Thar Shaddin

Chezak pursed his lips, looking at Maurice for a long moment. He glanced to his companions, both now hovering near the door, then turned back to Maurice. He gave an off-handed shrug and a nod.

Maurice peered at the elf in front of him for a few moments, then clucked his tongue and smiled, turning back to administer to Amm. He quickly and efficiently stripped the bandages from the Tera with Chezak's help. His eyes narrowed as he looked at the wounds on Amm, noting the depth and how they were arranged on the small body.

At one point, the healer narrowed his eyes, looked up at Chez and opened his mouth to say something. With a quick glance to the door and the two people standing there, he though better of saying anything and instead turned back to his work.

Maurice stood then and shuffled over to the basin. He took a pitcher of water standing ready next to it and poured it into the basin, murmuring a word. Nearly instantly the water was steaming, and Maurice took a cloth and dipped it in the basin. He turned and quickly cleaned Amm's wounds, moving nimbly around her prone form. At one point, when he was near Chezak, he murmured just loud enough for the elf to hear, "Most shifters are able to quickly heal through shifting, but the Tera seem to lack that ability."

After a short period, Maurice was satisfied. He slowly lay his hands over the large wound on Amm's back, then closed his eyes. Moments later, a light, transparent green glow appeared around his hands, then coursed over the wound. It pulsed, becoming brighter, then fading nearly entirely away only to glow brightly again. Maurice's lips moved soundlessly, his eyes tightly closed. It took some time, but finally the wound seemed to begin writhe, then close on it's own. Once the biggest wound was closed, Maurice's hands moved over to the hip wound, his eyes remaining closed. This wound closed quicker, and after only a few minutes, the healer stepped back, reaching behind him to pull a stool close. He sat, stretching wearily, and smiled up at Chezak, then over to the two still in the doorway.

"She is healed. She will need to rest for several hours, but she will be fully recovered."

Arusa stiffened as the falconer came up behind her, uncomfortable with him being so close. She could feel his breath on her neck and it actually sent shivers up and down her spine, but she tried to remain calm and concentrate on what the healer was doing, even if healing was a rather boring process.

She took a small step inside the room and crossed her arms, glancing at Chezak with a tired, irritated look that said 'Why are we here? This is all your fault.' However unfounded such an accusation might be, blaming someone like Chezak was simply convenient.

After all, if they'd taken a carriage, or even a couple of horses, they wouldn't be so exhausted. If they'd stayed in a proper inn, Amm wouldn't have injured herself in some damned forest. They wouldn't still be in this city. They would be warm in their beds, sleeping peacefully until morning. In fact, everything would be just fine if it hadn't been for the stupid old man who insisted on dragging them into trouble.

Eventually the healer finished his work and announced that the girl would have to rest for a few hours. With a loud and heavy sigh, Arusa declared, "I'm going back to that inn I was staying in." As she was about to turn and leave, she decided to add, "You two should come with me. I'll buy you both a drink, and we'll wait for the girl to rest, okay?"

The man cleared himself from the door and the space around Arusa he'd broached. It was an unconscious movement, one he did not fully register as he watched Chezak between glances at the small girl and the doctor. He himself was tense across his shoulders, and his hands did not rest at his sides. His fingers betrayed him as they tapped against his legs.

"I would appreciate a drink." He said in his smooth, level voice. "I am sure Terandriu would appreciate drink and food, also. She is unused to such rapid travel."

He allowed himself a small, tender smile for the thought of his animal, and looked at Chezak expectantly before retreating slowly to the small sitting room. He gathered up his things, and made small soothing noises to his falcon. He then stood by the door out to the city, quiet and serene.

Chezak nodded to the healer. He looked at his unwilling companions, then offered a tight-lipped smile.

"I'll be out in a moment. There is the matter of payment to take care of."

As the other two headed out of the little room, Chez reached into a pouch at his waist and pulled out several coins of high denomination for this particular area. He pressed them into the healer's hand, who tried to insist that it was too much. When Chezak explained that some were for the healing, and the rest was for keeping quiet about the true nature of his charge, the healer simply shrugged and accepted the coins.

Chezak offered him another smile, then turned and headed out the door. The early morning was lightly overcast, with the sun a small round ball attempting to burn it's way through the cloud cover. The fluffy white clouds blew swiftly overhead, and a light breeze on the ground ran in the same direction. Chezak looked to the other two, then pointed off in the direction of the inn where all of his current troubles had begun.

"Shall we?"

Once the matter of payment had been taken care of, Arusa led the way to the inn with a heavy sense of relief. She was already tired from walking so long without a proper night's sleep, and now she was doing even more walking; it would certainly make practicing dance more difficult with such sore legs and feet. Tonight, at least, she was going to make sure that they found a proper place to sleep, for the entire night. For now, however, she would just have to put up with heavy eyelids and a worsening headache.

