Loké Posted June 19, 2004 Share Posted June 19, 2004 What if a certain tiefling from Planescape: Torment wound up in the BGII universe? It would be interesting at the very least. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "This is speak" This is descriptive text 'This is thought.' --------------------------------------------- The Wyvern gave a hoarse, primal scream, as the magically enhanced arrow tore through its scales and imbedded itself in it's voice box, and it plummeted to the ground. It hit the hard white substance that was the floor with a sickening crunch, its tongue hanging out of it's mouth, it's deep, thick blood flowing in a steady stream across the floor as even in death, its lifeless eyes glared blind hatred. “Good shot Minsc.†Loké looked past the body of the wyvern, to its ‘perch’. It seemed to be pulsing. "Gods this plane is weird. Why did we come here again?" "To... to rescue Haer'dalis Loké. Remember?" asked a slightly timid Aerie. Loké turned around and gave her a slightly withering look, though there was some amusement on his face. He simply responded "It was a metaphorical question Aerie," to which the said elf blushed slightly as she stuttered an apology. Loké was a half-elf, just under six feet tall with short, spiky, unruly raven hair that seemed to resist *any* attempt to be styled- Loké had given up on it when he was seven. Lightly scarred, he was fairly muscular- not too muscular, but not too skinny either- just above average in fact. He had fairly high cheekbones and deep brown eyes that had seen more than most 50-year-old humans, and he spoke with a deep voice. Wearing the Darkmail chain mail, he was adequately protected-he also wore the boots of the north on his feet that they had found when travelling to that gnoll fortress when they'd first met Minsc, as well as his cloak of the wolf- fortunately Irenicus hadn't managed to sell a fair amount of their original equipment. He had Celestial Fury in a scabbard over his right shoulder, a generic magical short sword on his left waist. He walked over to where they'd managed to kill the balor look-alike just before the wyvern and picked up the green orb. "Right, lets get this to that hole thing the gnome said we had to shove it in... I hate this prison plane." With that the party, consisting of Loké, Aerie, Minsc, Jaheria and Keldorn, they walked past all the bodies of the Yaun-ti and enslaved races to the bizarre glowing pedestal they’d passed on their way here. It’d had a small slot for a round ball shaped item, the item a gnome had mentioned to them when they’d Loké got out the green orb, muttered "Here we go..." and placed it into the slot. The ball promptly sank into the structure. There was a deep, rumble as the ground trembled slightly. It kept getting louder and louder, the party having trouble standing after a few seconds due to the trembling. Then it stopped, as suddenly as it had started. Keldorn opened his mouth to say something, when northwest of their location, a massive explosion rocked the ground, even where they were, the fireball raising to over ten metres high. As one man, the party started running towards the fighting. When they got there, it was chaos. Bits of charred body lay everywhere- since the thralls had been freed from their mental domination they had fought with their masters for their freedom. They didn't stand much of a chance though against their masters- mainly because only a handful of the thralls were armed and secondly, they were fighting against accomplished fighters and mages. They party absorbed this after observing the carnage in a nanosecond before they entered the fray. Aerie's contingency spell cast a salvo of magic missiles at a mage. Jaheria started to heal some of the wounded thralls. Keldorn dispelled some of the protections the enemy mages had cast. Minsc and Loké simply charged into battle, Minsc telling Boo to 'Go for the eyes!' Loké never bothered with war cries. He unsheathed Celestial Fury, twirled, using the momentum of the twirl in conjunction with Celestial Fury's momentum to slice through the arm of a heavily armoured figure as if it was air, ignoring the scream of agony and blood that had spurted from the wound onto his face. He parried a blow from a Githzerai and thrust, forcing it through his neck and cleaving the spinal column. That was when Loké saw her for the first time. They say time stops when you see some people. Time seemed to slow to a crawl for him when he saw her. She was about five-foot-six, brunette, looked human except for a tail, and from the way he saw her just take out those two bounty hunters with her punching daggers, she wasn't a half bad fighter either. He saw her turn around again and try to punch a figure in jet-black full plate mail with her dagger, but as another fireball exploded she lost her balance; as he watched, he gripped Celestial fury with both hands and started running. Loké twirled the sword in his grip and held it over his back, ready to deliver an overhead slash. The woman looked up at the armoured figure as it raised its two handed sword. He was facing the same direction as Loké, so Loké was coming from behind him. She couldn't see him because of the size of whoever, or whatever, was under the armour. As Loké charged he saw, out of the corner of his eye, her tail wrap around the ankle of the knight-she was going to try and take his leg from under him. She never got the chance. Loké swung Celestial Fury in a horizontal slash and decapitated the black knight in a single blow, the thick, black blood spurting out from the wound. He slipped on some of the blood though, and , unable to stop, crashed into the headless body of the knight and onto a rather surprised Annah, getting themselves blood all over each other, skidding with the blood's lubrication a few feet, leaving a black smear across the white floor, Annah somehow ending on top of Loké, faces barely inches apart and brown both with a look of surprise on both their faces. After the initial shock of seeing her attacker's head go flying off, ending up lying on top of some man [albeit a handsome one] who nearly kissed her [albeit accidentally] Annah responded in the way only she does. She practically snarled at Loké when she said: "Ye got blood all over mah armour! Pike off yer bloody sod!" Suffice to say Loké was taken aback, his surprise showing clearly on his face. "Pardon?" "Are ye deaf yer berk! Pike off!" Loké wasn’t normally a man to get annoyed easily… well you hadn’t to be, growing up with Imoen and her pranks; but he'd just probably saved her life and even though he didn't know what 'pike' meant, some things translate easily. So he did what he always did when he was angry-he acted logically. "You’re on top of me." Annah looked as if she was going to wallop him before she spoke quietly, her voice gathering volume as she spoke. "Aye, and I cannnae get off BECAUSE SOME STUPID BERK WON'T LET GO AH MAH ARM!' Her eyes burnt with anger, her teeth were gritted and her face was slightly red as Loké realised that he was holding her left arm at the wrist-and quite tightly too. His hands were so large his fingers wrapped around it easily. He also couldn't help noticed it was pretty soft and very warm. He blushed at the thought... and the suddenly realised fact he could get a good look down her body from his current position too. He let go of her wrist and she immediately got up, still looking livid; though the colour had faded from her face. "Sorry." he simply stated, still blushing faintly. "If ya hadn'na helped me with that lummock ah'd gut ya, pike." Loké's curiosity got the better of him, so he asked while he was getting up himself: "Despite having a good idea, I have to ask: what exactly does 'pike' mean?" Annah gave him a look of contempt as her tail flicked from side to side. Neither of them had noticed that while lying on top of each other the others had taken care of the bounty hunter/slavers and were watching the interaction with interest, as were some of the surviving thralls Jaheria and Keldorn had amused looks on their faces despite their [albeit] minor wounds.. "Wha' the hell are ye yer leatherhead? A prime?" Loké wasn't too familiar with planar beings vocabulary but he did know that, that word referred to anyone from the prime material plane-where he came from. "Yes." Annah smirked, but before she had the chance to say anything Jaheria interrupted: "While watching you two bicker like children is amusing, we must find Haer'Dalis and the others." Annah's smirk grew even larger as she said to Loké, her tail swished from up and down slowly as she folded her arms under her breasts, the amusement clearly in her voice when she asked "Who's she laddy? Ya ma... or is she yer lover?" Both Jaheria and Aerie's body postures stiffened slightly at the question, and it didn't go unnoticed by the others... well, except for Minsc for [hopefully] obvious reasons. "I am neither his lover OR his mother you... you... affront to nature!" Loké saw the danger as Annah's arms straightened, that spark of defiance entered her eyes again and she clenched her fists around her retrieved daggers. "Now isn't the time to squabble. We must find Haer'Dalis and the rest of the troupe as soon as possible." Keldorn stated. Loké gave him a look that seemed to say ‘Thank you.’ before turning back to the still tense Annah. "Names Loké. Loké Nightflame. You are...?" "What's it to ye?" "I like you know whom I’m talking to,†he responded. After a few seconds, he realised she wasn’t going to tell him, and apologised for the blood all over her. And all over her it was. Annah's torso, as well as most of her left arm, was covered in the black substance-and most of her legs. Loké wasn't any better- most of his torso was covered in the stuff too, the left side of his face was positively drenched in the stuff-he'd need to wash his hair before the blood dried to stand any hope of getting it out quickly. Annah smirked and replied 'Yeah, well, yer paying for the cleaning, berk." Loké opened his mouth for a comeback, but decided not to bother. She looked like she had a pretty severe cut along her arm and her abdomen, though he couldn't be sure on the latter for blood. "Aerie, can you heal her please?" Loké asked. Aerie walked over timidly and cast the spell, but not before Annah turned around and nearly punched her-she would have if she hadn't recognised the words of the spell. Her wounds glowed, started closing, and then disappeared. Loké regarded the two 'catwalks' they were yet to explore. One led north, the other northwest. "I reckon we go down," he pointed to the northwest route, "that one." He regarded Annah, who glared back. "...Wanna come with us? We could use another man." Annah opened her mouth to [in Loké's mind at least] brush the offer aside with a catty remark, but the others didn't give her the chance. "I do not like the idea of this affront to nature being in our midst Loké!" Jaheira practically shouted. "I-I don't think that's a good idea..." Aerie stuttered nervously "Though I cannot detect anything ill from her, I too am unsure, if we should allow her to travel with her." Keldorn stated in an even tone. "We know nothing of her race." The ending of Keldorn’s statement visibly surprised Annah. "Yah mean yer *never* seen a tiefling before?" the surprise evident in her tone. "Actually yes. About two hours ago we met Haer'Dalis." Loké replied off-handily as he went about looting the bodies. "Shut it laddie." Loké stopped, sighed, and looked at her while hunched over the decapitated black knight. "Look, do you want to come with us or not? You'll be safer with us and you'll be welcome,' he said looking at the others, giving Jaheira and Aerie meaningful looks, 'right guys?' Keldorn merely gave a small grunt, Aerie stammered out a yes, Jaheira muttered, "It's her decision" and Minsc bellowed, "Boo and I think that the pretty woman should come with us! It's not safe for young damsels to wander around this den of evil!" Much to the bemusement of Annah. “What in the hell’s is he talking to?†She asked as she raised an eyebrow and tilted her head slightly. “Some kindah rat??†An angry squeak was heard from Boo, and Minsc cried out “Boo is not a rat! He is a miniature giant space hamster!†Annah face-faulted, turned to Loké and calmly asked “Do ya know ya’ve got a loon in yer group?