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Seeking Her Roots [Closed]

Posted: Sun Oct 26, 2008 10:50 pm
by Kitsa Stormeyes
The two mercenaries had arrived in the Mirror Forest the day before; though the pair weren't exactly 'mercenaries' professionally. They had been hired by a rather desperate high elf in search of the common elf father of her child, and after a long, and surprising exciting journey from Raiden to the Mirror Forest, their services were no longer required. Seri, the high elf, had sold her elven steel rapier in one of the cities they passed through to make enough gold to pay her hired guards, and Kitsa and Orion were both sitting on an ample payment of 3 Raidens, or 300 gold.

Kitsa, the exotic quarter-elf from the Azarns, had only arrived in Raiden the day she set out with Seri. Her original intentions on coming to Lodoss were not to become a mercenary, but to find vestiges of her heritage and learn of her father's past. Her father, Aiden Silvermoon, had lived a long life of over five hundred years, and Kitsa had hoped to find his descendants from his human wife, and possibly even meet her grandmother, a common elf in the Glassy Woods. Before her father's death, he had recorded his history in a collection of journals which Kitsa brought with her. When she learned that they would be stopping in the Mirror Forest, she requested to be released from Seri's service, and convinced Orion to join her. As Seri really no longer had a need for rangers, she let anyone who wanted to leave go, as she expected the journey home to be easy. Kitsa's reasoning was that this forest had been mentioned in her father's journal; the Mirror Forest was where her sword--originally her father's sword--had been forged and given to him as a gift from a lover he had once, a common elf named Anaiya. Before beginning to ask about Anaiya, Kitsa and Orion had decided to rest so Kitsa could research her father's journal once more, and they could both rest up after the long journey they had just been on. With Seri's good word, they had been offered rooms in the home of a local elf named Mysa, whose daughter was away from home, thus leaving a spare room aside from another room she had for guests, as the common elf had quite an extended family.

As morning came, Kitsa dove into the handwritten journal her father had so painstakingly written in his final years. The quarter-elf laid on her belly in bed, reading in the morning light. She had become so involved in her reading that she ignored the grumblings of her stomach and the passage of time as the morning grew close to noon.

Re: Kitsa and Orion: The Mirror Forest

Posted: Mon Oct 27, 2008 6:56 am
by Alera Tai'var
It had not taken much for Orion to leave Seri's service. Kitsa had more than dominated his mind since the two had met and the prospect of the two of them traveling brought back fond memories of his last partnering. And though that connection was betrayed, Orion had come to terms with that. It hurt. The memory still hurt. But solitude was something he had in multitudes and ne'er did it have the warmth that Kitsa's presence brought.

Upon payment, they had gathered their things and took to the Mirror forest, another place Orion wholly unfamiliar to the elf. He had spent most of his life in the lands of humans. The question of why was something he had never considered until it was blatant, sleeping in a nice home, clear of the urban grime he had grown accustomed to. Orion never maintained connections to the elven race, never got involved. The idea that he was a member of it, strangely enough, was never in him. At least, not until he lived with them.

When the dawn rose, so did Orion. Kitsa still slept, wrapped tightly underneath a quilt sewn by Mysa herself. Ever the stealthy one, he slipped away from her gently, leaving her sleeping without a sign of his disappearance save the loss of heat. Each step was silent, a testament to his skill as a ranger, as he went to a work of his own.



"Is she still sleeping?" Mysa whispered, coming into the kitchen.

Orion shook his head. On the table, a plate had been prepared with bread, cheese, fruit, and a bowl of porridge to the side. "My apologies if I used too much."

"You didn't have to do this... And where did you get these?" she asked, picking up a few raspberries still wet from the morning dew.

"There is a bush down the way. I noticed it as we arrived." Orion's eyes never left his current task. In front of him lay another plate, organized in a similar fashion. The difference was not in the food, though it was most certain he was more careful in picking which berries went on this plate. It was in the lily that sat on the edge, certainly the most vivid to ever grow. A keen elf could sense how the spirits danced around it, joyful in its beauty. A strong enough shaman could call the spirits to breathe life into plants that might otherwise die. Orion had learned this quickly, always reverent of the life around him.

