"Resisting the Call" Log Date: 5/21/04 Log Cast: Rayek, Mierin Log Intro: In which Rayek and Mierin meet, alone, and still resist temptation. ---- Rayek sits atop the ledge, alone. No doubt that's how he wants to be. Along and long legs folded across one another, hands on his legs, palms up. Eyes closed and face turned up toward the light. Despite the posture that bespeaks serenity, the desert elf's brow is furrowed. Mierin walks along the path. She keeps her head down and her hood up, tucked down over her eyes. Her steps are very quiet after years of walking in echoing caverns. When she gets to the ledge, she moves to one of the large boulders. She rests her hand flat against the stone, eyes focused on the rock. She runs her fingers over the stone affectionately. After a moment she finally decides to look around the ledge. She sees Rayek, but remains silent, simply watching him. You locksend ** ** to Mierin. Mierin leaves her hand against the boulder, stealing comfort and strength from it. She continues to watch Rayek, but decides that she will announce her presence since she knows Rayek is aware of her. ** Darkness Rayek. ** Her send is filled with conflicting emotion. The desire to be near, the desire to be anywhere else, the need to touch, the wish to go home. Rayek's eyes open, even brighter against dark skin than they normally are. He doesn't look toward the Underworld elf. He simply asks the wind, "What do you want?" Mierin sighs. ** I came to feel the stones. ** She looks again at the stone. ** I miss the stone. ** She looks in Rayek's direction again. ** I also wanted to see what sunlight looks like. ** She fiddles with the light cloth that hangs around her neck with one hand, the other still resting on the stone. Rayek is not going to send. Speech works perfectly well to convey what he wants to convey. Wry, dry, that's what comes across now. "The village," he points out, "is surrounded by stone. And the Daystar shines everywhere except, perhaps, in your holes in the ground. Go and feel the stones somewhere else." He's going to see if he can glare a hole through the sky. Mierin sets her jaw, aggravation sparking in her eyes. She too drops to speech. The cool chill of a cavern wind accents her voice. "You are as much a guest here as I. If you wish to be alone, you are fully capable of walking away." Her hands fold behind her back and she stiffens to stand at her own full height. Like Rayek, her height is considerable. Standing beside a Glider, she would look at home. Now he looks at her, and already narrow eyes narrow even furhter. "I meant," he begins again. "To go somewhere else in the .. in the village." It's not entirely his fault that his speech falters, or that his frown deepens further. "Away. From me." He turns his gaze back to the sky by force. Mierin raises her chin just a bit, revealing her stubborn nature even further. "I understood what you meant." She huffs ever so slightly. "And I refused. As I said before, you are as capable of leaving this ledge as I." Her voice is as hard as the rock she was previously caressing. Rayek's motionless for a long few moments, jaw set just as stubbornly. Then he explodes upward, unfolding from his seat with a sudden violence that not only straightens up, but has him a few inches off the ground, hovering mid-air. His eyes close, then, and he shudders back down to a solid footing on the ground. A sheen of sweat breaks out on his forehead and still he forces his shoulders back. "Fine. Then I'll leave." But he doesn't take a step. Mierin tenses noticeably at the sudden movement. Her eyes widen at the levitation. A small squeal of pain escapes her lips as the sun hits her in face. She drops her head quickly. All of her grandstanding is immediately lost as she protects her eyes with her hands. You locksend ** Nlee. You're hurt? You should protect your eyes. ** to Mierin. Mierin takes the cloth laying around her neck and wraps her face again slowly. She pulls the hood down further to shield her eyes better. She lifts her face and looks at Rayek, her eyes watering from the bright light. Tears crawl down her cheeks as a result. She looks surprised at the sudden concern. She nods. You sense in a locksend, Mierin's send reveals her flattery at the concern. Her soul cries out to be cared for. Rayek nods, such faint movement of his chin that it's hard to tell whether he really moved at all. Then he takes a deep, shuddering breath and moves his feet, much larger movement. "I'm going," he announces, and really does step toward her. And then past her, heading back down the path again. He tries to go down, at any rate. He manages a step, then two and three, and stops again. You locksend ** I -will- take care of