†Loké replied in shrugged. “You get used to it. We need to get moving, so are you coming with us or what?†Annah looked thoughtfully at the gang, and then at the smouldering bodies around her while Loké looted the bodies and found another wardstone. “I dannee ‘av much choice, do ah?†Loké gave her a small smile, “Great, what are your skills?†“I ain’t met a lock I cannae pick yet or a trap I cannae disarm.†Loké’s smile got even larger. “Great, we need a good thief. I’ve been doing the traps ‘n stuff myself but I’m not that good. How are you with a bow?†Annah shrugged. “Well here,†he said as he handed her the short bow in his pack, “It’s magical, it creates it’s own arrow as you pull the string back, so it should be a bit easier for you.†As he spoke Annah took the bow, drew the string back experimentally, nearly letting go in surprise, as an arrow suddenly appeared, knocked and ready to be fired. She gently relaxed the bow, and the arrow vanished as quickly as it had appeared. As she looked at the bow thoughtfully her Keldorn interrupted her thoughts. “Milady, your position in the formation is behind me.†To which she silently got into position, and the group moved on. To say Ulgreth was bored was an understatement. Here he was, standing there like a prize berk guarding these stupid poncey actors while gods-only-know-what was happening throughout the rest of the prison. If only someone would come and relieve him he could go see what the hells had been going on at the main… Ulgreth swore. He had a good idea of just what had been happening, and who’d won, when he saw six heavily armed-armoured-people calmly walking up to him. “You here for the prisoners?†He asked as calmly as he could. The one with shaggy black hair responded, “Yeah, and there’s two ways of doing this. You get out of our way and get lost, or you fight very bravely and die very quickly.†He smiled sweetly at him. “Your call.†Ulgreth didn’t need to think for long. He immediately got out of the way and ran past them along the catwalk. “You should have warned him about the thralls Loké,†Keldorn reprimanded. “Bollocks. ‘E’s gonnae get what ‘e deserves, that bastard.†Annah practically growled. “E’s always been pickin’ on the week ‘uns tha’ cannae defend ‘emselves.†Loké gave a small shrug as he walked up the doors, the said objects disappearing when Loké held up the wardstone he looted from the black knight’s body. “Bit late either way now.†“Yer goin’ back ta Sigil?†Annah asked Raelis. “Indeed my child. You would like to return with us, I sense,†she replied, smiling knowingly. Annah’s tail stopped swishing and coiled around her leg again as a look of sadness flickered briefly across her face. Raelis nodded, and said, “Fill this place with song, in memory of what has transpired here. Go, and let us each part in love.†With that, Haer’Dalis, Raelis and the rest of the troupe walked into the new portal to Sigil, which faded away a few seconds later. ‘…What the hell did *that* mean?’ Was all Loké could think of. He gave out a heartfelt sigh, turned to the others and said, “Well I dunno about you guys but I’m knackered. How does this inn’s finest rooms sound?†A suggestion met with much approval by everyone. Everyone except Annah Loké noticed, who’d walked off the stage and was sitting on the front bench, looking around with… with an almost touchingly lost look on her face. He jumped off the stage and walked up to her, her watching him since she heard him hit the floor. As he finished closing the distance she looked up and glared. “Whadya want, berk?†“There’s no need to be like that,†he said as he closed the distance and stood in over her. “There’s *every* need to be like this yer stupid prat,†she snapped as he tail suddenly cracked like a whip without the sound, “Ah’m stuck on the bloody prime material plane! Ah’ve never been ‘ere before, so ah’m totally lost, ah’ve got anyae equipment…†She stood up and glared furiously at Loké who unconsciously took a step back in the intensity of said person’s glare. He’d had enough of being belittled by people for one day though and snarled, “Well it’s hardly *my* fucking fault is it! You had the opportunity to bugger off to some place called Sigil instead of stay here and you bloody well didn’t!†“Aye, and I cannae go back there!†she yelled. Loké paused for several seconds. “Come with us.†It caught Annah of guard, but she still snapped, “oh sure, come wi’ a group of people I dannae know in a world I dannae know and do I dannae what!†“Why the hells are you so damn antisocial! We’ve helped you so far, we need someone with your skills, you’re unfamiliar to this land, so why *not* stay with us?†“Cause I dannae have any reason ta trust yeh!†“Then let us prove ourselves for the gods’ sake!†Before they could carry on any further Jaheira walked up next to them and interrupted them. “Loké, young woman, we are all tired. I suggest that you both stop arguing now, we pay for your room fee, and we discuss this like adults tomorrow.†“Fine,†was all Annah’s response, arms folded across her chest again, and Loké gave a sigh and walked past her upstairs. When they walked upstairs and outside into the bar, the room fell silent as they looked at them. Annah soon realised that they were actually looking at *her*. Loké whispered, “Stay here,†talked to the caretaker barman on duty for several minutes, and eventually came back with three keys. “Upstairs.†Aerie noticed the keys and asked why he only had three keys to which Loké said, “I’ll explain upstairsâ€Â. They walked upstairs, past the first few doors on either side, then Loké turned and unlocked on of the beds, the others following him in, Keldorn closing the door behind them. Loké spun around and spoke. “I’ll get straight to the point. The good news is we have rooms. The bad news, is that the inn’s bloody full, so we’ve had to buy the most expensive rooms because no-one else can afford them.†The end of that sentence made Annah raise an eyebrow. “The *bad* news, is that there are only three of those, two double’s and two singles.†He paused to let this information sink in before clapping his hands together and doing a mock grin of pleasure, “Soo… who goes with whom?†“If ya try anything laddie-“ “ ‘An’ I’ll be spittin’ teeth for a week’,†Loké interrupted, “I *know*. If it’s any conciliation I’m as happy about this lark as you are.†“Sure.†The sarcasm was dripping. Keldorn and Minsc had gone together into one of the double beds, Aerie and Jaheria into the other, leaving Annah and Loké to the single beds. The two beds were the usual fair-two beds a good few metres apart on either side of the room, a candle on each dresser next to the beds. Annah had had no inclination to disrobe in Loké’s presence, and was lying on her bed, the one nearest the door, fully clothed, candle extinguished. Loké wasn’t feeling that inclined to strip in front of an audience either, so he was lying on his bed, heavy chain mail pooled on one side, Celestial Fury within easy reach. The silence was as deafening. “I don’t suppose you want to tell me anything about yourself now?†Loké asked while looking at the ceiling with a bored face. “No.†“Why?†Annah rolled off her back to face him. “‘Cause ah’ve learnt notta tell people thengs they dannae need ta know.†“Hm.†Loké lay there silent for several minutes before he spoke again. “If I told you about myself, would you tell me something about you?†He turned to look at her. “Even just your name?†Annah lay there looking at him, analysing the potential problems in agreeing. ‘Ah, what ‘arm cannaet do…’ “Alright.†And so Loké started from the beginning, of how he’d wound up in an inn with a grouchy tiefling. He talked about Imoen, how they grew up together, how he left Candlekeep with Gorion and how his half-brother murdered him, he talked about their friends along the way until he arrived at the end of just after they escaped from Irenicus’ dungeon and how the Cowled Mages captured Imoen. “I’m trying to get enough money to buy the Shadow Thieves aid.†He finished, his eyes dark as he gazed into the ceiling, apparently trying to make it crumble with his eyes. Annah could sense the change in atmosphere from nervous tension to determined, controlled hatred. “Shadow Thieves?†That some kinda guild?†She asked. He nodded. “Right,†Annah yawned, “well ‘am really beat now.†She rolled over, presenting his back to him. Loké turned his head to look at her back and her tail lie limp on her bed, before turning over away from her. As he tried to fall asleep, Annah called out to him. “Laddie?†“Mmhm? “Mah name’s Annah.†He gave a small smile. “Thanks… Annah.†With that, he blew his candle out, and they both lay like that until sleep claimed them. Naturally a light sleeper, Annah woke up in the night when she heard a small cry. Punching daggers in her hands, she turned to see Loké sitting up in the dark wide awake, his legs crossed, trembling, a haunted look on his face and in his eyes. She relaxed and swore quietly. “I t’ought we were annay attack. Instead ah see yeh tremblin’ like a wee kiddie.†She sneered as she gave him a withering look of contempt. She promptly swore again as Loké whipped his head round and snapped, “Shut it,†in a demonic voice, his eyes glowing yellow. When he blinked, the eyes disappeared, and he looked away from Annah ashamedly as he realised what he’d said to her. “Sorry,†he muttered. Sorry wasn’t good enough for Annah. “What tha hell was *that*!†she demanded. “What was what,†Loké asked a face to match the puzzlement in his voice. “Yeh bloody eyes, they were glowing yellow fer gods’ sake!†She cried out. Loké’s eyes widened in shock and he seemed to shrink in size. “What in tha hells happened! Yeh voi-†“Look, I had another nightmare, alright!?†Loké turned and cried back at her defensively. “I get them every night,†he continued, flipping over with his back to her, “just leave me alone.†“Nah until yeh tell me what that hells that was berk,†she retorted, getting up and walking over to his bed. When she nearly got there he rolled over and snapped, “I haven’t told you everything about me, and *I don’t bloody well intend to* until I know I can trust you! You’re not the only one with secrets so *sod* off back to your bed!†Annah unconsciously clenched her hands around her daggers, but bit back a snide remark. ‘He das ‘ave a point. I havnae exactly told him that much about mahself,’ she thought as she left him and climbed back onto her bed, and they both tried to fall back to sleep. Loké couldn’t sleep though, and he lay there as he started trembling again, remembering the dream. He only became aware of the fact he hadn’t slept after it when someone knocked on the door. “Who is it?†He called without looking. “Me.†Came the voice of Keldorn from behind the door. Loké got up and unlocked the door as he slung Celestial Fury and it’s scabbard over his shoulder. Keldorn walked in as Loké stood aside as invitation, and he looked at him quizzically when he saw the tiredness in Loké’s eyes. The said person nodded to answer the unspoken question. “The others are downstairs Loké,†spoke Keldorn, “however, I am sure that we could wait-†“No point…†Loké interrupted simply as he walked back to his bed to pick up a few minor items next to the candle on his dresser, “I can’t sleep and I don’t feel that tired anyway,†he lied. He’d gotten good at lying about this subject. Keldorn gave him a sceptic look, but turned around wand walked out. As he did so he said, “We’ll be waiting for you and the lady downstairs.†Loké slipped on his chain mail and turned around to Annah’s bed to wake her up - only to find that she was already ready to go. “I take it you were awake.†It was more a statement than a question as Annah stood there silently. “Do you intend to stay with us for the time being Annah? And do you want the others to know you’re name?†He found himself asking. The tiefling shrugged, “Ah dannae ‘av much choice. As fer yer friends…†she shrugged, “Ah get the feelin’ ah’m gonna be staying here for a while,†she spoke as she turned and started to leave the room. “Annah?†Loké called out. She stopped, and turned around. “Aye, what?†“I don’t know about where you come from, but tieflings are *very* seldom seen here. So don’t be too surprised if everyone… well…†Loké trailed off, seemingly embarrassed. “…Stares at me like ah’m some kinda freak?†Annah finished for him. -------------- This isn't going to be worked upon really here. I work on this at the Imoen Romance Mod forum, that's where I'm always reposting the little bits of this. I will post end results here, but... well. In short, expect lots of large blocks of polished stuff every now and again. I posted it here for C&C. Link to comment
