Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? - Chyril 24th - ET

[Ulder]

The plates and glassware were mismatched. Forks and spoons from different sets abounded on the small table as well, but the cloth napkins were all the same color. At least there was that.

The table was rough hewn and simply made along with three matching chairs and a fourth that was from different furniture. This was disguised with soft cushions that were cut from the same cloth.

It was a somewhat humble beginning, but Ulder and Elaine were on their way. It was an odd dichotomy considering the home that these haphazard furnishings were placed in. The home itself was a lovely little manor near the Dort embassy, elegant and airy with high ceilings, plaster walls, and hardwood floors. Ulder had spent most of the money that Duke had given them as a wedding gift on constructing a stable in the wide clearing outside. Guider needed a home, and Ulder had been shopping for a mount for himself. Caring for horses was one of the things Ulder did best. Now that he had time and the means, he was not about to squander it.

The brick oven stood cold and empty this night, for even though they were having a guest for dinner, neither Ulder nor Elaine were very good in the cooking realm, so they hired out the meal they would serve for their guest. Roasted Duck, spiced potatoes, greens in oil and peppered were catered from the Dragon, and delivered along with a bottle of fine wine and fresh cut flowers.

Ulder swept the floor, and as he knelt to sweep the remnants into a dust pan, he thought of how much his life had changed. He swept the floors of his boyhood home countless times, but it seemed much different to do it in his own home. It brought a smile to his face.

Meeting Raevyn again seemed strange. It reminded him of so many days and nights of the caravan and what they had endured together. Internally, he laughed at how once he found the dark adhiel so intimidating. She was so confident and self assured. Yet after living through and seeing many of the horrors of the world had changed him, seasoned him, aged him. Now he could look upon her the way she was, and not the way she seemed. He could see past the mask she wore to the young woman underneath. He knew she was skilled, and deadly, but he also knew there was more to her than met the eye. Best of all, she was almost completely unknown in Citadel , which made his past with her and their fragile alliance very unique and more valuable.

He finished his tidying up and sat down on the couch that had once been in his Captain's office in the palace. Elaine would likely be coming down soon, and now that things were in order and ready, he relaxed a bit as he waited.

[Raevyn D`Altamooriana]

Raevyn could never understand the joy that people received from owning pets. To her they were more of a nuisance than anything else. So imagine the folly of seeing her making her way through town with one of those blasted creatures at the end of a leash. The merchant had assured her that the puppy was well trained. Or as trained as much one could hope to possibly train something that young.

"Trained my ass," she found her saying to the thing as she made her way through the streets of the Citadel towards Ulder's home. "If you were trained you wouldn't bark so much. And why must you stop and smell everything??" No, Raevyn wasn't a pet person at all. Especially when the thing wanted to lick your face all the time.

"I will be glad to be rid of you for good as soon as we get to Ulder and Elaine's," she found herself saying to the dog as if it could understand the words that she was saying. Raevyn didn't care for the looks she got from passersby, or the little children that wanted to come up and pet it or play with it. Luckily for her she was a dark adhiel, and despite the fact that she was walking down the street with a bow wearing puppy with it's rapidly wagging tail, none dared venture too close to her.

She would've much preferred to have the thing wrapped up in a box or a crate that could be carried. That way she wouldn't have to deal with it wanting to pee every few burns, or when they passed a nearby tree. When Raevyn saw the manor nearby the Dort Embassy she was relieved. Her time with the infernal creature was soon to be at an end. Hopefully the trouble was worth it, and that her gift to them would be something that they would enjoy.

As she approached the front door she couldn't help but to be in a little bit of awe. Ulder had apparently done better than she thought he did judging by the appearance of his home. Which of course meant that he had money, and probably plenty of it.

With a audible sigh Raevyn relaxed herself and prepared to knock on the door. She couldn't figure out why she caught a sudden case of the butterflies. She was a cold blooded killer after all, being nervous before dinner was something she couldn't quite fathom. Once she regained her compousre, she took another deep breath and knocked.

[Elaine]

It had been a busy day and yet somehow still filled with a strange kind of laziness. There was a huge difference between trying to survive a demon and setting up dinner, after all. Many of the weddinggifts came in handy right now, as Elaine had never really had a home of her own here in the Citadel and as such posessed preciously little in homely items.