"Here I thought I'd get up early and make you something..." Mysa said. Slipping closer to her guest, she peered at what he had made. "Ohh..." she giggled a little and blushed. "Now I see..."


A light tap at the door announced Orion. "May I come in?"

Re: Kitsa and Orion: The Mirror Forest

Posted: Mon Oct 27, 2008 7:52 pm
by Kitsa Stormeyes
OOC: Just so you know, Mysa is my character Katela's mother.

Hearing a knock at the door and Orion on the other side, Kitsa perked up. "You may!" she called back enthusiastically with no sign of sleepiness in her voice. She didn't rise from her position on the bed, but she looked over her shoulder, waiting for Orion to enter.

Re: Kitsa and Orion: The Mirror Forest

Posted: Tue Oct 28, 2008 3:36 pm
by Alera Tai'var
With the breakfast tray tucked between his hip and his arm, Orion unlatched the door to the guest room they shared. He could feel the heat from the porridge he had made, its steam clinging to the underarm of his coat. Pushing it gently open, the ranger took Kitsa's breakfast back into two hands. "I thought you might be hungry," Orion said, moving carefully to the side of the bed. The smell of honey and chamomile followed closely behind. The bowl of porridge sat in the center of the tray, surrounded by cheese, raspberries, two slices of sweet bread, and a cup of tea. But, laid across the front, was perhaps the best present: a single, perfect lily. A fiery red burned at its center, stretching across its pedals into a mixture of vivid purples and languid blues. Caught in the light, it was almost bright enough to have a glow all its own. Orion settled the tray before her, watchful of the possibility that anything should tip or shift.

Re: Kitsa and Orion: The Mirror Forest

Posted: Sat Nov 01, 2008 6:58 pm
by Kitsa Stormeyes
Kitsa's eyes widened at the meticulously prepared breakfast Orion brought, but her gaze fell on the gorgeous lily; so beautiful it nearly took her breath away. Taking her father's journal and turning it upside down on her pillow to save her place, Kitsa rose up on her knees. "Orion, it is beautiful," she said. "You are too sweet," she added with a small smile.

Re: Kitsa and Orion: The Mirror Forest

Posted: Sat Nov 01, 2008 7:07 pm
by Alera Tai'var
Orion placed his hand around hers, wrapping her fingers tightly around the stem. His eyes were serious. "Look closely at it," he said. As her eyes strayed deeper into its pedals, the tiny figure of a spirit danced along its colors, almost invisible. There was a innocent joy, an effervescence of love, to that playful spirit that, by all rights should have long left a picked flower. "Never will this flower fade," he explained. "Even without its roots, it shall stay in perfect bloom. It shall live as long as we live." His soft eyes returning to Kitsa's, he continued. "I have no riches, no name or worldly good to offer you, but I do have myself and this flower. And what I have, I wish to give to you."

Re: Kitsa and Orion: The Mirror Forest

Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2008 2:50 pm
by Kitsa Stormeyes
Kitsa stared down at the flower, her words washed away in the tide of his affections. She was overwhelmed by it all, it flooded her senses, but she was invigorated. Perhaps some would be intimdated by this passionate declaration, and maybe that's why Kiro had left him, but Kitsa was willing to brave the flood and immerse herself. The quarter-elf rose up on her knees and leaned into Orion, throwing her arms around his shoulders while she still held the precious gift. "Orion..." she whispered, pressing her face against his neck. "You have a beautiful heart." She paused, trying to find more words to respond to him, though she could think of nothing that held a candle to the things he just said. "I accept you, completely. I love you," were the words she could finally find.