Loké Posted July 18, 2004 Author Share Posted July 18, 2004 Naturally a light sleeper, Annah woke up in the night when she heard a small cry. Punching daggers in her hands, she turned to see Loké sitting up in the dark wide awake, his legs crossed, trembling, a haunted look on his face and in his eyes. She relaxed and swore quietly. “I t’ought we were annay attack. Instead ah see yeh tremblin’ like a wee kiddie.†She sneered as she gave him a withering look of contempt. She promptly swore again as Loké whipped his head round and snapped, “Shut it,†in a demonic voice, his eyes glowing yellow. When he blinked, the eyes disappeared, and he looked away from Annah ashamedly as he realised what he’d said to her. “Sorry,†he muttered. Sorry wasn’t good enough for Annah. “What tha hell was *that*!†she demanded. “What was what,†Loké asked a face to match the puzzlement in his voice. “Yeh bloody eyes, they were glowing yellow fer gods’ sake!†She cried out. Loké’s eyes widened in shock and he seemed to shrink in size. “What in tha hells happened!? Yeh voi-†“Look, I had another nightmare, alright!?†Loké turned and cried back at her defensively. “I get them every night,†he continued, flipping over with his back to her, “just leave me alone.†“Nah until yeh tell me what that hells that was berk,†she retorted, getting up and walking over to his bed. When she nearly got there he rolled over and snapped, “I haven’t told you everything about me, and *I don’t bloody well intend to* until I know I can trust you! You’re not the only one with secrets so *sod* off back to your bed!†Annah unconsciously clenched her hands around her daggers, but bit back a snide remark. ‘He das ‘ave a point. I havnae exactly told him that much about mahself,’ she thought as she left him and climbed back onto her bed, and they both tried to fall back to sleep. Loké couldn’t sleep though, and he lay there as he started trembling again, remembering the dream. He only became aware of the fact he hadn’t slept after it when someone knocked on the door. “Who is it?†He called without looking. “Me.†Came the voice of Keldorn from behind the door. Loké got up and unlocked the door as he slung Celestial Fury and it’s scabbard over his shoulder. Keldorn walked in as Loké stood aside as invitation, and he looked at him quizzically when he saw the tiredness in Loké’s eyes. The said person nodded to answer the unspoken question. “The others are downstairs Loké,†spoke Keldorn, “however, I am sure that we could wait-†“No point…†Loké interrupted simply as he walked back to his bed to pick up a few minor items next to the candle on his dresser, “I can’t sleep and I don’t feel that tired anyway,†he lied. He’d gotten good at lying about this subject. Keldorn gave him a sceptic look, but turned around wand walked out. As he did so he said, “We’ll be waiting for you and the lady downstairs.†Loké slipped on his chain mail and turned around to Annah’s bed to wake her up - only to find that she was already ready to go. “I take it you were awake.†It was more a statement than a question as Annah stood there silently. “Do you intend to stay with us for the time being Annah? And do you want the others to know you’re name?†He found himself asking. The tiefling shrugged, “Ah dannae ‘av much choice. As fer yer friends…†she shrugged, “Ah get the feelin’ ah’m gonna be staying here for a while,†she spoke as she turned and started to leave the room. “Annah?†Loké called out. She stopped, and turned around. “Aye, what?†“I don’t know about where you come from, but tieflings are *very* seldom seen here. So don’t be too surprised if everyone… well…†Loké trailed off, seemingly embarrassed. “…Stares at me like ah’m some kinda freak?†Annah finished for him. He nodded in a sheepish way, blushing faintly and Annah gave a small snort as he did so. ‘E’s kinda cute like tha’,’ she half-thought to herself as she turned around and continued walking downstairs. As she walked she became aware of Loké catching up to her and walking next to her. She turned to look at him and gave him a quizzical look when she saw the dark green bundle of cloth he was holding out for her In one hand. “Athkatla is quite magically orientated. More than one mage would want you, your race being so rare,†he explained, “this cloak isn’t much good-“ “Thanks laddie,†she interrupted as she realised what the idea was, “bu’ dannae expect annaethin’ back from meh.†“You part of my… *our* team now Annah. We don’t expect you to pay us for anything,†he muttered, looking a little hurt. “Why are you so mistrustful?†She stopped walking as they arrived on the stairs and slipped the cloak over her shoulders. It came down just past her knees, and she coiled her tail around her waist like a belt. “’Cause where ah’m from, ya hafta look after yahself,†she replied as she stared harshly into Loké’s eyes. He nodded in understanding after a few seconds and the pair resumed walking downstairs. Either everyone from last night wasn’t there any more, or they didn’t recognise Annah, as when they walked down the only gazes were longing or jealous gazes from men and women when they saw her face. They saw the others sitting at a table nearby and they walked over to sit with them. Minsc Keldorn and Jaheira were out of their armour, Aerie wearing her mage’s robe. “So where are we going?†Asked Aerie timidly as Annah and Loké sat down next to each other. She looked a bit worried about something, Loké noted without really paying attention. He was still dwelling on the nightmare. As the waitress came, Loké ordered some dwarven ale. Keldorn and Jaheira exchanged glances at this, while Minsc was chatting happily to Aerie as she petted Boo. Annah just sat there, watching the others as she gauged them. “I was thinking of going to… what’s her name…? Nalee’s…? keep and helping her with those trolls.†He replied. “What are trolls?†asked Annah. Loké turned his head, “Seven foot tall ugly green bastards that eat anything and everything they can, have incredible strength and stamina, oh and to cap things off,†he paused as the waitress arrived with the ale, and he downed it in one swing, “The fuckers re-grow anything you hack off unless you cauterise the bloody wound with acid or heat.†“Cute,†was all Annah replied. Loké looked at her silently for a few seconds before a thought occurred to him. “Do you want a drink?†He asked. Annah looked at him, thought the better of accepting and shook her head. “Then we’d better get going. Annah and I’ve got our stuff, we’ll wait outside for you.†As they entered the open the door outside and stepped into sunlight, Annah took in her surroundings as Loké walked up to the railings in front of her, and looked over the expanse of water in front of them. ‘A’reeght, nathin’ too dissimilar except for tha loada primes… usual whore’s an’ merchants, blue skies ah kinda nice ta look a’, and…’ “What the ‘ell is that?†Annah cried out as she scrunched her eyes shut. “What’s what?†Loké asked. “Tha’ bright thing in the sky!†She exclaimed as she faced him. “The sun.†Loké stated in a very confused voice “Whose son?†“It’s ‘the’ sun.†“*Whose* son!†‘E’s doin’ this an purpase…’ “It’s called ‘the sun’ as in s *u* n, not s *o* n, ‘son’.†A look of understanding appeared on his face as flash of insight hit him. “…Sigil didn’t have a sun, did it?†Surprise flickered across Annah’s face for a moment before she looked away from him sullenly. “How’d you figure out Sigil is where ‘am from?†She murmured, half hoping the background noise would drown her out. “It just clicked in my mind. Last night when they offered to take you with them-she said you wanted to go back. But you didn’t…†They stood there silently for nearly a minute, before Loké murmured gently, “you can’t go back, can you?†he asked softly. “Nae,†she whispered. “I upset tha’ Lady a’ Pain. She kinda owns the city, an’ ya cannae piss her off ‘n get away wi’ it. Ah was a lucky ‘un.†‘You can never go home. Just like me…’ Loké thought sadly. “What?†Annah asked as she returned the gaze. Loké’s eyes widened as he realised he’d actually said it out loud. “It-it’s…†Loké gave a small sigh, “To cut a long story short, I can’t go home. People wou-“ he stopped short as he saw the door to the Five Flagons inn open behind Annah and the rest of the party file out. “We’ll continua this late’er laddie,†Annah whispered to him as she spun on her heel and fell into step behind Keldorn. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ As they walked through the city Annah looked at her surroundings with a mixture of familiarity and caution. ‘Tha’ shapes ‘ave changed, but the nature hannae changed a bit,’ she thought as she watched a street urchin steal an apple and run off from a merchant while he was busy with a customer. She almost felt at home. Almost. And that lingering feeling was going to die when they exited the towns on the road to the de’Arnise keep. She looked at the landscape wide-eyed like a child for several minutes as they walked, the others chatting happily to each other, before falling in step next to Loké who was walking silently along. “Ah’v never seen so much green before. Is it always this green laddie?†She said as greeting. “Will you please stop calling me that?†“No.†Loké sighed. “Fine. In answer to your question, not always. There’s The Great Desert further north,†He turned to her and gave a small chuckle, “No prizes for guessing why it’s called that. There’s swampland south too, and mountain regions too.†He gave a small smile at her that she found herself returning with a ghost of a grin. “What was Sigil like?†Annah thought for a moment. “It’s kinda shaped like a wheel-rim, tha city is built inside so if ya evae looks up, ya see the city overhead an if ya look outside tha city, ya cannae see anythin’. . “Hm. Mini-ring-world… I read about those in some of the books in Candlekeep.’ Annah picked it up straight away: “This world innae like tha?â€Â†Loké shook his head, “No, it’s thought that Toril’s flat.†He paused when she gave him ‘the look’. “Toril’s what we call the prime material plane. When the sun rises it lights the world up and when it sinks below Toril it’s night. If the moon co-“ “Moon?†Annah interrupted. “The moon,†Loké continued, “Is a bit like a smaller, less bright sun.†He looked a bit at a loss for a moment before he finished with “I can’t really explain it… you’ll have to just see for yourself. Hopefully it won’t be cloudy tonight.†â€ÂIt’s always pissin’ it down in tha cage.†Annah clarified “Sigil†before he had a chance to ask, “Tha or ya hafta deal wi’ tha bloody smog. Ya cannae see more ‘an a few metres in front a ya an’ more often tha’ not tha bloody rain’s acid.†Loké gave her a look of amazement and horror. “How the hells do people live like that?†“Fer most, wi’ difficulty,†she responded casually. They continued walking side by side as they journeyed to Nalia’s keep, Annah pumping Loké for information on the surroundings and the plain, Jaheira intervening several times when Loké couldn’t explain certain things. By the time they arrived at the keep it was night, and the stars and moon could be seen, as there wasn’t even a hint of clouds in the sky. “She mentioned that they had set up a sort of palisade south of the keep,†Loké thought aloud, “we’ll go talk to her and then set up camp for the night.†“Boo says that is a good idea, for he is tired and wishes to have enough strength to fight evil trolls tomorrow,†which drew another funny look from Annah. ~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~ Annah leant against the inside of the wooden wall of the palisade, the guards looking nervously at the entrance, worried the trolls might decide to venture out of the keep and finish the job. She gave a heavy sigh. What the hells was she going to do? She knew so little about this world… and as much as she hated it-her eyes narrowed at this thought-she had no other option but to tag along… to trust… these people. Loké…. She practically snarled to herself. *What* was he after? *Why* was he being like this? She’d seen him act like that with that whining blonde Aerie, and she’d seem to thrive on his attention. She looked up at the stars and gave a small smile. She liked them-they were a damn sight prettier than Sigil, where the surrounding light simply increased and decreased for day and night. “They are very beautiful, are they not?