As they walked purposefully through the main streets of Dalouxiu, they passed other people doing the same; the sun had already begun to rise, the people rising along with it, and already going about their business, setting up markets and opening stores. It wasn't too long before Arusa, Chez and the falconer finally reached the inn, for which Arusa was extremely grateful, quite hopefully thanking her gods for a chance to rest.

Fortunately, not all of those who worked in the inn were asleep; an older human woman greeted them with a cheerful smile and curious gaze. Before she had a chance to say anything more than "Welcome to our inn", Arusa was ordering the woman to prepare tea. She didn't bother asking whether the men would prefer something else, instead proceeding straight to the nearest table and taking a seat.

As the man sat, his falcon's cage newly covered in a dark cloth, it was obvious he was restless. He sat at the edge of his seat as if ready to leave at any moment. His attention had left Arusa completely, and though he did not gawp at Chezak it was pointedly obvious that the elf was the focus of the falconer's thoughts. Before comment could be made about this, however, he took care of it himself.

"I am Hoshen. You are Chezak D'Maroe, exile of the elven. . .community in Tian Xia, yes? I have news to offer."

Chezak's mind stopped working. Of all the things he had expected as he had seated himself at the table at the inn they had left just the day before, it was not this.

The man had not even yet introduced himself properly, though his help, limited to Arusa's baggage as it had been, was still appreciated.

Several long tense moments passed as Chezak stared at the man, his eyes first widening in surprise, then narrowing in barely concealed anger. His left hand slowly drifted to his left hip, palm rubbing lightly over the leather-wrapped hilt of the long dagger there, fingers flexing. He reminded himself that the man wasn't elven, that he couldn't know what it meant to speak to an exile, how shaming it was to be recognized and spoken to by someone who knew him for what he was.

Such was his concentration on the man that he forgot all about Arusa. Her reaction was lost on him, and though some small part of his mind tried to make him pay attention, everything was focused on the man in front of him, the man who dared to ...

Chez took a deep, shuddering breath, then slumped back into his chair and rubbed his eyes with the palm of his right hand. His left still rested casually next to the hilt of the long knife.

"Yes, well. I knew it wasn't the smartest idea to come back here. It was only a matter of time before someone who knows the elves recognized me." It was at this point that he looked at Arusa, gauging her reaction and choosing to ignore it, for the moment.

"Since you know my name, stranger, perhaps you can tell me yours. Then you can deliver your message, and be on your way." He knew he sounded hostile and petty, but at the moment, he didn't particularly care.

Arusa stared wide-eyed at Chezak as the realization washed over her. Chezak D'Maroe, the name echoed in her mind, triggering her memory of the event; the day an elven man had isolated himself from his family, his city, and his entire race. It had been quite a significant event amongst the elves of Tian Xia, even though it had meant little to someone as young and self-absorbed as Arusa.

Even now she cared very little about that particular elven tradition. It made no sense to her, though all elven traditions were supposed to be a part of who she was. But even if she didn't quite agree with the concept, the seriousness of the situation had been made clear to even the youngest members of the community. Most elves knew who Chezak was, knew that they were meant to pretend he didn't exist - and here Arusa was walking all over Dalouxiu with the man.

When Chezak briefly shifted his gaze onto her, Arusa couldn't help but flinch and turn her eyes away. She couldn't even bring herself to speak, too unsure of how she should feel in such a delicate situation. She was almost tempted to leave; had the rare Aniz Tera not been involved, she certainly would have.

The falconer sighed. "My name is Hoshen." He repeated, mouth twitching as he observed both Chezak and Arusa. He shook his head and smoothed his expression. "There are those of us who do not hold that our brethren are necessarily right in all things. There is a refuge of sorts, available. A caravan. You would be welcome."

Hoshen pulled a flat, round wooden disc with a sigil burned into the center. Its edges glittered, mage-craft at work to prevent counterfeit. He slid it over to Chezak. He did not say, exactly, how to find the caravan, but he looked upon Chezak with approval. He stood, and gathered his small pile of belongings. "As you say, it is only a matter of time and I am perhaps less welcome than you."

Chezak frowned at the man. Our brethren? he wondered. It didn't matter.

And besides, he had done this to himself. He had done it because his father shamed him, nearly to the point of disowning him, which was another nearly unheard of thing for several centuries. The elves hadn't exiled him; he had exiled himself. He hadn't wanted any reminders of the pure, unadulterated hate in his father's eyes that day, expression of rage so great that it was on the extreme edge of violence.

Yet...

Yet it hadn't worked. Nearly every day he remembered that look, the expression. He remembered the feeling of pain, as if his heart had been torn directly in two in the most painful possible way. The sinking feeling in his stomach; the dizzy, nauseous feeling at the realization of what he must do to save himself from the melancholy, the loneliness, the absolute strict rigidity of his own culture.

