. tall like a Glider, though he doesn't LOOK like a Glider, not a normal one, anyway. He is dark, like a Sun Villager, but his features don't really place him there.. he has those fine, long bones, more like the High Ones. His eyes are dark, of an indeterminate color, unless you want to check very closely, and his hair is similar, but that is a bit more black, than anything else. He is well-muscled, especially around the wrists and forearms, as if he has spent a long time working with his hands.. you can also see that most of his flesh, excpet for his hands, and face, are criscrossed with a network of fine scars.. almost invisible, but if you get close enough, they're there. He wears very little but a belt, from which hangs a loincloth of a spidersilky material, evidently weighted at the bottom, and a headband of some absorbant material, which also works to keep his hair out of his eyes. There is also a bag, of a sturdier material on the belt too, it seems to emit various aromas, and rattles slightly, as if there were implements within. Criscrossing his chest, is a pair of baldrics, each holding a long, slightly curving blade which rests on a hip. Winnowill locksends, to Ktai, Delenbae, Rayek: ** /The velvet pulses deeply, sending an angry dark barrier out, lashing with pain and fire./ He is Mine! ** Rayek's breath catches in his throat for a moment, almost as if something momentarily smothers him. Kiralee moves over to Rayek, kneeling near his head, and places her hands on his temples. Delenbae locksends, to Ktai, Winnowill, Rayek: ** ** Come back, Brownskin. ** His presence shudders with the send from the other. ** Send her away, Rayek.. you have the whole Palace of the High Ones here.. use it! ** ** Ktai falters, her own breath catching in her throat. A sound like a faint snarl, and she sends sharply, openly, uncaring of who hears. ** Let him go, Winnowill, or you shall have Sar's body returned to you in pieces and then you shall have to deal with me. ** Kiralee seems to sense part of the problem, and slows her breathing, pushing herself into the quiet calm required to send her spirit 'out'. As Kiralee's hands touch him, she can immediately sense that Rayek is dazed from some kind of drug in his blood... and as she 'goes out', she can spy, quite clearly, his spirit -- in Winnowill's arms. But he's turned away from her, swaying where he floats, and in response to Delenbae's and Ktai's urgent calls, he has begun to glow. Kiralee astral-sends ** Winnowill!! You, again?! Leave him be! ** Winnowill locksends, to Ktai, Delenbae, Kiralee, Rayek: ** /The velvet-dark send is filled with fury, sharp and angry./ He is Mine, now. He has given himself to Me. ** Eren soulsends ** Rayek.... please..... ** Rayek sends openly ** Like a troll's dung-pit I have! ** Kiralee begins to move closer to Winnowill, wrapping herself in healing power, as if to try and protect herself. ** I won't let you have him...you've wrecked enough lives... ** Winnowill's Spirit curls around Rayek a velvet blanket. ** He has given himself over to Me, by accepting My power. You have no claim on him. ** Kiralee reaches out to touch Winnowill with healing. The sending flares out of the airwalker with unexpected strength, incongruously coarse for the usually arrogant elf -- it might almost be a Go-Back oath. Kiralee can 'see' clearly, and Delenbae and Ktai can sense, that he pulls himself clumsily out of the grasp of Winnowill's incorporeal velvet arms, and begins to stagger away. You sense in a locksend to Ktai, Winnowill, Rayek: Delenbae allows his own magic to flow fully, allowing it to be black, rather than golden.. reaching out for Winnowill. ** He may have given himself to you, but we take him now. *We*. You are but one, and we are many. Fly away home, winged snake. ** Ktai opens her eyes, sending now with hope and love. Rayek's teeth clench, and he jerks once under the now-tangled sleepfurs. His face has sheened over with sweat that reflects and refracts the glitter of power that crackles over his lean form. Winnowill locksends, to Ktai, Delenbae, Kiralee, Rayek: ** /The velvet embrace caresses outward, reaching for Rayek, yet twisting at the final breathless moment, snapping out at one known to her as enemy: Ktai. Her send-voice is dark and angry./ Then I leave you this gift. ** The magic Rayek calls up is more in spirit than in body, but it is still a talent he possesses: that of shielding himself. Sporadically bright, the shield begins to flicker into being around his Self, trying to nudge away the inner fog. With a desperate sudden sense, he lifts his head, and tries to throw out the shield to encompass the others, as well.... Eren soulsends ** ** Winnowill locksends, to Ktai, Delenbae, Kiralee, Rayek: ** /The velvet seems to fold in on itself and dissipate./ ** Winnowill's Spirit shimmers and slowly fades from sight. Winnowill's Spirit has left. Ktai crumples to Rayek's side. There is a sense, within, as of an explosion suddenly tossing the airwalker back, back... and out. Out into his body, which convulses once and then lies still. Delenbae rises more fully, then.. he manages a smile. ** Success! ** Kiralee sighs with relief, and begins to slide back to her body. Ktai doesn't move. Success of a kind, perhaps, with three elves of the five in the room lying sprawled. Kiralee slowly opens her eyes, looking about the room. Delenbae looks to Rayek, to make certain he still breathes. Ktai is crumpled by Rayek's side, eyes closed, breathing faint and shallow. Rayek indeed breathes; only now does the profound strain that had marked his face make itself notable by lessening into mere exhaustion. Delenbae manages a smile... his thought is open, but seemingly mostly to himself. ** Perhaps I shall have to leave Wolfflame here after all? ** Ktai doesn't stir, her hair fallen loose across her face, blocking any way of reading for signs of life in her face. Kiralee looks over and sees Ktai fallen, and groans, moving over to check her. Delenbae moves in that direction as well. ** She lives? ** By appearances, Ktai is well, but to senses, she is not. Over-exertion and strain have taken their toll, not to mention what Winnowill's attack has done. But, she lives. Kiralee says "I think so...if you've any strength left, she could likely use healing...if not, I'll do what I can..." Delenbae shrugs. ** Likely what she requires is rest and quiet. If she had more physical ailments, I would respond otherwise. ** Delenbae shrugs. ** I will watch over them, if you have elsewhere to go. ** Ktai actually shivers, once, then grows quiet and still, her breathing shallow but even. Kiralee yawns and stretches, falling asleep quickly. [To be continued.]