The Achadhiel did not need much to be content as such. With her husband -there was something magical about that word....'husband'....she loved pronouncing it- in the living room and Guider in the stables...together with the insane gift of two other horses, she was as rich as rich could be.

Of course being married did not change much. They had already spent most of their time together after the Changer was defeated, so that was not new. Nor was there any secret about their bedmanners by now. Yet somewhere, somehow being married did change it all. There was this funny feeling of rightness, of everything having an extra smile to it.

When they finally decided on ordering dinner in it could potentially have been embarassing to once again conclude that they were no stars in the kitchen, yet it wasn't. They had simply agreed on their shortcomings and sent for a solution.

Sounds from downstairs betrayed he was getting the table ready.
I love that man. The blind woman smoothed down her lightbrown dress with a smile.

Not surprisingly since she had agreed to marry him. The feeling persisted in strength and conviction. It was almost scary.

Tapping her way down Elaine noticed the sudden silence. Obviously he was done. Now it was a matter of locating him. "Love?"

A knock on the door interrupted her. "I think our company is here. Nicely timed." Confidently the woman navigated through the room to answer the door. She'd made sure to be involved in placing every single piece of furniture so she could learn it by heart.

The blind Achadhiel opened the door. "Good eveningtide." She smiled. "Raevyn?"

[Raevyn D`Altamooriana]

There was an awkward moment of silence for a flicker or two as Elaine came into vision after opening the door after Raevyn knocked. It wasn't totally because the young adhiel was at a loss for words, she was more at a loss for actions. There was surely something inherently wrong about giving a blind woman a puppy dog as soon as she opened the door. It was like a bad trick that you would play on someone that you didn't like that happened to be blind. Raevyn finally spoke.

"Hello Mrs. Synkaaros," was the only thing that the assassin could think of saying at the given moment and its circumstances. Sure enough if Ulder would've opened the door, she wouldn't have found herself in this uncomfortable moment. The creature attached to the other end of the leash upon noticing Elaine started towards her. It's advance was quickly halted by a rather sharp yank, and stern look that fortunately for Raevyn, Elaine probably couldn't see.

Raevyn first reaction was to tell Elaine how good it was to see her, or to compliment on her looks. Yet that didn't seem to be the right thing to say to her given her present affliction. Now she was at a loss for words.

"What a lovely house you have," she uttered while trying to remain as sincere sounding as she could and hoping that her voice wouldn't betray her hesitance. Of course after she said it, Raevyn could've kicked herslef for saying that because Elaine probably couldn't see how lovely it was herself. The assassin felt terribly uncomfortable and hoped that somehow Ulder would appear and be her knight in shining armor.

"And the food smells delicious, you both must have toiled for marks to prepare such a nice meal," she then added while she awaited the miracle that would be her old companion.

Hurry hurry hurry Ulder... Please for the love of everything sacred get to the door. Hurry up and save me from this awkward situation and more importantly come get his fucking dog!

[Ulder]

As she came downstairs he admired the simple grace that she carried herself with. He had always admired it and now that they had begun a life together, he silently vowed to enjoy the quiet moments, as it seemed that they had been few and far between.

He stood as she called for him, but the knock at the door interrupted his reply.

"Right behind you." He stated softly as she went to answer the door.

There was no hesitation in letting her answer it. It was her home, and they had talked about how excited they both were to receive their first guest. He beamed a smile as the door opened to reveal the lovely young woman Raevyn, holding a dog with a bow on a leash of all things.

He could not hold his tongue, there were few chances to give someone like Raevyn a good natured ribbing about, but he could recognize easily that this was one of them.

If only Theorn could see you now." He said loudly, a bold proclamation of mirth from a man known for being very serious and earnest.

"Please come in. I must confess, the food was brought in from the Burpin' Dragon."

He glanced down at the dog.

"But we only ordered enough for three..."

He crouched down to pet the dog.

"But... I think we can manage something for this little guy. I didn't know you liked dogs Raevyn, its quite a surprise to think of you with a pet."

[Raevyn D`Altamooriana]

Raevyn offered up a slight chuckle at the humor being displayed by her long time friend, for he believed that she enjoyed the company that pets provided. It was a myth that she was quickly about to put an end to.