†Annah’s smile instantly disappeared and turned to the speaker. It was Jaheira. “Aye, beats mah kip.†Jaheira gave her a funny look, “Kip is slang for sleep here,†she stated. “ It’s ’Where ah come from’, where ah come from,†Annah replied. Jaheira didn’t respond at first, but after a few seconds silence, she murmured to Annah in a threatening tone, “I do not trust you, tiefling. I am aware of why you have… that tail. But I shall give you the benefit of the doubt for now.†She shot the tiefling a harsh glare. “Do not disappoint me.†With that, she turned on her heal and went back into her and Aerie’s tent. Annah gave a small snort as she looked back to the sky and began making up constellations in her head. ‘Arrogant bitch,’ she thought to herself as she looked at the moon Nearly half an hour later she became aware of someone approaching her, and turned her eyes to see whom it was. It was Loké. He looked sheepishly, and slightly nervously, at her when he spoke. “We forgot to buy a tent for you, so you can borrow mine for tonight.†Annah opened her mouth to protest but Loké interrupted. ‘Don’t worry; you’re not going to have a repeat of last night. I’ll sleep under the stars,†seemingly reading her thoughts. “Good.†“I suggest you get some sleep,†Loké said, “It’s going to be tiring work tomorrow.†Annah pushed off from the wall and made to walk past him. As he was at her right shoulder though, she stopped and turned. “Ah said ah’d continnae that convahsation late’er, It’s late’er.†she stated. “Why wouldn’t people what?†“I’m not telling you until I know you’re going to stay with us or not!†he growled defensively. “Well ah’m nae gannae stay if ya dannae tell me!†She snarled as he eyes sparkled with defiance. “I wannae know what the feck** ah’m getting’ myself in fer!†Loké looked at her for several minutes, the conflict evident in his eyes. Eventually he spoke, “Fine. I’ll tell you tomorrow,†as he spun away. At least tried to. Annah’s tail shot out from her cloak as her right hand latched onto the same arm the tail coiled around. “Yer’ll tell me *now*!†she hissed. “Put your tail away dammit!†He cried out, “Before someone sees!†“Naht until yeh tell me!†"Not until I trust you!" "Ahreet," Annah said. The tail returned to the folds of her cloak as she started walking away from him towards the exit of the small fort. He watched for several seconds before he ran after her and hissed “Fine, I’ll tell you!†in her ear-just before a guard rounded the corner of one of the larger tents from the keep, drawn by their not-so-discreet banter. “What’s goin’ on?†He asked as he walked up to them.. “Nothing, it’s alright.†The old looking guard chuckled knowingly and left, thinking about 'Young Lovers'. Loké turned back to Annah and muttered, “You’re a tiefling and because of that you’re part demon or devil. That means you’ve always got that evil voice taunting you in the back of your mind.†He hesitated. “It’s a bit like that with me. I have a something similar.†“But yah said yer a half-elf.†“And I am.†“Than what tha’ feck are yeh talking aboot?†“…†“*Wellâ€Â?†Loké stood there is silence for a few several minutes before he almost whispered silently: “I’m a godchild.†Annah gave a small ‘pfft’. “Is tha’ all?†Loké looked at her bemusedly, for the faintest sign of a joke. “…What?†“Ah though’ it’ad be sommat bad, like a gaes or sammat.†“My father was a god. A dark god,†Loké said quietly, “And Sigil may be different-but here that means the fewer people that know the better. Tieflings, aasimar, even godchildren may be nothing special on Sigil but here… *everyone* takes a *great* deal of interest in them.†“So yeh special. So bloody what?†His voice shrunk to a whisper, and he seemed to shrink in size as he spoke. “So single every important group on this plane is always watching me-Jaheira’s a member of one of them, the Harpers-all the ‘normal’ people want me dead because of it." He gave a small sneer, "and to cap it all off the taint is always trying to turn me into some raging psychopathic murderer that destroys anything and everything just for the hell of it.†"Stop whinging and cope wi' it laddie. Ah have fiendish blood in meh an’ I’m always bein’ taunted by it bu’ ya navae hear meh whine like a babeh," Annah retorted as she walked past him to her tent, while the taint sniggered in his head as both taint and mind agreed with her closing remark. ------------- Since TBG is down, which is where I normally ask for imput and suggestions I'm gonig to start posting the roguh drafts here. So rip apart. Link to comment
Loké Posted July 28, 2004 Author Share Posted July 28, 2004 Nalia stepped through the thick bush, cursing quietly as she heard her cloak tear on a thorn, before pulling back a bush branch to partially reveal a secret passageway in the rocky face below the south side of the keep. “This is it. Are you sure you don’t want me to come?†“No. You may get killed. And if anything’s happened to your father…†Loké trailed off. “I agree, this is too dangerous for you M’lady. Forgive me bluntness, but I doubt you have enough experience to be of true aid to us,†Keldorn said in a kindly voice to Nalia. She looked a bit sullen, but nodded in defeat. “Less talk more fight!†Minsc cried out, “We go and kick these stinky trolls’ butts in the name of righteousness!†---------------------- “So… now what?†Loké asked Nalia without looking up from the gold he was counting. “I… I don’t know….†She replied in a choked voice as she stared blankly through unshed tears at the ground, sitting on the Lord’s chair in the dining area. The others were all sitting around her in respectful silence, while Loké quietly counted the gold. They’d just found her father’s body. What was left of it anyway… They sat there in silence, the clinking of the gold as it entered the small pouch being the only noise in the room. With the seventh hundred piece transferred from the table to the pouch Loké pulled the string shut and stood up. “I’m sorry we couldn’t save you father. I’m sure he was a good man and…†he trailed off and swore in his mind. He’d never been good at this sort of thing. “…I guess we’ll be leaving now.†He finished abruptly, drawing a disapproving look from Jaheira. Nalia silently nodded her head as she fought to control her grief. Suddenly her eyes widened with an idea. “Oh no... ah, I don't suppose I could convince you to remain here for a while?†She asked with hope brimming in her voice. “I really need... “ she trailed off as her face slowly sank back into depression. She shook her head sadly. “No, no, it is my own problem. I'll deal with it as best I can.†“What is it Miss De’Arnise?†Loké prompted. “It… it’s not important.†“Look, please tell me. Whatever it is, asking wouldn’t hurt.†“It’s just…†She sighed at her hesitance and promptly launched into her piece: “It's a very awkward situation, and I'm not quite sure if I'm ready to deal with it. I don't have much choice though, now that Father is gone. I am betrothed, you see.†Loké raised an eyebrow. “Yes, some powerful associates of my Father roped me into that tired custom. I am to wed a brat of a man named Isaea Roenal.†“I have heard of him,†Keldorn interjected, “His father is a fairly decent man, his son is widely viewed as an impatient, childlike person by fellow members of my order.†Nalia nodded her head. “That sounds correct. I think Father regretted it, but that is the way wealthy families gain status in business. He seemed quite willing to stall the inevitable, but now he is gone...†“Canna ya just tell ‘im tah piss off and leave yeh alone?†Annah asked. Nalia, looking faintly shocked by Annah’s swearing, shook her head. “I can’t do that. They might take the keep by force if I try to do that. The Roenalls, mainly Isaea, have been pressuring. They knew I was the only heir, and traditionally titles fall to a male. I fear Isaea will take control and abuse our wealth. I need a way to get out of the betrothal, and I need to do it soon. They respect the old traditions, and I think I know a way to use one to our mutual advantage.†Loké looked slightly alarmed. “Are you suggesting a marriage of convenience?†the worry evident in his voice. “Because if you are then I’m afraid the answer’s ‘No.†Despite her situation Nalia broke into a fit of giggling. “Oh, no, no, no, nothing quite so distasteful...†She looked abashed at Loké’s raised eyebrow of mild offence for a moment, “ er... scandalous as that. That would be laughable. No one would believe that for a second.†Loké found himself chuckling at the idea also. “So what *is* your idea?†She smiled. “What I really wish is to take advantage of an old tradition, where someone of a fighting sort would become the lord of a manor once the current lord had passed on. You are versed in combat; you would be an impressive obstacle to Isaea. I ask that you assume title to the keep. You will be a figurehead, and I will be a ward of sorts.†Loké opened his mouth to speak but she cut him off: “It is my right as heir to choose who shall lead. I do not know if I could stand before the Roenalls, but you, with your...erh...talents, would prove a daunting figure.†“Lord Loké,†he muttered to no one in particular. He let the words hang in the air for several seconds before he looked at Nalia, gave her an easy smile and chirped, “It’s gonna weird being called that†The easy going Loké vanished instantly though as a thought occurred to him. “I doubt the Roenalls would accept it…judging from what you and Keldorn say about them, especially the guy you’re ‘engaged to.†“They will complain, but there is no real cause why you could not do this. Often a fighting soul will take possession of a keep when the lord is...†He hopeful voice and smile faded as she was reminded why she was in this situation. “…Is dead.†“Well I guess you’d better tell me what to do then.†Her face lit up. “Wonderful! Now they can't force me out. You are master of this place,†hastily adding, “Well-within reason. I remain the sole heir, and can take away what has been given.†As soon as they crossed the drawbridge Annah immediately asked Loké, “wha’ was all tha’ about, those others ruling the lands?†“Many people believe those descended from a ‘noble’ bloodline should rule those who aren’t. I think it’s stupid myself but-“ “It *is* bloody stupid…†Annah interrupted. Then a thought occurred to her. “What are yeh gonnae do with tha’ keep?†Loké replied “Not a bloody clue,†offhandedly; “It seemed like a good idea at the time. And you heard Domo. Taxes. Money. Hopefully that’ll take a lot of time off raising cash.†“…she means allah to yeh, dannae she laddie?†He nodded his head. ---------------------------- Seven and a half hours later… Annah gave a groan of deep satisfaction as she sank further into the hot water in her private bath, in her room in the Five Flagons. As she felt the heat sooth her muscles she gave the empty room a broad grin. This. Felt. *Good*. And best of all, no sharing with primes, especially not a crybaby prime. She had some gold, her share in the cleaning out the keep of loot along with the trolls. The smile faded as she stroked along an invisible line on her side-the same place a slash in her jerkin was, courtesy of a troll. Loké had been right-they *were* bastards to kill. If they hadn’t found those flail heads their job would have been nearly impossible. She continued luxuriating in the feeling of warm water against her skin until the heat was lost, when she (with slight reluctance) removed herself from it and dried herself on the towel the porter had left. She proceeded to walk over to her bed and sit nude and cross-legged on it, with jerkin in one hand and small sewing kit in the other. Ten minutes later she was wearing it again, along with her cloak, walking downstairs with some coins in a hidden pocket and a space in her stomach she intended to fill. --------------------------- She hit the floor with a thud while the magical energy dissipated around her. Any traces of sleep she’d had vanished instantly as she sprang to her feet, daggers drawn, taking in her surroundings as quickly as possible as she scanned for threats. She’d just come up to her room after her meal and then she’d been… teleported… here. ‘Here’ was in some sort of stone cell, a wooden bench on the west side, and that was it apart from the portcullis on the east. She walked over to the lock and swore in her head. It was too complex for her. Anyway, it seemed to be some kind of magical lock anyway if the runes on it were anything to go by. “Interesting. You name was not an exaggeration Cassandia,†a voice spoke. Annah looked up from the lock to a thin, rat-like man dressed in wizard robes. He was a weedy man; his nose was long and slim, his hair short and greasy, eyes showing that malicious glint bullies have in their eyes as well as rat-like teeth. “Who tha’ hell are yeh?