And to save his father from the jealous rage he felt at his only son being the student of his brother. A brother his father had never been able to be like, never able to be as good as at anything. To see his son growing to be like his brother had transferred the deep-rooted hatred of his brother to his own son. The archery contest had been the last straw ... for both of them.

Chezak leaned forward again, almost ready to tell Hoshen all of this, before he realized that it wouldn't matter. Instead, he slowly reached forward, feeling the magic of the disc before him, running a finger lightly around the sigil. It was one he recognized. He'd seen it before on another occasion, when a man very similar to the one that now stood before him had made the same offer.

He had refused that time. This time he wasn't sure if he wanted to, or even could. His long, slender fingers gently closed around the wooden disc, his eyes already looking back to Hoshen. A long moment passed, and when Chezak's voice finally returned to him, it was quiet.

"I cannot guarantee that I will be with you when you leave. I cannot guarantee that I will catch you up on the road. I have things I must do, a friend to take care of. Now I have the option."

Chez leaned back into the chair again, deftly pocketing the disc and sigil lest someone recognize them for what they were. Still peering up at the man, he said, "Thank you for your help this morning."

As Hoshen stood, so did Arusa, realizing that she was most likely about to be left alone with Chezak. However, as she was about to announce her decision to change into something cleaner, and perhaps see if Hera was still staying here, the inn-woman returned, placing the tray she carried onto the table between them. The tea set looked cheap, but that was common for those used outside of one's own home.

"I shou-" Arusa began to object, but was interrupted.

"Nonsense, dear," said the far-too-cheery woman, pouring tea for each of her guests.

Too tired to argue - not to mention, very thirsty - Arusa took her seat once more. She dragged over one of the full cups, adding sugar and stirring, all with very little enthusiasm. This is so horrible. Why am I always the unlucky one?

The human woman smiled at Hoshen, giving him an expectant look. "Oh, you're not leaving yet, are you, dear? Won't you have some tea?"

"You are welcome, D'Maroe."

Hoshen looked at the tea and smiled. "Your graciousness does you credit madam, but I must take my leave, I'm afraid." He gave a short bow to the inn-woman, and then turned to Arusa. "Lady." He gave another short bow, and a conspiratorial nod to Chezak.

His expression and posture smoothed into that pleasant nonchalance that he'd held when first meeting them upon the road. He was quite an unremarkable man, as all those involved with the outreach must be. He walked out of the Inn, and shut the door quietly behind him.

Chezak bowed his head slightly in farewell as the man left, then slowly turned his gaze to Arusa. His eyes slowly traveled up her lean, lithe body, noting the tension in her limbs, the way she held herself as if she would bolt at the first sign of trouble.

He turned to the inn-woman, smiling his most radiant smile at her. "Thank you so much for your hospitality," he said as he reached forward and took his cup of tea. He slipped a coin across the table with the other hand, and her already broad smile widened slightly as she picked it up from the table and slipped it into her apron. "Please leave the pot, as I think we'll have need of a warm up soon."

The woman bobbed her head, thanking him and Arusa, who was still standing, looking down at him. Once the woman was gone, Chezak waved a hand at Arusa, meant to indicate the situation they were in. "So. I wondered why you were spending time with me. Now I know it was simple ignorance. I suppose you have a decision to make, yes?"

It was said in a brusque tone, one that said he accepted the inevitable rejection.

Arusa continued to stare down into the cup of tea as Chezak began to speak, but it was what his words implied, however truthful they might be, that finally brought her gaze onto him. The look in her eyes showed her annoyance even more so than the tone of her voice, and she asked, "Ignorance? You think I didn't know who you are?"

She looked away briefly as someone descended the nearby stairway and left the inn, before again looking across the table at the exile. "The only reason I'm "spending time with you", as you choose see it, is because of that girl. I was interested, and concerned; after all, I am nothing if not considerate. I just don't like the idea of other people... paying attention to such details."

Content with her explanation, Arusa took a sip of her tea before placing it down on the table again, eyebrows furrowed just slightly. Not sweet enough, she decided, before adding another heaped spoonful of sugar.

Dreams in rainbow, rainbow splashes fish-tail flicker quick. She slid over reeds, brushing tickle soft ripples wet on her feet. Bright depth pierced her, comforted. She looked with wonder, peaceful, and looked fierce into Hozu's eyes. Light glittered on their facets, and then he was skin form. Strong, straight, tall, right. He was still, but his expression said all.

"You have failed, but it is a strong failure. You will carry your scars for all to see, and you will bear your shame with humility."

She bowed her head, regret, acceptance, honor her fingers spread wide and her hips twitched. She flexed her stomach muscles and rotated one shoulder fierce joy and when he opened his arms, she opened hers. When they danced to accord color exploded.