"I do not like them at all," she said plainly. "I bought it yesterday and the thing has been nothing but a royal pain ever since. He's always trying to lick my face, or my feet. The thing doesn't shut up, ever. He, I think it is a he, he kept me up most of the night. Ohhh my friend, you have no idea how glad I am to be rid of it."

A smile then parted her lips. Nothing brought the young assassin more pleasure right now than telling Ulder and Elaine of their new gift.

"After all the dog is not mine, he is yours. Consider him a wedding gift from me to you and your lovely bride."

It was something that Raevyn never figured that she would be saying about a human and a mix breed. For the most part Raevyn didn't like humans, and cared for achadhiel even less. Of the things she hated, only orcs ranked lower on that scale, and not by much either. That wasn't the same however, in this case. Ulder was her friend despite him being a human. Therefore Raevyn would do her best to be as cordial as she could be when it came to Elaine.

[Elaine]

The discomfort was obvious and Elaine made sure to step aside to grant Raevyn a clear view of Ulder. These two knew each other and her beloved would undoubtedly put their guest at ease. Yet inwardly the woman wondered what it was that made Raevyn so uncomfortable. Her speech was accented, yet Elaine could not place it. It certainly could not be a matter of status, for Ulder and his guest had been very friendly upon meeting, like true comrades.

Elaine kept her thoughts to herself, chuckling at the entrance of the pup. Clearly there was more going on and soon the mystery revealed itself.

"It's ours?" The blind Achadhiel laughed out loud. "You brought a puppy as a gift? Oh my!"

Immediately Elaine went through her knees and held out a hand, waiting for the pup to come and explore her scent. "Hello there, little one. Does he have a name yet, lady?"

[Ulder]

Ulder smiled at his former comrade's near disgust with the animal. To think that she would endure such misery just to give him a gift was actually quite touching.

"Come in! Come in!" He invited her as Elaine interacted with the puppy. "We will do our best to honor the spirit of your sacrifice and welcome him..." Ulder checked to confirm the dog's gender with a sideways glance. "Yes, him into our family. Thank you Raevyn. Of all the generosity showered upon us after the ceremony, he is one of my favorite gifts."

He took a few flickers to watch the dog and his love get acquainted, then the manners his mother had tried so hard to instill in him came to the surface. What Ulder understood about the culture of the dark Adhiel was minimal, so he opted to try and make her as comfortable as possible. By allowing her to get used to her surroundings, he hoped she would relax after her trying time spent with the dog.

"Now then, as we let him get his bearings, we want to take a few moments to allow you to get yours. This is the main part of the house. There are rooms upstairs, but we spend the majority of our time down here. The kitchen is through those doors there, and that door leads to a space we are hoping that will serve as an office of sorts. Neither Elaine or I serve the Empire an any sort of official capacity as of yet, but we will keep track of our dealings in there sometime. I'd show you, but right now all it has is a desk and a chair in it, and that hardly seems worth it."

"As you can see, our table is here and the hearth is over there. I'll be happy to show you the horses a bit later, if you'd like, but for now I just assumed we would sit and catch up a bit. We received some fine Roque Red as a gift, I was just about to open a bottle, unless you'd rather have something else...?"

[Raevyn D`Altamooriana]

"I figured that I would leave that to you and your husband, he is yours after all," Raevyn said. It felt as if the weight of the world had been lifted off the assassin's shoulders when she let go of the leash that bound her to her four legged terror. That's when Ulder appeared and her whole demeanor seemed to change.

As he thanked her and showed her inside she smiled as much of a smile as she would allow herself to. "I do hope he brings you yahren upon yahren of endless enjoyment." The tone of her voice couldn't have been much more sarcastic than that.

Raevyn remained quiet and very observant of her surroundings as the former captain of the Purple Guard showed her the rest of his house. She noticed the care he showed in showing her his home. The assassin couldn't be certain, but it felt as if he was being too careful. It was enough to make her slightly nervous for a flicker or two until she finally spoke up.

"Wine will be fine friend, and you can do away with treating me as some sort of royalty," again a slight hint of a smile parted her lips. "It is just me Ulder, you do not have to be so formal." She paused for a moment as she stood behind a chair waiting for the couple to take seats. "Thank you though for being so considerate."