†She demanded. “I am Edgar,†the mage responded. His very voice dripped contempt and… something else. “Whadd’ya want ‘Ratteh’?†She snarled as she folded her arms under her breasts. “I require your… services….†He hissed. A thought occurred to him and his face took on a cruel smile. “In fact, I may require several, Cassandia the Beautiful.†Her eyes widened as she just suddenly knew… “Meh true name…†she whispered as she looked at him with, horror, for lack of a better word. “Indeed,†he chuckled “Indeed, indeed. I require you to steal an item from another mage. You will find his residence in the Government district. His is the large building next to the prison and the Firecam estate. The item is a magical gem, blood red. It is a *very* valuable item. I will summon you again in four days time. You had better have the gem on you, or I *will*…†his smile became a cruel one, “…console myself. Understand?†Every part of her screamed to wipe that grin off his face. She found it was very difficult to just nod silently and didn’t trust herself to speak. “Good. See you in four days.†With that he muttered some words and made gestures with his hands, and Annah dropped onto the floor in the middle of her room. 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Loké Posted July 31, 2004 Author Share Posted July 31, 2004 The next two days were quite straightforward for Annah. She asked Loké if he’d let her explore the city on her own for a few days. He’d been reluctant, as Keldorn had offered to show her around and she was needed, but eventually conceded. He and the others were to look into murders in the bridge district and several other things that were highly unlikely to require traps. She’d spent the morning of the first day finding her way to the Government District, and then proceeded to examine the building ‘Ratty’ had described to her. There was nothing unusual about the building. Annah found the architecture and the general snobbery the ‘noblemen’ and women she’d encountered slightly unnerving-and the primes in this area most definitely *very* annoying. She spent the afternoon watching the house for any sign of patrols. There was nothing, which meant the mage didn’t want to advertise his presence; or he was very confident in his security arrangements. On the second day she tagged along with the others as they found out about the bridge murders. Annah had been rather unfazed by the modus operand the murderer had employed-there were worse things she’d encountered on Sigil-but even she had been taken aback, and had to suppress the urge to vomit, when they had found where he’d kept the bodies. Aerie had not been so lucky. After they’d reported their findings to the captain, whom Loké had decided not to inform about his suspicions until he knew for sure, and had been given three hundred gold for their efforts, bringing the kitty up to around three-and-a-half-thousand gold. Late at night though, she’d slipped out, climbing across the structure of the Copper Cornet where they had elected to stay for the night.(it was cheaper than The Five Flagons) Several minutes of climbing and walking later, she was at the building. She flexed her fingers under her cloak, making them crack loudly in the stillness of the dark night. ‘A’reeght,’ she thought to herself as she dropped her cloak in a shadowy corner, ‘It’s show time.’ ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ About fifteen minutes later she exited with a small glowing ruby-red gem, half the size of her fist, in a pocket in her jerkin… and a few other miscellaneous gems and pieces of gold. After all, Ratty hadn’t mentioned anything about helping herself to things along the way. ----------------------------------------------- On the third day nothing happened all day. It was only when night had fallen and she was alone in her miserable excuse for a room in the Cornet that she suddenly found herself in chateau Ratty again. She seemed to be in the same cell, and turned to the bars to see him looking eagerly at her. “Do you have the gem?†He asked. Annah nodded, and pulled it out to show him. “Give it to me!†he squealed in delight as he say the glowing transparent gem. Annah held her arm out through the bars and dropped it into his hands and he proceeded to hold it to his bosom as his eyes shone with triumphal delight. He murmured quickly and excitedly to himself for several minutes under his breath, things Annah couldn’t hear, before he seemed to remember that he had company. He looked at her with cruel pleasure. “Yes, yes, I think I’ll be summoning you again Beautiful… you are a very useful thief,’ his gaze dropped from her face to her round breasts, making the hairs on the back of Annah’s neck stand on end. “Though I’m wondering about other uses for you…†he trailed off. After a pause for several seconds he murmured the incantations again and Annah was back in her room. She lay on her straw mattress of a bed and swore. “Wha’ tha feck am ah gannae do?†She whispered to the ceiling. Link to comment
Loké Posted August 11, 2004 Author Share Posted August 11, 2004 Eventually Annah fell asleep, still thinking how she was going to get Ratty to stop summoning her. She was woken what, seemed to her, as soon as she shut her eyes. It was (a rather timid looking) Aerie, coming to wake her up while the others got the breakfast ordered. Annah cursed, yawned and got up. Descending the stairs, she reached a conclusion, of sorts, about Ratty. ‘Ah window o’ oppertunit’y’ll come I’self soon‘ah later.’ What she didn’t know was that window had come and gone… and she’d taken it. Annah also didn’t know that it was going to change her life. Forever. - - Annah only became aware of the window as they came to the city gates on the east side of the city early in the morning. A guard at the gate took one look at her and immediately walked up to her, clamping a firm grip on her spike-less shoulder. “You are under arrest for the murder of the Cowled Wizard Edgar Sornhal. Come with me.†Suffice to say Annah was surprised. “Tha’ Hell!? I dannae do it!†She yelled as she started struggling. Her free arm pulled out a dagger, to feel a fingerless glove clamp on her wrist. She followed said hand to Loké’s looking back at her, shaking his head. “Do you have any proof?†Asked Jaheira, as the others crowded around the guard. “A person matching *exactly* this woman’s description was seen leaving his building early this morning,†the guard responded. “There are several witnesses who can testify.†“THAN THEY’RE FECKIN’ LYIN! I NEVER LEFT BY THE FECKIN’ DOOR!†Annah yelled into his face, drawing puzzled looks from the other. “Say what you want criminal.†He looked at the others. “She will be held in the prison, you may visit her at noon. “We’ll come with you now and talk to her when we get there,†was Loké’s immediate response. The guard opened his mouth to argue but hesitated. “…very well. You may come, but you will have to talk to her at noon like everyone else,’ he said after brief deliberation, ‘This way,’ still keeping his hand on Annah’s shoulder. ---------------------------------------- She walked into the cell, cell door clanking shut immediately after. When she’d had to remove her cloak and hand it over to the warden along with her other stuff, suffice to say he and the guard were extremely shocked. The guard looked at her uneasily, before he decided to pull up a chair and sit opposite her door to watch her. ‘Loké ha’ been right… people *do* find meh frigh’enin’…’ she thought idly as she sat heavily on the bench attached to the wall that was her beat, and leant up against the cold wall. After several minutes of listing to the guard and the other prisoners she gave a heartfelt sigh as she looked at the ceiling. This was it. She was screwed. Those primes were going to leave her right here to rot and get a replacement. No one trusted tieflings. …Maybe she could pick the lock when the guard fell asleep or left, before they executed her or did whatever they do to a murderess in this city. Then she could run. …Oh yea. She was a total stranger to this world. Odds were, she wouldn’t last particularly long on her own. She felt something ooze up inside her. Annah recognised it-she’d felt it-well. Felt *them* to be exact, a handful of times before… Fear. Despair. The feelings were crushed almost instantly as her eyes hardened. She’d been in worse situations than this and got out of them. With Morte, Nameless One and the others. Despite her predicament she smiled. She almost missed that bugger of a talking skull. She snickered. *Almost*. Yea, she’d be fine. After all, she’d managed to escape from Sigil. She’d be fine. Annah sat motionless for hours, thinking of (practical) ways to get out of this particular problem, until the late night’s fatigue claimed her, and she fell asleep. Her last conscious thoughts were that she’d been in worse than this. She’d get out this mess somehow. …If only she knew what ‘somehow’ was. She gave a small groan of displeasure when she woke up. The cold wall had made her back stiff and her spine cracked loudly in protest when she stood up, closed her eyes and proceeded to arch her back. When she opened her eyes she noticed something straight away on the opposite side of the bars. The guard was gone. Not hesitating a second she walked up to the door, slipped out a few lock picking tools from under her shoulder plate, and proceed to try and unlock it. It was a difficult lock but Annah was an accomplished thief; within a minute the lock clicked, the door promptly opening slowly as she looked down either corridor. No-one there. She quietly closed the barred door then proceeded to move quickly, but quietly, down the east corridor while one or two prisoners watched her in fear. Without warning the door swung open and Annah halted, looking around only to realise for the first time there was no cover. She mentally cursed herself-that was a sloppy mistake, dammit! She crouched down, even coiling her tail against the floor like a spring. As soon as the person started coming through she pounced, slamming into the person. They were too strong though, grabbing her around the waist with one arm and around the neck with a hand before swinging 180 degrees with her momentum, removing their arm from behind her and slamming her hard into the floor, Annah’s vision briefly flashing white with the pain from the impact of her head onto the cobbled floor. “Annah?†Her eyes snapped open, them having closed involuntarily with the pain, to see the last person she expected to see. It was Loké. “Wha’ the hell are ya’ doin’ ‘ere laddie?†She wheezed in surprise. “We came for you. We found proof you weren’t the murderer. You’re free to go,†he said as his grip around her neck loosened. He grabbed her around the waist with both hands and literally lifted her onto her feet. She stared at him for a few seconds in bewilderment “Di’ ah jess’ ‘ear yeh correctleh? Ah’m free? You *found* *proof*?†He nodded his head with a small smile. “That mage who had been summoning you kept a diary. So we tracked down the other mage and she kept a diary too.†He shot her a cheeky smile. “Rather convenient, don’t you think?†Annah nodded, even as she didn’t listen. ‘They… they actually bothered ta’ help meh?’ She was thinking. He put a hand on his shoulder. “Come on, let’s get outta here.†She nodded, a small smile forming on her lips. When she exited the prison with the others it was dark. Turning to Loké, “Hoo long was ah in there?