Re: Kitsa and Orion: The Mirror Forest

Posted: Sun Nov 02, 2008 3:44 pm
by Alera Tai'var
Orion was not sure how Kitsa would have taken such a plan. It was the only way he knew how to express himself and it worked exactly as he had imagined. Wrapping his own arms around his waist, he held her close, feeling the warmth, the beat of her heart, and the spirit that thrived within. It was right. Everything here was right. There was no question left, no doubts. "Thank you..." he whispered, though it was as much to the spirits, gods, whatever else that existed in the aether above him, as it was to her.

Re: Kitsa and Orion: The Mirror Forest

Posted: Sat Nov 29, 2008 5:36 pm
by Kitsa Stormeyes
Tears had formed in Kitsa's eyes as she absorbed it all, and she stayed where she was, holding onto him until her knees began to complain of being knelt upon on the bed. Only then did Kitsa draw back, kiss Orion's lips gently, then sit back down. Glancing at the breakfast he brought she didn't know if she could even eat; she was so giddy her stomach didn't seem to realize that it was empty. The quarter-elf looked at his gift again and sighed contently, but she was still at a loss of words. She sniffled slightly, but there was an irrepressible smile on her face.

After enjoying each other's company and eating breakfast, Kitsa spoke to Mysa about Anaiya, and learned that she still lived in the forest. In the time since her father's departure from the Mirror Forest, Kitsa had learned that the forest was nearly lost during the War of the Demon God, and many elves died. Anaiya was apparently one of the survivors. With the location of her home, Kitsa and Orion departed.

After crossing the village, they arrived at another tree house that fit the location Mysa described. Kitsa led the way up the stairs spiraling around the broad tree trunk. As she stepped up onto the porch, she knocked on the door, a bit hesitantly, and waited for an answer.

Momentarily, the door opened to reveal a beautiful elven woman--at least, as beautiful as most elves--with long, pale blonde hair and blue eyes. "Can I help you?" she asked, eying the strange looking visitors.

"I am seeking a woman named Anaiya... are you she?" Kitsa asked.

"Yes, I am," Anaiya replied, her brow furrowed. She seemed at first confused, why would such strange looking outsiders want to speak to her? She was no expert in anything. However, concern soon brewed in her eyes. "Has something happened to my son?"

"I... I know nothing of your son," Kitsa replied, caught off guard. A son? Possibly a brother? Kitsa thought with some excitement, but she kept it contained. It was possible that she could have married or taken another lover in the century since Aiden left her. "I came to speak with you of your past," Kitsa explained, her voice dropping an octave or two.

"Of my past?" Anaiya inquired, her curiosity piqued. After a pause, in which Kitsa held back her questions as it seemed as if Anaiya were about to speak, the elf responded, "Is it about Aiden, the half-elf?"

"Yes!" Kitsa replied eagerly, her eyes lighting up with excitement. "You see, Aiden is my father, and he told me about his past. I came to Lodoss to see--" Kitsa was suddenly cut off by Anaiya's door slamming in her face.

Re: Kitsa and Orion: The Mirror Forest

Posted: Tue Dec 30, 2008 9:07 pm
by Alera Tai'var
Orion stood stoic, looking at the heavy portal as if his eyes could break straight through it. His brow furrowed, followed by a tightening of his lips. That wasn't necessary. It was rude, uncommonly so for an elf. The fact that it was done to Kitsa was an increased weight. Unjustified. That's what it was. One hand came up, clenched tightly in a fist, and knocked on the door again. Orion's eyes glanced down to Kitsa for a moment, the displeasure a subtle disturbance on his gentle expression, before returning his determined stare to the door before him.

Re: Kitsa and Orion: The Mirror Forest

Posted: Tue Dec 30, 2008 9:30 pm
by Kitsa Stormeyes
Kitsa was dumbfounded by the sudden and rude response to the mention of her father's name. Did father hurt her that bad? Kitsa wondered as Orion knocked again. However, she remembered from her father's journals that she was a passionate woman, and even needy, especially for an elf.

"Go away!" Anaiya shouted from the other side, her voice strained with emotion.