Normally the assassin could care less about someone else's feelings. This was not the case though with Ulder. Even though it had been some time since they had talked, but he was one of the few that Raevyn would admittedly call a friend. Something which he had earned way back when, when his actions guarding a caravan, had earned him respect in the killer's eyes.

[Elaine]

"Hello there, little friend." Elaine tried to comfort the pup while Ulder showed his friend around. "Maybe you can tell us your name in time. For now, just go around and have a look at your new home." She unfastened the leash and let the pup go. Undoubtedly there would have to be a lot of cleaning up after him in time, but he'd learn. For now it was more important that he knew this house was his as well.

The blind woman straightened up again, chuckling at Rae's admonishing of Ulder. Again that vague scent of discomfort wavered in the air. It was almost enough to simply ask...and in fact, that was exactly what Elaine was planning. She did not like unspoken complications.

Quickly she tapped her way over to Ulder and kissed him on the cheek. "I'm letting him roam for now, love. I promise I'll clean up after him." The young Achadhiel grinned.

"As for the two of you, it seems that it is not only Ulder's formalities that have you tense as a cat in a bag, Raevyn. I hope you will forgive me for saying so, but if there is something going on, I would very much like to know. Since the two of you are old friends, I would not feel bad over simply leaving you for some marks. Seriously." She tilted her head in Rae's direction.

[Ulder]

Ulder chuckled at Raevyn's mock admonishment.

"I wasn't trying to be formal. I was trying to be polite. Wine it is."

He stepped over to a side table and began to open a bottle.

As his wife neared him, he gave her hand a quick squeeze as she kissed him. But Elaine's words brought him to a gentle level of consternation. he spoke softly to her, uncaring of the intimate moment in front of their guest.

"You go wherever you want love. This is your home. There is no reason why you can't hear anything and everything that goes on here. You don't have to withdraw because of us. Whatever is said to me can be said in front of you."

He turned to look at Raevyn as well.

"My wife is very perceptive as you can see, and I've come to trust her intuition and perception as much as my own. Now, we go back quite a ways. We've fought together and we've bled together. This is a house of healing as much as anything else, so if there's something you'd like to say, for good or ill, then this is a good place to start."

[Raevyn D`Altamooriana]

A rapid fire response always seemed to be at the ready for young assassin. At times her barbed tongue could be as lethal as her aim with a short bow was. There was no need for that here though, as she was a guest of a friend and his new wife. However she still couldn't find herself at ease due to Elaine's probing questions just yet.

There was something about the blind girl that made her more cautious than she originally was when Elaine answered the door. Raevyn's response came slowly.

"There is nothing going on Ms. Synkaaros. Nothing at all. I am just getting used to here, this place in general. It is very unlike any place I have been before, except for maybe King's Court." For the most part, that was the truth. Raevyn was new to The Citadel and it would take her awhile to get adjusted to the place. Granted, knowing two people would make it much easier for her to do.

Raevyn was about to go on when Ulder interjected himself into the conversation. Once again he was there to the rescue. Not that Raevyn needed rescuing though. She was just more comfortable talking with him than she was to his wife whom she didn't know at all. Then he started to speak in the manner in which his wife just was by implying that there was something that Raevyn wanted to say, but couldn't.

"Ulder, you for one should know. If there is anything I have to say, I will happily say it and deal with any consequences later," she said as she took a seat that didn't leave her back exposed to the door. "So enough about that my friend, I am fine and your hospitality is truly appreciated."

[Ulder]

"Fair enough." Ulder replied as he poured three cups and walked over to sit with Raevyn.

He wasn't completely convinced that Raevyn was telling the complete truth, and he gave Elaine plenty of time to ask any question or follow up in whatever way she wished. He served the dark Adhiel's cup to her with a smile and a nod.

Once it seemed the conversation was moving beyond that point, he invited her to speak freely about other things.

He sat at the table with his guest, his calloused hands absently playing with the wine cup he drank from.

"I must confess I was rather surprised to look up and find you standing there. Yours was not a face I had imagined seeing again. Theorn once told me to be wary and vigilant for signs of your approach. I guess after so much time had passed, I forgot his words."

He chuckled softly as the dog padded by, sniffing.

"You were never the sort to sit and reminisce though. So with that in mind, I can only assume you wanted to talk to me or us about something..."

He trailed off, prompting her to go ahead with whatever it was he assumed she wanted to talk about.