†was her first question. A shrug. “Long enough for daylight to go.†He gave a sigh. “So much for going to Trademeet today…†With that they walked to the Copper Cornet. “How’d ya get tha’ proof ah dinnae do it?†Loké gave a small smile. “As I said, it was rather convenient. First we went to the house of the guy who’d been summoning you. We looked around,’ …“Doing a little looting while we were at it,†Keldorn interrupted in a disapproving voice. “And ‘while we were at it’,†Loké continued, pointedly ignoring Keldorn’s interjection, “We found his diary.†His face darkened. “Creep.†Annah nodded. “Ee’ was. Ah called him ‘Ratteh’.†“Ratty?†Loké gave a chuckle. “The inspector said he looked like one. Well anyway, he wrote down the mage whom he’d got you to rob. It wasn’t too hard to find her. She even bragged to us about what she’d done, with you… I mean, your simulacrum.†Annah raised an eyebrow. “Yea, I know! Somehow she’d made a ward that made a copy of whoever triggered it to form, under her command. Apparently ‘Ratty’ and her had been at each other’s throats for ages. That gem was the last straw.†“So, ya’ took her in?†Loké gave her an evil smirk. “Let’s just say we saved the executioner the trouble.†Annah smiled. They’d arrived at the Cornet by this point and entered to rent rooms for the night and get a meal. It was early evening, the sun not even fully set; but it would take a good day’s walk to Trademeet and they’d already been up all day. Sitting around the two tables nearest the stairs, Jaheira, Loké and Annah around one, the table next to them having Aerie, Minsc and Keldorn. Minsc was eating his way through what was, according to one of the serving wenches, roast lamb, while Aerie was playing with Boo, feeding him small pieces of an apple from her pack every few minutes, while the others ate stew, thinking about various things. Or in Annah’s case, a thought eating away in the back of her head. It had suddenly occurred to her when they’d been walking to the Cornet; he’d literally just picked her off the ground like some kind of doll. Annah knew she wasn’t exactly like Aerie-she unconsciously gave the avariel a quick glance; barely five feet tall, more like four foot eight, and appearing to be so delicate that she’d shatter like a porcelain figure if she fell… …Definitely not like Aerie. Then again, she wasn’t exactly heavy-but surely enough to make picking her up like that difficult? She gave a sigh of annoyance, mentally chided herself for being so silly, and proceeded to think about something else which had been gnawing away at her. ------------------------------------------------- It was truly dark now, and Loké was finding the prospect of his straw bed very pleasurable after three people had challenged him to duels and he’d been dragged into a drinking contest with Minsc whom-bless his heart-had drunk everyone else under the tables. Several women had suggested they ‘help him to his room’, but he was too tired for that (not to mention they were saving), and the alcohol was making thinking difficult. He opened the door to his room sluggishly. Feeling slightly tipsy he sat down heavily on his bed, which groaned in protest, and proceeded to slip off his chain mail and underlying tunic before yawningly silently. There was a knock at the door. Groaning for no real reason he stood up, plodded over and nearly caved the door in, until he swore as he remembered you had to pull. He gazed at the person confusedly. “Annah?†Link to comment
Loké Posted August 27, 2004 Author Share Posted August 27, 2004 Her glare was harsh enough to melt adamantine, the tone of her voice to slice through it. “Why.†He wilted under her glare, whining “Why *what*?†as he shambled over to the bed, sitting down on it, Annah walking into the room after him as she practically ranted at him. “Why all this? Why are yeh lookin’ aftah meh? Why did ya cam an’ bail meh out a’ prison? Why tha’ hell a’ yeh bein’ sa’ godsamn tolerable! Ya havnae even complained about meh goin’ behind yer backs!†“Oh yea, I forgot about that,†he slurred as he tried to snap his fingers. He looked at his thumb and middle finger with wonder as he repeatedly failed. After the twelfth attempt he gave up and looked back at Annah in silence for a few seconds. “What was I talkin’ about?†Annah sighed and sat down next to him. One of the few people whom hadn’t joined the in the drinking contest, she was finding his behaviour annoying at best. She’d have harangued him later if she hadn’t of felt that she’d probably get more honest answers from him like this. She took on a softer tone as she spoke this time, “Yeh were gannae tell meh about meh goin’ behind yeh back?†He gazed at her blankly for a few moments before he slurred “…oh yea.†He fell silent to gather his thoughts. “The other’sh were… um.. upset with yah. I said I’d um.. …. What’s its thing….†“…Talk to me?†“That’s the word,†he mumbled distractedly before looking at her through half lidded eyes. She leant back as he breathed in her face, as the fumes alone were nearly enough to get a person drunk. “Don’t do’at again. Tell usn’ll we’ll try ‘n ‘elp yer.†He fell back against the wall, his head making a thump and small dent upon contact. “…That hurt…†he mumbled after a few seconds to no one especially. ‘Prat,’ thought Annah as she twisted on the bed so her left leg was resting on the bed as she looked at Loké. “Why’d yeh… rescue meh?†she spoke coaxingly. “Couldn’t leave you there… wouldn’ta bin right.†“Why wannae it have been right?†He shrugged with an unsure look on his face as his eyes continued drifting around the room. “…’ll, you were innocent. ‘N I like you…†Annah gained a predatory smile. She *knew* it! Her grin turned to a smirk as she leaned close to him, deciding she was going to have a little fun with him… She leant forward yet more so her head was next to his. “So… yeh find me sexy laddie?†she whispered slyly into his ear. Out of the corner of her eye Loké was blushing heavily. “nn, yea,†he whimpered, “why wouldn’t I? Yer really…. Um… pretty!†he triumphantly exclaimed the last word; apparently pleased he’d remembered it. “Well I find yeh sexy too. An yeh smell,†she inhaled deeply for effect, “It drives me wild. It’s all ah can do not tah jump yeh. –“ A pair of lips prevented from whatever she was going to say. She sat stunned, eyes wide like a rabbit in the headlights of car, too surprised to do anything. As she felt his tongue prodding her lips she pulled back, so far she fell onto the floor with a quite thump, as if burnt, snarling “Wha’ the hel do you think yeh doin’!?†Loké gave her a confused look as she stood up, glaring daggers at him all the time. “Kiss’n’ you… I mean… erm.. you said you like me ‘n stuff, so why’re ya upset?†“Ah was teasing yeh, yeh stupid berk! Yeh nothin’ to me!†Loké’s face fell, figuratively and literally, looking sadly and silently into his lap. Annah stood there angrily for a few seconds, before leaving, slamming the door as she left. “…Sorry.†He whispered to the empty room. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ The next few weeks were rather linear- they arrived at Trademeet the next day and arrived at night. At dawn they went to about finding out what was going on, taking Cernd of board temporarily, and eventually after having fought through the wood and swamplands (Which Annah found extremely bizarre, and –not that she’d admit it- slightly frightening) having him challenge Faldorn, and succeeding, for Arch Druid. Leaving Cernd to restore the balance they proceeded to the Umar Hills to deal with the rumours of wolves ripping apart and eating villagers, which brings us to the next part of the story. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It was dusk; a certain tailed tiefling was admiring the countryside as she leant out on the balcony of her comfy bedroom; since Umar was a quiet village, a direct consequence of that was rooms being cheaper, so Loké had decided to treat the group. She inhaled deeply, enjoying the clean air, as she smiled. The air was definitely one thing about Sigil she wasn’t missing. Sigil… Her smile faded as she was reminded. She wished she hadn’t… well, there was no point dwelling on it, she thought, giving the dark clouds one last look before she turned inside, closing the shutter-like doors as she passed through them. Her bedroom was about five metres by four, the door at one end of the four feet walls, opposite it the ‘balcony’, her bed soft feather mattress bed. As she lay under the sheets, drifting off to sleep, she thought of Sigil… and not for the first time felt homesick, as sleep claimed her. ------------------------------------------------------------- Annah practically flew out of bed, daggers drawn from under her pillow, thinking ‘What the ‘ell was ‘at?’ as the remnants of a thunderous boom rumbled around her, drowning out the heavy rain against the shutters. Her room was white for an instant, another rumbling boom following after a second, as she walked to a small circular winder near her bed. Pulling it back she saw the rain beating down on the landscape and-There! -A white jagged beam of light, almost looking like it was propping up the clouds from the earth, for second before it vanished, followed by a rumble half a second later. Threat of attack apparently gone Annah stood there and watched the sight for several minutes-she’d never seen, or heard, lightning before. She suddenly realised she was shivering-she didn’t have any body hair, that coupled with the fact her body was unusually (by ‘normal’ standards) warm; the cold room was not exactly pleasant, so she slipped back into bed and curled up, remembering, thinking, drifting. A rather unpleasant memory from two weeks ago resurfaced. “Halt, I would speak with you,†the knight in full plate spoke. He and a small group of knights had encountered them, apparently looking for them, on the road back to Athkatla. “Greetings Sir Thomas,†Keldorn replied. “I assume this is about Ms. Annah, is it not?†Annah decided to keep quiet and hide behind Minsc for the moment. The knight nodded his head. “When we heard a demon spawn, a tiefling, had come to Athkatla Sir Ryan sent us to assess her threat.†“She is none,†stated Loké. “That will be for me to decide young man.†“I am agreement with Loké Sir Thomas. She has done nothing but good during her presence here and I have been unable to sense any substantial evil from here.†“*Substantial* evil? She is descended from an inherently evil creature!†he exclaimed before composing himself. “If what you say is true, and you believe she is not a threat, then I will not request you handing her over immediately. I will report my findings to Sir Ryan. Fare thee well Sir Keldorn.†---------------------------------- She recalled what Loké had once told her: “Tieflings may be nothing on Sigil, but they’re very seldom seen here. Most people know very little of your kind which means you’re going to be feared by many.†Eventually, perhaps inevitably, thoughts drifted onto the people she’d been travelling with. She stared unseeingly at a point on the wall. …She wondered how the Nameless One was… Then they came to her current company. She’d grown to like Minsc; he wasn’t very smart and bloody naïve-but at least you knew where you stood with the bugger. That, and he was fun to be around. Though the fact he relied on a rodent called Boo still rattled her nearly two months after first meeting him… Keldorn reminded her of Vhailor with his devotion to justice and the law and all that stuff. She gave a wry smile. He’d also started acting like a father figure in a way, gently chastising her on her revealing clothing for several weeks now. Jaheira… she wasn’t too sure what to make of her-she seemed to dislike Annah but she had some suspicions as to why exactly... Sometimes she could be quite motherly, and she was so all the time with Loké, yet at the same time she was strict and was sometimes very harsh; Annah has seen her cut down Aerie several times, once just when she’d just been complimenting her hair. Speaking of the wingless elf, she was riling Annah. She was such a baby, always whining and vying for Loké’s eye in a pathetically, *painfully* obvious manner. She was just so soft-she’d have been eaten alive in the Cage. She could barely carry anything either, wasn’t much cop as a fighter, cleric or bloody mage. Why Loké kept her the gods only knew… …Which brought her thoughts neatly to said person. The night after that little fiasco in the Copper Cornet he’d apologised to her and been embarrassed around her, concealing it in indifference ever since, much to Annah’s chagrin. Another thing was, he was always so bloody *kind*, he gave a lost child some gold for a bed with them when they stayed at an in and they spent the next morning looking for the brat’s parent! He’d launched himself-and that meant the rest of them-into gods-only-knows how many selfless and noble quests, such as sorting out the druids and the djiniis and because of it people in many towns and villages they’d never even *been* to before seemed to know them by sight. It was really annoying. That wasn’t what was really pissing her off though. She'd only realised she'd been doing it a few days ago, but… She gave a sigh. *She’d* started to give Loké the same looks Jaheira and Aerie had been giving him! “Feck…†she whispered quietly. Link to comment