you, Nlee. I will make you happy. Whole. ** to Mierin. Mierin turns and a step towards Rayek, unable to resist the call of his soul. Seeing that he's stopped, her own feet stop. She drops her eyes and looks at the ground. All trace of the stubborn refusal seems to have fled for the moment. Seeing a large stone on the ground, she bends over and picks it up. Her hands begin to glow with magic. The stone softens and she begins to mold the shape of the stone. It seems that she is doing this to keep her hands busy and distract herself from the discomfort of the moment. You sense in a locksend, Mierin's heart speaks through her mind. She's unable to control her response. ** I would like that. ** After the thought travels, a sense of surprise follows. She seems surprised at her own desire. Rayek turns his head back, as if he could see what she did without looking. It's unlikely, but he stands that way, head turned partly toward her and shoulders tight. "I came here to help the Mother of Memory. I will do that duty." Mierin looks up and nods. "I will not interfere with you." She sighs, "I have my own duties to complete. We cannot afford to have another flood in our caverns from the Village's overflow." She continues to mold the rock in her hand absently, finding comfort in the stone. And Rayek is even more reminded of his duties. He turns to face her, saying, "You should show me where the tunnel to your world is. I have a thing I need to fi--" He trails off when he sees her hands working. "What are you doing?" Mierin pauses and looks confused for a moment. Suddenly it occurs to her what you may be asking about. She holds up her hand with the stone in it and the glow stops. "You mean this?" She extends her hand in your direction. "I'm shaping," she says matter of factly. She tilts her head to one side and asks, "You are planning to visit my home?" Rayek peers narrowly at the changed stone. "Rockshaper," he says, almost a whisper. "I need to find something," he adds absently, but he holds his hand out as if he expects you to just hand the stone over. "You're a rock shaper?" Mierin nods and hands over the stone. "From a long line of shapers. I also shape metal." Her tone is not arrogant, simply blunt. She seems to be describing a duty. "What are you hoping to find?" She pauses for a moment and says softly, "Perhaps I can help." Rayek takes the stone and turns it deftly. Long fingers explore the surface of it, almost as if he caressed it. It's not conscious, either, as he says absently, "Ekuar should see this. Should see you. You could learn from..." And then he stops again, closes his fingers around the rock and offers it back. "What I need to find belongs to Savah. What it is is between her and I. You can't help." Mierin shrugs and takes the rock back. "Who is Ekuar?" She rolls the rock between her hands. "And why should he see me?" "Ekuar," Rayek says again, like that ought to make it clear. When it doesn't, his eyes narrow. "He is a... friend." Even spoken, that word carries more weight to it than simple friendship. "He is a rockshaper as well. A master of the talent. One of the Firstborn. He could teach you things you haven't begun to learn." More than friendship and a healthy dose of pride. Mierin reflects on that for a moment and then says, "I would be interested to meet him." She gives you an appraising look. "He must be quite special to have impressed you so." There's an underlying weight to the statement but she doesn't explain her thoughts further. Rayek could answer that in a dozen ways. He settles for the simple: "He is." You locksend ** But not like you. Not like Nlee. ** to Mierin. Mierin lowers her eyes at the send, slightly embarrassed. "I would like to meet him then." She keeps her head down. "I should return to Savah's hut. It's much warmer and brighter here than I am accustomed to." Rayek stares hard at her for a moment, his jaw working as though he holds back the urge to speak. Long-fingered hands curl into fists, but he holds himself stiffly, nods, then steps to one side of the pathway down. "Then go. And ... rest." Mierin steps past Rayek on the path and heads back towards the village. She stops and looks back at him. Her voice is soft as she says, "When we have both completed our tasks here, I will lead you to the entrance to my home. You should not enter without me. Unescorted visitors are likely to be killed before they have a chance to explain their visit." "All you need to do is show me the way," the airwalker insists. "I can take care of myself." He waits until she's gone to cross the ledge again and to sink down where he sat before. He considers his hands, shaking badly now, and his shoulders slump for a moment before he closes his eyes.