[Raevyn D`Altamooriana]

This was peculiar.

And Raevyn had a hard time coming to grips with the fact that Ulder seemed to think that she was there for more than what she was actually there for. On the same accord however, the assassin couldn't blame him for she would be doing the same thing herself if the the roles were reversed.

"You are correct though my friend, I did not come to reminisce. I did however come to share in good times with an old friend, nothing more. Truth be told, I was perhaps as shocked as you were to see me at your wedding as I was finding out that you were here in town." The fact that Jadmai was also in town was another surprise that she didn't feel like making known.

Neither was the late night conversation with Jadmai. There was business that Raevyn was sure that he wanted her to discuss with Ulder, but that would be for some other time. This was her time and she was going to do with it what she wanted to do.

"So I guess you could say that I am here to talk with you Ulder, but not of our distant pasts together. That holds little importance to me.'

She looked around the house, while she spoke to add emphasis on what she was saying. "You have a nice house now, and a wife. You look to be happy and content. It is obvious that you have done well Ulder."

The little puppy continued its quest to smell everything in it's new surroundings. It came back to her feet, and she firmly kicked it away from her while keeping a grin on her face while she spoke.

"But I know nothing of you, the man that you became after being nothing more than a humble guard of a caravan. That might be a good place to start. How you came to marry too."

[Ulder]

Ulder sat at the table and made himself comfortable.

"There is little to tell really, or at least little in the way of noteworthy. After the Caravan ended, I took my payment and headed to wherever it was the wind took me. I wandered about with a touring group, and when we separated, I spent some time looking for purpose and meaning. The sword I had originally set out to find, was lost forever, but the mission of the man that once gave it to me called to me and I came here."

"I joined the ranks of the Guard, as my previous experience with the caravan was enough to get me into the testing. Once I was in, the days and weeks were filled with patrols and standing at post. That's where I met Elaine. I was on duty at an event with the Caesar, and she was there as well. We began talking after a mild confrontation and it was too long after that where I knew that I always wanted to talk to her every day for the rest of my life."

He smiled uncontrollably as he glanced over at his new bride. His gaze lingered for an extra heartbeat or two as he drank in the sight of her before returning his attention to Raevyn.

"So you ask about the man I became. I'm afraid it's rather not much different. I have more now then I did, and I used to do a similar job as I did on the caravan, but the man himself? I don't think I'm all that different."

[Elaine]

Elaine frowned, but did not comment any further. Clearly Raevyn wanted to get past her questions as quickly as possible and since she was a former collegue of Ulder it would not make sense to start interrogating her on the spot.

The moment Rae asked about how they came to marry a smile formed around her lips. Now that was a subject well chosen if their guest had wanted to divert the attention. Ulder was likely to retell the entire story in great detail and frankly, their whole meeting and the subsequent talks still made her stomach tumble. It wasn't such a chore to listen to that when her entire life spelled out the happy ending of this particular story.

The blind woman was not so blind as to forget about Rae's awkwardness. She kept it in the back of her mind as the two talked, trying to find her own answers.

She stepped behind Ulder and put her arms around his neck. "Different in some ways, love. We grew. We learned. The mere fact that we are here together instead of one of us being shipped off proves what we learned."

It was not meant as an accusation of any kind, yet it was worth mentioning. Ulder had changed in his perception of the situation and perhaps even her. It had meant so much to her when he seemed to realize that her own tasks here had made it impossible to 'get to safety'. Even with the kidnapping that followed he had not chided her for it once. He had grown stronger for sure.

"Won't you tell me how the two of you met, Raevyn? Surely there's a tale or two hidden in that moment?"

[Raevyn D`Altamooriana]

Ulder's answers weren't what Raevyn expected. She thought there would be more to the story but was satisfied with what he had told her. There would be more time in the future the assassin assumed, for the two of them to discuss the finer points. She also found it cute when Elaine chimed in with what she had to say.

When Elaine asked Raevyn how the two came to know each other the assassin seemed to relax a little bit more. It wasn't too probing of her and was something that she would be glad to answer.

"We met in King's Court,"Raevyn began her answer as she leaned back into her chair a little bit. "We were guards for a caravan that was departing from King's Court to Taquar." Again Raevyn found herself doing her best to speak in the common language of the humans. There was no doubt that she had gotten better at it but she still used adhiel words here and there as she spoke.