Loké Posted February 1, 2005 Author Share Posted February 1, 2005 Despite the storm, sleep managed to overcome Annah. 'A luxury that Aerie didn't apparently have,' she thought to herself as she sat at the table where she and the others were. Aerie looked as if she had a pair of black eyes whenever you looked at her-which wasn't that often because she kept resting her head on her folded arms, situated on the table. Loké still had faint eye bags under his eyes, but not as bad as she'd last seem him in a morning. Apparently those nightmares he had, had decided to be kind to him last night. The others were as normal, Minsc with Boo in one hand, the other feeding the furry rodent slivers of apple. Loké, who'd been sitting opposite, gave a quiet sight. "Where the hell is that stew...?" He thought aloud. Keldorn gave a quiet grunt, his gaze not leaving his copy of the 'Umar Witch Project," of agreement to Loké's sentiment. Annah cupped her head with her hands, leant forward and rested her elbows on the table. All six of them were getting increasingly annoyed at the delay of food. Annah gave a loud sigh. ----------------------------------- About 23 minutes later... ----------------------------------- "That's it, ahm gannae knock some heads abo'ot,' Annah suddenly declared as she stood up. Loké also rose and they both proceeded to the kitchen. The innkeeper looked over his bar and saw the incoming danger immediately. The dagger Annah had unconsciously drawn was a dead giveaway. She tucked her dagger-armed arm underneath her breasts and leant forward onto the bar, the other with her head rested on it. "Now, ah appreciate that yeh a busy man 'n al', but we're pretty blood'ey hungry noo," she said with smile that turned made Loké and the innkeeper feel weak at the knees. "So," she said kindly, her eyes becoming the 'melt adamantine' glare, "Sort it. Now." The tone of voice spoke of no room for compromise. The Innkeeper gave a timid nod. "Good lad," she soothed, and made to return to the table. Made to anyway as Loké gently grabbed her arm just before they turned the corner to their table. "Can I talk to you Annah?" he asked as he led her halfway up the stairs. As she followed she gave a sigh of annoyance. "If yeh upset aboot theh innkeep, yeh know what ya can doo." The half-elf chuckled. "Actually you did pretty much exactly what I was going to do." He looked into her eyes and did something between a chuckle, a giggle and a whimper. "You know, you're actually scary when you do that." The smile he received can only be described as evil. "What I wanted to talk to you about w... was..." he cheeks turned pink slightly, 'you know..." "Aboot yeh kissin' meh when yeh were utterly shite-faced?" He suddenly found his boots very interesting. "Well... yea... I just wanted to say I was sorry." He looked up at her, waiting for a response nervously. She gave him 'the glare' and smiled in her head as he squirmed under it. Her mental grin became one of evil at an idea. Aerie and Jaheira were making their moves-why not her...? ...why not indeed... "Yeh jest seprised meh Loké," she spoke softly with a small smile. A slightly surprised look crossed his face. She almost always called him 'Laddie'. "Ah dannae like seprises, 'specially those keends." She turned and walked down the staircase, leaving a Loké with the same look on his face. About halfway down, she paused, turned her head and gave him a coy smile. "That dannae mean ah dinnae like i't though," she purred, before continuing her descent. ------------------------------- A serving girl carrying bread and cheese rushed past in front of her as Annah came to the bottom of the stairs, which she followed to their table. Apparently Loké had seen the girl and ran down the stairs as he suddenly walked past Annah and sat down at the table, helping himself to a small loaf and taking the chunk of cheese, returning it to it's plate after cutting a chunk off. Keldorn, whom had been reading the tale in the hope of any useful information, thanked the serving girl without even looking up as he took a small loaf and ate. Jaheira examined him silently for a few mintes as she and the others ate in silence. "Enjoying the book?" Keldorn's nod was almost imperceptible. "True or not, it is a fascinating story-and not entirely useless it seems. Apparently there are some ruins north-west of the village. I asked the villagers about them a while ago and indeed, there are some north-west." "Which reminds me," Loké interjected, "We've still gotta check out that ranger's hut. ------------------------------------------------------- Some investigating and travelling later... -------------------------------------------------------- "So-o... now wha't?" Annah piped up as yet again a shadow emerged from the hissing darkness to attack them, and yet again was annihilated by the bright light the crystal was emitting outside the desecrated temple. They'd followed that werewolf to the entrance of the temple, and... well. Loké sighed. "Whatcha think we should do Keldorn?" He asked as he stared into the blackness and swarming of yellow eyes of the shades. The inquisitor stood silently as he weighed his answer. He took so long the half-elf thought he was ignoring him, only to be proved wrong just as he opened his mouth to ask Jaheira. "We should rest. Aerie and Jaheira have exhausted their healing spells, we still have several wounds," looking at a neat thin line of blood running from Loké's forehead, over an eyelid, down to his lower jaw. A present, courtesy of some random shadow-wraith. "The shadows don't seem to be able to pass the light," added Jaheira, "so rest would be logical. Besides, I think the child here is tired," she finished, sneering slightly at Aerie. Said girl looked up from her slumped sitting position against the crystal and opened her mouth to protest-eyes brimming with tears slightly-only for Annah of all people to comfort her. "Och, dannay worry lass. She just bein' arseh 'cos she see's ya as a riva'l fer Loké." Reactions varied. Aerie coloured violently. Jaheira gave Annah her version of 'The Glare'. Keldorn gave a quiet sigh of resignation as he thought 'So much for a close-nit, co-operative group...' as a loud argument erupted. Minsc payed it no heed, as he was too busy trying to convince Boo that it would be better for them to rest-THEN attack the shadows, Loké cringed as the women started yelling. He knew this had been coming for a while between Jaheira and Aerie and then just to make things even more precarious Annah'd thrown her hand in too... Emotions that had been brewing for over a month finally became intolerable to keep inside and emotions boiled over as the feelings found an outlet. "I am only interested in him as his guardian," Jaheira snapped at Annah, "I do not have romantic feelings for him!" "Y-yes you do..." Aerie spoke quietly. "I've seen the looks you given him, when you think he's not looking." The shades stopped hissing, apparently enjoying the unfolding show. The source of the argument wasn't though, looking to Keldorn with a pleading glance. Said person simply shrugged as he leant against the crystal and gave a 'sooner or later' look. Loké sat down heavily next to the crystal, leant against it, hung his head resignedly and awaited the fireworks. "Even if I did, who did you think he would prefer? Someone as immature and pitiful as you? He wants someone to stand by him, not be carried!" "At least she annae a dry shrivelled up ol' bag like yeh," Annah sniped. "And unlike you," Aerie spoke up, looking directly at Annah, "I don't dress like-like-some cheap whore!" Annah raised an eyebrow in amusement. "Ach, so ye doo have a backbone!" "Bu' a' least ah dannae moan like one all the time," she continued, sneering. The avariel's eyes filled with tears-apparently lack of sleep had made her more emotional then normal. Without warning she unleashed a torrent of abuse, which would require a whole new rating if I were to repeat. Suffice to say that after she was quite finished, everyone was looking at her with amazement. Annah recovered first. "Ah never knew yeh had in yeh," she spoke admiringly. "Shut up." Aerie snarled quietly. Jaheira's gaze rested on Loké. "This childish bickering is no good. We cannot let our personal grudges risk affecting our actions in battle. Loké should decide." Loké gave her a pleading look, to no avail. "Now," she finished with a tone of finality. He looked around nervously for anyone to support him. Everyone, even Minsc- especially Boo,judging by the hamster's glare-was not going to give it. The shaggy-haired half-elf gave a sigh of defeat. 'I better get this over with...' "Jaheira... I'm sorry... but, I..." He took a deep breath. "...I've always seen you as a maternal figure... I'm sorry." Aerie and Annah gave smug looks as Jaheira exhaled a quiet sigh of disappointed. "I was afraid you would say that." She nodded while she gave another small sigh. "Very well; I will respect your feelings." "And I have no idea! I'll decide when I'm not trying to worry about shadows or wolves or shadow-wolves or any other kind of bloody monster that's six foot away and wanting to kill me!" Loké yelled before Aerie or Annah could speak. "We need to rest. So lets shut the fuck up and rest!" he whined Apparently the two women didn't want to press their luck, as they sat on opposite sides of the pillar. Suddenly there was a grating, balor-scream-like sound. Minsc had fallen asleep and was snoring. Loké, Keldorn and Jaheira simultaneously gave a deep sigh as the shadows resumed hissing. This was going to be a long night... Link to comment
