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<blockquote data-quote="ltclnlbrain" data-source="post: 2821421" data-attributes="member: 12882"><p><strong>Chapter 15</strong></p><p></p><p>Keira staggered out of the water and put her hands to her knees. She was breathing heavily, having spent nearly a minute under the water in heavy combat. Shedding her overtunic and armor next to her cloak, and removing her gauntlet, she tenderly touched her chest beneath her left breast, unconcerned by Sardonic's possible glances. Lifting it up the bruise had turned purple and blue, all shades of dark reds, yellows and even the occasional green. She grimaced, breathing heavily, almost like one of her ribs had been cracked and come close to a lung. Her acid burns had turned purple too, with hues of deep blue.</p><p></p><p>Cursing softly, she let her undertunic fall, not conscious of the wet clothing or how exposed it left her. Her figure was strong and athletic, yet elegant in some way, with nice subtle curves. She stroked her hands down her breeches, rubbing the water out of them while massaging her muscles and buttocks gently. Following that, she wound the water out of her undertunic, and then proceeded to remove the water from her overtunic. She gave the armor a glance, but decided that there was very little she could do about the leather.</p><p></p><p>Sitting back against the wall at the edge of the water, she rested her head backward and tried not to concentrate on her burns and bruise. She had succeeded in surviving yet again, with Ju'lindra's help and some distraction from the others. She did not know how much longer she could continue these battles, but she would go as long as Davi said so. You did not become clesha by being weak.</p><p></p><p>Sardonic, of course, was staring lustfully at the barbarian all the while. Biting his lip, he sidled up beside her. "Hey Keira, tell me about the mating rituals of your tribe. I don't have to kill and eat something do I?"</p><p></p><p>Opening her eyes, the barbarian looked up at the mage. "You are not a Kalari. You will not pass the ritual initiation ceremonies." She grinned a wicked grin, pointed at a most inappropriate place on Sardonic's body, and made a simbol indicating something very akin to snip. Sardonic grimaced. Throwing her head back, Keira burst out laughing in her deep voice.</p><p></p><p>Ju'lindra stood in the hall, water dripping from her clothes and body, and shook her head. Picking up her sandals, backpack, and tonfas she moved toward the far endl of the corridor, motioning for Pyrius to follow. Once there, she handed him a blanket. The priest looked at it with confusion.</p><p></p><p>"Hold it up," the half-elf instructed. And then without further delay, she pulled her shirt up over her head.</p><p></p><p>Pyrius blanched and quickly averted his eyes, holding up the blanket to use as an impromptu chamber screen. By the Light, I hope no one can see me blushing, he thought as he stared at the ground. Ju'lindra seemed not to notice his embarassment as she finished disrobing, then pulled out a towel from her backpack and vigorously rubbed herself dry. Soon, she had changed into a fresh set of clothes.</p><p></p><p>"Sorry for using you like that, but even though I'm not ashamed of myself or my body, I can very well do without Sardonic's eyes all over me. Besides, now you can finally tell me what you wanted to say before. So, let's hear your story. I'm all ears." Sitting down, Ju'lindra took out some pieces of dried meat from her backpack and sunk my teeth into one of them. She offered one to Pyrius, but the priest shook his head.</p><p></p><p>"Well," Pyrius began, "what I've been meaning to say is, well, the reason I'm here is... Look. I know you don't know your parents. But I was sent here to Diamond Lake. To look after you. By your father."</p><p></p><p>The word caught her like a blow to the chest. Ju'lindra jerked her head up and stared at Pyrius. "SHAE POR O MAE? TIA THARAES?" she shouted. It took her a moment to realize that she had shouted in Elven, and she switched back to Common. "What did you say there? My father? What is the meaning of this? My parents left me in the forest to die. They couldn't have known I'd be found by the monks. Why would they suddenly show an interest in me? How dare they meddle in my life after all these years?" Out of breath and overcome by a torrent of emotions, she paused. Tears welled in her eyes as thoughts spun and tumbled through her mind.</p><p></p><p>Pyrius wore an expression of shock. He looked around and noticed the others were staring at them, particularly Carpal and Davi. He put his finger to his lips. Looking up at Pyrius, Ju'lindra wiped the tears away. "I'm sorry. It's not your fault. You didn't deserve such an outburst. It's just that I thought I was finally over it, and now I know I was not. Tell me. Who is my father? And what about my mother? Where do they live? How are they?"</p><p></p><p>"My apologies for bringing back painful memories. Come, let us go where we can talk privately, and I'll try to explain what I know," the priest said calmly. The half-elf nodded, and the two moved further away from the others.</p><p></p><p>As they walked away, Davi tugged on Carpal's belt to get his attention. "So...not going as well as it could, huh? So where did you find this Pyrius chap?"</p><p></p><p>The paladin frowned. "The cleric is not one of mine. I assumed he was contacted by you. But now that I think about it, his attention has always been on Ju'lindra. And she likewise was not contacted by either of us. Do we have a patron, or a pest, we do not know about?"