"He was... bad," she went on to say with a smile on her face. "He seemed I think the word is, insecure, maybe. But he was good too. Better than the others and he learned fast. Soon he was best one there, besides me of course." The more Raevyn spoke the more at ease she became, even if she inadvertently butchered up a word or two occasionally.

Raevyn went on of some of the battles thw two fought, and how she thought at first that Ulder wasn't going to live to see the end of the trip at first. Then she spoke of the gentle bond between the two as the trip progressed.

"He got mad at me though," the assassin said as she turned a playful glare at the newly wedded groom. "He got mad because I cared more for my in.. invest... what do you call the word..." Raevyn couldn't figure it out and just said investment in adhiel and hoped that at least Elaine would get it, "more than the people guarding it. But that is our way," Raevyn went on to say. "In Gulanadur people were cheap and not of much concern. People, meaning humans, and others not of dark adhiel bloodlines were slaves. Born bred beaten they were, like livestock. Never seen more than possessions that were easily replaced."

It wasn't unlike the young adhiel to boast of her accomplishments. So she had no problem boasting about how she went on to take the lead of the caravan and it's successful arrival in Taquar under her guidance.

"Then we we got there and got paid, I never saw him again or heard about him. Not until your wedding."

[Ulder]

He placed his hands warmly on Elaine's arms as they encircled him.

"Well, that's true." He admitted. "We have learned a great deal that both life and one another have taught us. I have always tried to learn from my mistakes and carry their lessons forward. If I have done so, it is because I've surrounded myself with people who taught me well."

He patted her arm reassuringly. "Not to mention marrying those who will not let me repeat those errors."

Ulder listened to the dark Adhiel recount the story of the Caravan. It was interesting to him at the very least to hear what she thought of him then and now. He recalled a time when she had threatened Penth and himself and said the would never amount to anything and that there were little better than slaves. He'd been angry alright, it was only the orcs attacking that had halted, and later permanently interrupted any confrontation that might have happened. Here and now, all this time later, he was glad that it never took place.

"I was rather surprised at you back then Raevyn. You were the first from Gulandur that I had ever encountered in my life at that time. First impressions are powerful ones, and for a long time I viewed you and your people as assassins and thugs who were only out for money and power. It's only been in the intervening time that I have learned that not all from Gulandur are quite so militant about treating others with such callousness. In fact, I was just speaking with another from Gulandur this morning and I was struck by how respectful and diplomatic he was."

"Tell me, do you know Jadmai Av'Zathrak?"

[Raevyn D`Altamooriana]

Style, grace, elegance, poise under pressure. Those are things that Raevyn tended to pride herself in. She would never tell anyone that of course, and her actions would usually speak louder than her words could. It was perfectly acceptable in the eyes of the dark adhiel for others to look bad so long as she didn't. Image was to say, almost everything. Any emotion that she felt was almost always concealed behind the veil of cold calculation and an iron will.

That was all shot to Nether when Ulder asked her that one, simple, question. Of course fate would have it that in her hand was a glass of wine that she was in the middle of taking a drink from. Of course wine shot from her nose and she found herself almost choking from the sudden shock to the system. A fatal blow to her infallible defenses that enabled her to keep herself collected no matter what obstacle lied before her. His question was a surprise.

And Raevyn hated surprises.

It was if a ghost of her past had reared it's ugly head to haunt her. Her relationship with Jadmai was a brief one, and one that was recently renewed, much like here now with Ulder. How the two, the only two people in the city she knew, came to meet each other, on this very day no less, was something that Raevyn was could not have ever expected. Much less prepare herself for.

"Jadmai," the assassin repeated him after she cleared her throat and fought to regain her composure. "Ahem."

So much for keeping that a secret. There would be no denying that she knew him now. Her reaction to the question made that perfectly clear, perhaps even to Ulder's blind wife. She took a napkin to wipe up any wine that might have gotten on her and silently cursed herself to the high heavens for the display.

"Yes," she finally said after a slight moment of awkwardness. "I know of him."

The question is... how do you know him?