Loké Posted February 1, 2005 Author Share Posted February 1, 2005 “Th-than...†Patrick quietly gasped as his body relaxed for the last time, his eyes beginning to stare lifelessly through the crouched Loké. The half-elf hung his head silently as he and the late Patrick glowed in the speckled spotlight, caused by the now streaming light through the trees before turning his head up to the canopy of leaves. Seemingly searching for something he looked at the leaves as they swayed in the wind, before he brought his head back down and stood up. The others were standing several feet away from him, remaining silent. Loké pulled his sword out of Patrick’s chest and gazed into his lifeless eyes, reflecting. Leader mode overrode anything he felt or thought however, and he turned to others issuing commands in a flat voice as he did so. “Aerie, Minsc, you two sort out camp, Keldorn, Jaheira, you try and hunt something. Annah and I’ll get firewood.†The group nodded. They knew better than to argue with him when he was in this mood. ########################################## “Da’ ya wannae talk a’boot it?†She gently asked. They’d been picking firewood for around ten minutes, just out of sight of the camp, in a deafening silence. It had been like a pit, begging to be filled and Annah couldn’t stand it any more. “Not really,†the half-elf flatly replied. Annah was about to try again when without warning he simultaniously dropped his firewood and sat down heavily, interrupting her. “It’s just...when we were fighting him, when he was the shadow lord... I...†He visibly shrank in size as she walked next to him and sat down, neatly putting her bundle next to herself. “I saw myself,†the youth confessed as he held his head in his hands. Annah gave him a sympathetic look and snaked her tail around his waist, giving him a gentle squeeze of reassurance. “Yeh nat gannae end up like that,†she whispered. “Ah’ve only been around yeh fer a few months an ah can see tha’ yeh wannae let tha’ happen to yeh.†Loké didn’t seem to hear, remaining motionless. Annah decided to change the subject. “Yeh’ve asked about meh,†She stated. “An’, I’ve always brushed yeh off.†Loké lifted his head and looked at her with vague curiosity, too depressed to really care. She made a hesitant throat noise and began. “Ah was born on Sigil, or as it’s also knoown, ‘The City of Doors’. It’s calle’d tha’ ‘caz it ‘as at least one por’al to anywhere. The abyss, the prime material plane, ethereal plane-when ah say everywhere ah mean everywhere,†smiling faintly at Loké’s slightly amazed look. “Ah was raised by a guy named Pharod, I nevae knew meh parents, so he was a father figure too meh, teaching me all ah know... a lot li’e Gorion fer yoo,†she smiled. Her audience looked at her with a smile of his own. It had been the first time he’d seen her smile. All the other times had been triumphant, mischievous; cold... this was the first genuine smile he’d seen. And she looked even more beautiful because of it. His depressed mood vanished as she told him about her adventures with The Nameless One: how she, Morte, Vhailor, Fall-From-Grace and Dak'kon had helped him find out who he was. “A celibate succubus, a talking floating skull, and a haunted suit of armour... and I thought we were mis-matched...†Loké snickered when Annah had finished telling him of her adventure. Her smile faded though. “Yea, well... noo the story of hoo ah wound up here.†She sighed sadly. “Ta cu’ a loong story shor’; ah’d lifted some stuff from someone aye’d had ‘The Lady’s’ ear. So ah was ‘imprisoned.’ It’s kinda’ard to explain. It-it... it’s like yer’re in an ethereal Sigil. You nevae age, food appears regularly, and you just have to find the exit. When ya doo, lets jus’ say it’s best to go an holiday from Sigil. Permanently. Och, so ah practically took the first por’tal ah found when ah got out of the prison; and wouldn’t ya knoo it, it led to another feckin’ prison!†She gave Loké a wry smile. “You can work the rest out, laddie.†He raised an eyebrow. “Did you just say that affectionately?†“Maybe,†came the reply with accompanying ‘butter-wouldn’t-melt-in-mouth’ look. Sitting there in amiable silence, they simply looked at one another thoughtlessly. And for once, just once, the world didn’t seem to be out to get them. Sadly, all things must come to an end-the nice ones sooner than the nasty ones apparently. “We’d better get back with the firewood,†Loké thought aloud, “It’s dusk...†#################################### Several weeks (and many catfights) later... #################################### Loké bolted upright, sweat drenched and trembling in his bed as he wildly looked around his room. As his bearings came to he relaxed slightly, the words “You will accept the gifts offered to you.†echoing in his mind. Heaving a sigh, he slipped on his tunic (he always wore his trousers these days) and gently padded over to the door, grabbing his short sword. He gave a wry chuckle-it’d become a security blanket of sorts-even with the awesome power of Celestial Fury, he didn’t feel entirely safe without it by his side. Just before he left the room, he quietly walked over to the window and looked through the shutters. It was still night, and the bridge was practically deserted. He gave a silent sigh. At least the Five Flagons Inn had staff all night as well as day. Yawning quietly he plodded down the stairs as quietly as he could. The other patrons would probably not appreciate being woken up by him. When was able to see the room as he slunk down the stairs he raised an eyebrow. Well... all except Aerie. Sitting quietly at a table in the middle of the room occasionally sipping from the glass, lost in thought. The Bhaalspawn paused-he really wasn’t in the mood for her to deride Annah, like both had done when both alone and together with him this past week. Instinct told him not to retreat however-it’d seldom been wrong (after the first year of adventuring anyway) so he went with it, walking over in a deliberate fashion towards her. Upon hearing his approach she gave him a wan smile and took a large sip of her wine. He sat down opposite of her and gave a small nod in greeting. She simply gazed unblinkingly at him, studying him. He gazed back. Sitting there, pensively looking at each other in silence, the tension was palpable. Unable to take it, the pair started talking about various things: how they were, why up so late, what they were going to do tomorrow. However, eventually the conversation dried up. After several minutes the silence was shattered as Aerie took a sip of her wine, eyes never leaving Loké. “You’ve chosen.†It was a statement. Loké nodded hesitantly. “I-I think so...†Aerie’s turn to nod. “You chose several weeks ago I think. I-I know I’m naïve with many things, but, †she gave a thin smile, “but I’ve become very good at people.†A heartfelt sigh of disappointment. “I knew, inside myself, you would choose her. Sh-she’s so beautiful and so much more exotic compared to me, without my wings...†Another sigh. The uncomfortable silence returned. “I...†Loké fumbled. “I... I... You’re... I had a choice Aerie. You-secure, sincere, warm, kind and beautiful. And then Annah-mysterious, sexy, unpredictable...†he gave a small chuckle. “Dangerous. You... I think you’d want to settle down after all this. I don’t think I would. I could have chose between a secure relationship with you; I want something more wild more...†He broke off with a sad smile. “...Unpredictable?†the avariel sadly asked. He nodded his head. They sat there in silence once again, lost in their own thoughts as they looked at anything but each other. Eventually the silence became too much again for Loké, who decided to flee from the emotional carnage. “I’m going to try and get some more sleep. Goodnight Aerie,†he murmured quietly as he rose from his chair. She just sipped some more wine. Halfway up the stairs Loké paused and looked at her sadly. “Aerie?†The wingless elf looked up to him. “You’ll meet someone.†He gave her a pleasant smile. “I know you will.†Despite her feelings, she found herself smiling slightly as he continued his ascent. As he left however, her smile disappeared and she sat in the silent tavern, looking at her empty wineglass. Feeling just like it. Link to comment
Loké Posted February 1, 2005 Author Share Posted February 1, 2005 ############################ It’s been about a week since the ending of the last chapter. During that time the gang went to Trademeet and helped with the shadow druids attacking the town. At the grove, Cernd challenged Faldorn for the position of Arch-Druid, and Cernd won. With that, our party returned to Trademeet (with the head of a certain djini-fleeing being) and are now simply messing around town until tomorrow when they leave for the shadow-master Ahrend Gend. ########################## “So… wha’dyae wanna talk teh meh aboot?†Annah asked to the shaggy haired half-elf opposite the table in the inn they were staying in. She’d had a mental eyebrow raised for several minutes; he’d been doing his best to avoid her these past few days; and then suddenly out of the blue he asks her to have a drink with him because he’s ‘got something to talk about’ with her. Aerie had been forlorn for the last week, so maybe… A flicker of… something… excitement, anticipation… …Hope?… …just maybe. A hint of a smile grazed her lips-the poor bugger was really nervous despite the fact they were the nearly same ages, he was still so young and inexperienced in at least the ways of the heart. But she wasn’t falling in love with that part of him. She was falling in love with her leader: the determined, bordering on stubborn, rugged, experienced brawling warrior that could handle strong dwarven ale. That he accidentally had a good body was just a nice bonus. He fumbled at her outright question yet he seemed to be on autopilot. “I wanted to talk about us.†She nodded. The flicker became a small flame… “…†He sighed, and just decided to grab the bull by the horns. “I think I’m falling in love with you.†The small flame ignited into a firestorm. Her hand slid across the table to his, and their fingers entwined, and she smiled in response. “Tha’ wannae soo ’ard, nah was it laddie?†she said with a mischievous smirk. A stupid grin crossed Loké’s face. “So… now what?†“How about a meal?†And it went from there. Link to comment
Loké Posted February 1, 2005 Author Share Posted February 1, 2005 Three years, seven months, two weeks and four days later… Annah threw her head back and screamed as loudly as she could while she lay on the bed in a sheen of sweat. As she ceased her scream she flopped back onto the bed, exhausted, as a new voice started screaming, or more accurately crying; picking up where she left off. The midwife removed herself from between her opened legs with a bundle of blanket, before handing it to Annah with a smile and the words “It’s a girl!†Annah sat upright, despite her fatigue, and took the bundle in the midwife’s arms nervously, scared it… *she* would disappear. She cradled the newborn infant in her arms and looked down into its-her-face. She smiled at her, the baby stopping its crying to look up at her mother with curiosity. Annah felt tears form in her eyes as her vision blurred. She was holding her *daughter* in her arms. She was a mother. She… she was a mother, holding her child. She felt like she was dreaming and a thought kept repeating itself, ‘Annae second now… ah’m gonna wake up annae second…’ As the door opened she looked up, her eyes shining with joy and unshed tears. It was Loké. She looked back at her baby. “My love?†Asked Loké nervously. “She’s ah girl… a wee girl…†She nearly sobbed as she looked down at the bundle with a loving smile. Her little girl… she looked at Loké, who was sitting on the edge of the bed next to her. Her family. “She’s beautiful. Just like her mother,†Loké whispered as he hugged his wife and looked on his daughter. She ‘looked’ at her child for the first time. Her eyes were dark red, a faint blue light was being given off, a colour her parents would learn changed with her emotions, with a small wedge shaped stripes from the bottom of her eyes down to her jaw on either side, both the same colour as her eyes. Her mother’s eyes widened slightly in surprise and amusement as she felt a tail move in the sheet. The tears started running freely as she felt her life click into place. She had a home, a husband and a child. She finally had something she’d wanted ever since she’d beena small child, something she’d wanted for so long and so early she hadn’t even known she’d been after it. She had family. “What are we going to name her?†Loké murmured into her ear. “I-I dannae know,†she whispered, all the while looking down at her daughter and smiling, whom had started smiling back up at her, gurgling quietly as if in recognition. “How about ‘Mika’?†“Mika…†Annah tested the name while looking at the little girl in her arms, said girl looking up at her with a curious look and a smile. Her smile was returned as Annah repeated the name. She nodded. “A’reeght. Mika. Mika Nightflame.†She slid over slightly so Loké could climb onto their bed too and she lay back with little Mika in her arms. The family lay there in silence as they basked in the presence of each other until sleep claimed them. “Ah love yeh,†Annah whispered to both. Then sleep claimed her until she would wake up with her family. ====================== Little footnote: Mika is pronounced ‘Mee-ka’ And so we come tot he end! I think it's worth pointing out (for those of you who haven't been reading the fanfiction.net version of this) that this isn't the entire story, as while writing it, I tweaked a few things, one thing led to another, and now I've done my first lemon. The link for which is here In case you don't know a lemon is sexually explicit story, so only click that link if you're 18 or over yada-yada-yada-no-one every reads this why am I bothering to type it.... Link to comment
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