</p><p></p><p>Davi's eyebrows arched suspiciously as she took in Carpal's information. Then, tucking in her chin with her hand, feigning a sort of delicate deliberation, she responded. "It seems we do--two in fact. Hmmm...let's let this scene close, and then have a chat with our players. I'd rather like to know who I'm dealing with." A thin, sharp smile developed on the cleric's face.</p><p></p><p>Ju'lindra and Pyrius were out of earshot now. She looked at him with pleading eyes. "Please, tell me," she said.</p><p></p><p>Pyrius nodded and took a deep breath. "Your father was a good man. His name was Tycho. He took me in when I was a youth and taught me the ways of Pelor. He passed away from natural causes two years ago, but on his deathbed he told me about you.</p><p></p><p>"He lived in Diamond Lake years ago, and that's where he met your mother, Brianna. She was in the employ of a mine manager named Ellival Moonmeadow, and it wasn't long before the two of them fell in love. They would meet in the woods outside town because Moonmeadow looked down upon anybody who was not an elf. And on one of these trysts, Brianna became pregnant.</p><p></p><p>"What Tycho didn't know was that Brianna was Ellival's cousin. When Moonmeadow found out, he was furious. He arranged for Tycho to be exiled from Diamond Lake, and he left nevery knowing the fate of his child. I made an oath to him on his deathbed to find you and look after you."</p><p></p><p>"And my mother?" Ju'lindra asked hesitantly. "What happened to her?"</p><p></p><p>Pyrius shook his head. "I don't know. Tycho never heard from her again." He paused and laid a hand on Ju'lindra's shoulder. "I was the one who sent you the note. I overheard Carpal talking about the expedition to the Cairn the other night, and...well, we've both been here in Diamond Lake for too long. I thought this might be our chance to forge a new life for ourselves."</p><p></p><p>Ju'lindra was silent for a long time. Then, she shook her head as if to clear away a bad dream and looked up at Pyrius with resolve. "Thank you. I think you are a real friend for all the effort you put in to find me and bring me this news. It hurt, but I'll get over it." She smiled bravely. "And I am glad that we've finally met. It's always felt like I've had a guardian angel watching over me. Now I know that I do."</p><p></p><p>Pyrius smiled back at her and brushed a loose strand of hair back from her face. Suddenly remembering himself, he blushed and quickly drew his hand back. "The others must be wondering what we're up to. We should go try to explain it to them," he stammered.</p><p></p><p>Ju'lindra opened her mouth to say something, when suddenly a commotion arose from down the hall and they heard Ezreal shouting for them. "Ju! Pyrius! Something's coming!"</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="ltclnlbrain, post: 2821421, member: 12882"] [b]Chapter 15[/b] Keira staggered out of the water and put her hands to her knees. She was breathing heavily, having spent nearly a minute under the water in heavy combat. Shedding her overtunic and armor next to her cloak, and removing her gauntlet, she tenderly touched her chest beneath her left breast, unconcerned by Sardonic's possible glances. Lifting it up the bruise had turned purple and blue, all shades of dark reds, yellows and even the occasional green. She grimaced, breathing heavily, almost like one of her ribs had been cracked and come close to a lung. Her acid burns had turned purple too, with hues of deep blue. Cursing softly, she let her undertunic fall, not conscious of the wet clothing or how exposed it left her. Her figure was strong and athletic, yet elegant in some way, with nice subtle curves. She stroked her hands down her breeches, rubbing the water out of them while massaging her muscles and buttocks gently. Following that, she wound the water out of her undertunic, and then proceeded to remove the water from her overtunic. She gave the armor a glance, but decided that there was very little she could do about the leather. Sitting back against the wall at the edge of the water, she rested her head backward and tried not to concentrate on her burns and bruise. She had succeeded in surviving yet again, with Ju'lindra's help and some distraction from the others. She did not know how much longer she could continue these battles, but she would go as long as Davi said so. You did not become clesha by being weak. Sardonic, of course, was staring lustfully at the barbarian all the while. Biting his lip, he sidled up beside her. "Hey Keira, tell me about the mating rituals of your tribe. I don't have to kill and eat something do I?" Opening her eyes, the barbarian looked up at the mage. "You are not a Kalari. You will not pass the ritual initiation ceremonies." She grinned a wicked grin, pointed at a most inappropriate place on Sardonic's body, and made a simbol indicating something very akin to snip. Sardonic grimaced. Throwing her head back, Keira burst out laughing in her deep voice. Ju'lindra stood in the hall, water dripping from her clothes and body, and shook her head. Picking up her sandals, backpack, and tonfas she moved toward the far endl of the corridor, motioning for Pyrius to follow. Once there, she handed him a blanket. The priest looked at it with confusion. "Hold it up," the half-elf instructed. And then without further