"We know each other from some time ago. In the deserts of Amun Rah we met," she began to say while trying harder than ever to focus on speaking in Ulder's native language. When Raevyn was overly excited or felt any strong emotion she tended to speak in her native language automatically. Luckily Ulder didn't know that about her, at least she hoped he didn't. So she took a few long breathes to relax herself enough to talk to him.

"We had a meeting last night, and we talked about our shared pasts and how we both ended up here," she said. This time the glass of wine found it safely to her lips where she took a lady like sip before placing it back down. What the two native Gulanadarians spoke aside from that was something that Raevyn didn't feel the need to go into. Not yet at least. It was again time for the assassin to divert the topic. Something which she did by redirecting the question back at Ulder.

"What did the two of you discuss my friend?"

[Ulder]

It seemed the name struck a chord. More than a chord perhaps, judging by the her sudden, uncontrolled reaction. It was almost amusing to Ulder that she would respond in such a manner. She always seemed so calm, so controlled, to the point that it was easy to forget she was just a young woman, barely older than a girl really.

But this reaction to Jadmai's name intrigued him. Jadmai himself had seemed an amiable enough fellow. He'd been polite, considerate, and forthright. Their discussion earlier today led him to believe that he was dealing with a fine, relatively upstanding man, despite his apparent ambition for wealth. But still, Ulder had met many who were motivated by wealth instead of other factors, that was little excuse to distrust the man. Perhaps Raevyn could shed additional light on his character.

"He came here with a business proposal of sorts. He was seeking me as a partner for his venture, but I turned him down. Then we spoke a bit about money, and family and freedoms. He's agreed to help Elaine and I on a bit of a venture of our own, so it seems our association with him is just beginning."

Ulder watched as the dog continued to bound around the floor. It seemed he hadn't ventured upstairs yet, and was still exploring the lower floor of his new home.

"So anything you can tell me about him would be much appreciated. I feel like we spoke long enough for me to get a good measure of him, but I've been around folks long enough to know that appearances can be deceiving."

This was a clever little way of displaying what he knew of Raevyn's dealings. What he was really saying was I know you're more than what you appear, and I want you to know I know.

"Of course, I could use someone with your particular skills on this venture as well. The pay isn't very good, but the cause is. If you'd like to hear more, all you have to do is ask."

[Raevyn D`Altamooriana]

Raevyn pondered this all for a moment. Her total loss of composure, then of his conversation with Jadmai, and finally about this new proposal that was now laid before her. It seems that things had changed since the last time she and Jadmai had spoken, and that was just the other day. Needless to say if those two were going, chances are she would go as well.

The way Ulder worded his question was done quite well. Of course he knew of her abilities so there would be no denying what she knew. The only thing that Ulder didn't know about her abilities was how much they had gotten better since there days and nights on the caravan.

"Then tell me friend, of this plan of yours. I am always willing to listen to a friend," she answered still trying her best to speak in his language. She may have butchered or misplaced a word here or there but chances were that nothing was lost in translation.

[Ulder]

Ulder wasted little time.

"No doubt you've heard by now of the troubles in the West. The King is dead, much of the kingdom is in disarray because of it. World's Mouth is now a colony of the Empire, and uncertainty if rife and thick."

He twirled his wine cup in his hands.

"But more than that there is a place called Pax Balthasar. A new city named by and for that dead King. Because his Grace was a devout follower of the One God called Dominicus, he decreed that all others that worshiped other Gods were pagan, and that they could not continue to exist among those faithful to the One. So he parceled out some land, and ordained it as a new city where the pagans could dwell. I'm sure he meant it as a gesture of tolerance and good will, but the reality is he created a prison for those of other faiths. I don't care what one calls it, or how well it gets dressed up, a prison with a pretty name and a pretty red pillow is still a prison."

He glanced at his love. Their conversations about this had been many, and when his parents were here, those discussions had been even more intense.

"Because their is so much unease and unrest in the West right now, we are going there to ensure that the people of Pax, and indeed all of the West will be free to worship whatever Gods they choose. Persecution of the people there cannot stand and must be undone. We are going to build new temples and shrines and do away with the decrees and extremism of the One Church."

He carefully regarded Raevyn's reaction to his words. He knew she followed other Gods than the One, but was uncertain of how she would react to something that was tantamount to rebellion.

"I anticipate that the liberation of Pax will be a rather unpopular move, and will draw their attention and energy to reclaiming it. We need those who can keep calm and collected in the midst of a fight. I remember the caves when the orcs attacked. You held your ground and kept your composure then. I know you could do so again."