"I... I am sorry, I mean you no insult," Kitsa called to the elf through the door. "If you would not like to speak with me, I will be on my way." She paused for a response, but her ears only picked up a muffled sob. With a heavy sigh, Kitsa looked to Orion. "I suppose we should just leave," she spoke, loud enough for Anaiya to hear, but she then leaned in and whispered, "Perhaps she only needs time to think."

With that, Kitsa turned around and began to walk back down the winding wooden stairs. Hopefully Anaiya would speak to her, and if she did, Kitsa would wait for a few more days before moving on. She couldn't wait forever though. Anaiya mentioned a son, who apparently was not in the forest, and Kitsa couldn't help but wonder about him. What if he was her brother? Perhaps she should ask around the village a bit, if Anaiya wouldn't speak to her.

Re: Kitsa and Orion: The Mirror Forest

Posted: Tue Dec 30, 2008 9:36 pm
by Alera Tai'var
A part of him didn't care for her crying. It was small, but solid, angered by her rudeness. But his face did not show this. Instead, he stood at the door, listening to her and Kitsa. Need this woman harm others with her own pain like this? It was Kitsa's decision to go, which he accepted. He turned to go, but lingered for a moment longer, looking at this door, before turning to join her. A part of him wanted to go in silently, bring her face to face with Kitsa. A part of him, though, just wanted to leave. So he gave into the part. He took Kitsa's hand in his, hoping it would support enough.

Re: Kitsa and Orion: The Mirror Forest

Posted: Tue Dec 30, 2008 9:53 pm
by Kitsa Stormeyes
Feeling Orion's hand take hers, Kitsa glanced back to give him a small smile. She was frustrated by the woman, but she still managed to maintain her eagerness. She wouldn't allow Anaiya's misery to ruin a day that started out so beautifully.

However, before they completed one spiral arc of the stairs, the sound of Anaiya's door opening could be heard overhead and the elf's footsteps on her deck. "Wait!" she called, then sniffed. "I'll talk to you."

It came sooner than Kitsa expected, and she glanced back toward Orion again, this time with an arched eyebrow of curiosity and surprise. "That did not take long," she said softly to him, the turned around and slipped by him on the stairs, brushing her body against him due to the close quarters. She hurried back up the stairs to meet the elven woman, now with red-rimmed eyes and wiping under her eyes delicately with her sleeves.

"I'm sorry," Anaiya said. "I suppose I should not let the sins of the father weigh upon the daughter, hmm? Come inside, I'll speak to you," she explained to Kitsa, then turned around and stepped back into her home.

Kitsa hurried up the rest of the stairs and eagerly stepped inside the elven woman's modest little home. It showed the signs of a child growing up there; a few old toys collecting dust on the shelves, two bedrooms. Anaiya motioned to a bench seat in the main room for Kitsa and Orion to sit on, and without question, Kitsa took a seat.

Re: Kitsa and Orion: The Mirror Forest

Posted: Fri Jan 02, 2009 9:33 pm
by Alera Tai'var
Orion did not sit. The moment made him more anxious, the only expression of which was for him to choose standing instead. His face was placid, a rock solid mask of stoicism. Perhaps it made him a bit more intimidating, or far more rude in appearance, but it was a comfort for him to remain that way. "If you wish," Orion said quietly, to both of them, "I can wait outside."

Re: Kitsa and Orion: The Mirror Forest

Posted: Sat Jan 03, 2009 7:14 pm
by Kitsa Stormeyes
"I... Alright, if that is what you wish," Kitsa replied to Orion. She would't have minded his presence, but she didn't feel she needed to rely on his support either. She knew Orion was not the most sociable of individuals, and she had pushed him enough.

Anaiya turned back to the two, now carrying a wood tray with a quickly gathered snack; a pitcher of some drink or another, and a few fruits and a small loaf of elven lamhirh bread. "Please, have a seat," Anaiya insisted to Orion. "I don't mind."