delay, she pulled her shirt up over her head. Pyrius blanched and quickly averted his eyes, holding up the blanket to use as an impromptu chamber screen. By the Light, I hope no one can see me blushing, he thought as he stared at the ground. Ju'lindra seemed not to notice his embarassment as she finished disrobing, then pulled out a towel from her backpack and vigorously rubbed herself dry. Soon, she had changed into a fresh set of clothes. "Sorry for using you like that, but even though I'm not ashamed of myself or my body, I can very well do without Sardonic's eyes all over me. Besides, now you can finally tell me what you wanted to say before. So, let's hear your story. I'm all ears." Sitting down, Ju'lindra took out some pieces of dried meat from her backpack and sunk my teeth into one of them. She offered one to Pyrius, but the priest shook his head. "Well," Pyrius began, "what I've been meaning to say is, well, the reason I'm here is... Look. I know you don't know your parents. But I was sent here to Diamond Lake. To look after you. By your father." The word caught her like a blow to the chest. Ju'lindra jerked her head up and stared at Pyrius. "SHAE POR O MAE? TIA THARAES?" she shouted. It took her a moment to realize that she had shouted in Elven, and she switched back to Common. "What did you say there? My father? What is the meaning of this? My parents left me in the forest to die. They couldn't have known I'd be found by the monks. Why would they suddenly show an interest in me? How dare they meddle in my life after all these years?" Out of breath and overcome by a torrent of emotions, she paused. Tears welled in her eyes as thoughts spun and tumbled through her mind. Pyrius wore an expression of shock. He looked around and noticed the others were staring at them, particularly Carpal and Davi. He put his finger to his lips. Looking up at Pyrius, Ju'lindra wiped the tears away. "I'm sorry. It's not your fault. You didn't deserve such an outburst. It's just that I thought I was finally over it, and now I know I was not. Tell me. Who is my father? And what about my mother? Where do they live? How are they?" "My apologies for bringing back painful memories. Come, let us go where we can talk privately, and I'll try to explain what I know," the priest said calmly. The half-elf nodded, and the two moved further away from the others. As they walked away, Davi tugged on Carpal's belt to get his attention. "So...not going as well as it could, huh? So where did you find this Pyrius chap?" The paladin frowned. "The cleric is not one of mine. I assumed he was contacted by you. But now that I think about it, his attention has always been on Ju'lindra. And she likewise was not contacted by either of us. Do we have a patron, or a pest, we do not know about?" Davi's eyebrows arched suspiciously as she took in Carpal's information. Then, tucking in her chin with her hand, feigning a sort of delicate deliberation, she responded. "It seems we do--two in fact. Hmmm...let's let this scene close, and then have a chat with our players. I'd rather like to know who I'm dealing with." A thin, sharp smile developed on the cleric's face. Ju'lindra and Pyrius were out of earshot now. She looked at him with pleading eyes. "Please, tell me," she said. Pyrius nodded and took a deep breath. "Your father was a good man. His name was Tycho. He took me in when I was a youth and taught me the ways of Pelor. He passed away from natural causes two years ago, but on his deathbed he told me about you. "He lived in Diamond Lake years ago, and that's where he met your mother, Brianna. She was in the employ of a mine manager named Ellival Moonmeadow, and it wasn't long before the two of them fell in love. They would meet in the woods outside town because Moonmeadow looked down upon anybody who was not an elf. And on one of these trysts, Brianna became pregnant. "What Tycho didn't know was that Brianna was Ellival's cousin. When Moonmeadow found out, he was furious. He arranged for Tycho to be exiled from Diamond Lake, and he left nevery knowing the fate of his child. I made an oath to him on his deathbed to find you and look after you." "And my mother?" Ju'lindra asked hesitantly. "What happened to her?" Pyrius shook his head. "I don't know. Tycho never heard from her again." He paused and laid a hand on Ju'lindra's shoulder. "I was the one who sent you the note. I overheard Carpal talking about the expedition to the Cairn the other night, and...well, we've both been here in Diamond Lake for too long. I thought this might be our chance to forge a new life for ourselves." Ju'lindra was silent for a long time. Then, she shook her head as if to clear away a bad dream and looked up at Pyrius with resolve. "Thank you. I think you are a real friend for all the effort you put in to find me and bring me this news. It hurt, but I'll get over it." She smiled bravely. "And I am glad that we've finally met. It's always felt like I've had a guardian angel watching over me. Now I know that I do." Pyrius smiled back at her and brushed a loose strand of hair back from her face. Suddenly remembering himself, he blushed and quickly drew his hand back. "The others must be wondering what we're up to. We should go try to explain it to them," he stammered. Ju'lindra opened her mouth to say something, when suddenly a commotion arose from down the hall and they heard Ezreal shouting for them. "Ju! Pyrius! Something's coming!" [/QUOTE]
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