"But I don't know your beliefs and thoughts on the matter. Perhaps you agree with what we wish to do, perhaps not. But I welcome your thoughts and opinions on the matter. Feel free to speak your mind."

[Raevyn D`Altamooriana]

The assassin sat silently as she listened to her human counterpart, dinner host, and friend, Ulder. She listened and she thought of how he had grown into what seemed to be an upright citizen and person of deep moral conviction. Something which was about the exact opposite of what she was.

Raevyn eyed Elaine from time to time as Elaine made her way about the house. It was amazing to see someone who couldn't see at all getting around with relative ease. Even that annoying puppy dog seemed not as annoying for the moment. Slowly the adhiel reached for her glass of wine to take a small sip.

It wasn't until Ulder mentioned Oneist's did her demeanor seem to change. Raevyn's grip on her wine glass tightened, her heart began to beat faster, and her blood began to boil. Despite their resolute defeat, she still felt the need to dispense a little bit of her own brand of revenge on those who followed the One.

"Does it matter if I agree with you when you really think about it," she asked of her friend. "You are a friend, Ulder. And you are asking of me to help you. For that reason alone I could say yes."

She paused to collect her thoughts, and to shoo away the puppy sniffing her leg with her foot.

"But please know that I am no longer a fighter Ulder. It is true that I have been in the Emerald Guard, and that I have risen in their ranks. However my training and my expertise was directed in things other than combat. I do think that I can still possibly be of service to you though."

Raevyn went no further into that. Nor did she go into her rising position within her own religion. A place like Pax could be ripe for the pickings if one was diligent and planned carefully. Victims would be plentiful, and Oneist's would make the best of sacrifices to her dark goddess.

[Ulder]

"To be honest, I'm not looking for those who can fight, I'm looking for those that will fight, and I'm not necessarily speaking of physical combat.

Ulder shifted forward in his chair to emphasize his point as he clarified it.

"This is a spiritual and ideological battle more than anything else. Sure, I will need those who can defend themselves if a battle ensues, and I do expect that battle will come. Pax is a sensitive matter to many that dwell in the West, and with that sensitivity will come those who are willing to kill to keep a change from coming, so there will be a need to defend ourselves. But its not a physical change we're seeking. Its an ideological one. These Gods existed before Balthasar decreed they were "pagan" and they will continue to exist long after everything he touched has turned to dust. My point is, that one man does not have the right or the mandate to dictate faith. I cannot see any just cause for one man, any man, to wield that kind of power over an entire nation."

He sat back again, suddenly very self aware that he was dangerously close to over inflicting his viewpoint on his guest. It was point he sought to make, not convert her to a cause, so he sat back and relaxed.

"I don't want your help because of affiliations we once shared in the past. I want your help because you believe that what we are trying to do be just and that you believe in the future of the idea itself."

[Elaine]

Elaine listened.

It was after all what she did best.

She listened and learned. Ulder's point of view was not new to her and in fact she shared his thoughts on Pax Balthasar. Yet it felt wrong to name anyone the bad guy in this discussion since in all fairness there was a huge chance both sides were acting from within their beliefs!

Her thoughts wandered off to the Mouth where she grew up and where her uncle made his living as a blacksmith. It had been an intolerant, unforgiving city, yet it was hard to place the blame anywhere but with those not willing to at least listen.

After her discussions with the Mother in her meditative garden the blind woman had thought long and hard on the gods and their quarrels. It sounded not much different from everyday life here in the Citadel and somehow it did not surprise her either.

She chuckled and shook her head while moving softly through the room to refill the glasses.

Still it felt good to at least give Pax a fighting chance, to give them the chance to stand up and believe in what they wanted to believe without being killed over it.

And that goes for the Oneists as well.

Her face took on a stubborn expression. It would be so easy for the so called freedom fighters to forget what they were fighting for, only to inflict on the Oneists that which they claimed to fight. She would have to be there, if only to soothe her mind that this was not going to happen.

Hm...if people listen, that is.

"Following a friend is dear, following your beliefs even more so." She interrupted softly. "Only if you listen to your heart will you be able to be truly effective in this fight, otherwise we will have lost the cause even if we help Pax."