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<blockquote data-quote="Aristoi" data-source="post: 2687626" data-attributes="member: 32975"><p>Unseen in the darkness a Lizardman crawled from the water carrying what appeared to be a pack on its shoulders, though it detached as soon as they were clear of the water. </p><p></p><p>“Ugh,” Squirrel shook himself and the layers of fabric he wore, “glad I am now that this is a warm night.” </p><p></p><p>The Lizardman shifted and shrank, becoming the elf-boy shape S’lann normally wore. “As am I,” S’lann replied with a grim smile, naked on the ground where he lay, very tired. </p><p></p><p>“Then is it not a good thing that you have friends,” came a raspy voice from the darkness. Squirrel immediately jumped up in wary alert and drew knives. </p><p></p><p>“’Peace,” S’lann gestured to him, standing slowly and smiling. “I know this spectre- it is Elim.” </p><p></p><p>“It is,” he replied, melting into view out of the darkness, his eyes softly radiant like the moon above. He touched S’lann on the shoulder in greeting and then looked down at Squirrel. “You seem to make the oddest friends, S’lann.” </p><p></p><p>“Yes I do,” S’lann replied, poking Elim in the chest to prove the point. </p><p></p><p>“So you do,” Elim replied, more glad than he would admit that S’lann was alright. He chose instead to joke but he still smiled that smile that made others shudder in horror. He really had an impressive set of choppers. “And you are?” he looked down at the immature human. </p><p></p><p>“Squirrel,” came the wary reply. “What are you?”</p><p></p><p>“I am a Githzerai,” Elim replied, grinning at the wary way the child acted and yet, displaying a child’s curiosity. “I bet you don’t know where on Toril I’m from?” </p><p></p><p>“Is that a kind of Elf?” Squirrel asked. </p><p></p><p>“Nope.”</p><p></p><p>“Cormyr then?” he asked. </p><p></p><p>“Nope.”</p><p></p><p>Dragon Coast.”</p><p></p><p>“Nope.”</p><p></p><p>And the litany went on and on as Elim got a cloak and gave it to S’lann to cover himself with. It was funny how they had become modest, now that they had a choice to have modesty. </p><p></p><p>S’lann chuckled as he took the cloak, seeing Elim roll his eyes at what had turned into a game was becoming a trial. </p><p></p><p>“’Give up?” S’lann asked Squirrel with a grin that suggested he should. </p><p></p><p>“Why?” the boy asked, looking suspicious. “It’s a trick right?” </p><p></p><p>“Actually,” Elim replied squatting down to Squirrel’s level, “it was a riddle. My people aren’t from anyplace on Toril. We live on other planes.”</p><p></p><p>“You’re crappin’ me!” Squirrel scoffed, looking like he suspected they weren’t but really not wanting to think he was talking to a demon or something. S’lann shook his head and Elim just grinned again. “Damn! So I guess Seran here is a Demon too?” </p><p></p><p>“Half,” Elim replied with a smile and a chuckle, “but I’m not a Demon. My people used to be human-like but our world was destroyed by war.” He shrugged, “So we travel the worlds and planes.”</p><p></p><p>“So THAT’s why you can change forms and stuff!” Squirrel almost jumped up and down excitedly. “’Wish I could do that. I’d be top-thief!”</p><p></p><p>“I wish I could give it to you,” S’lann replied gloomily. </p><p></p><p>“Why?” Squirrel demanded indignantly. “Is makes you special and you can do really amazing thing with it! You became a Lizardman to carry me down the river with you, which was sure scary, lemme tell you. You can probably become like those elves that can fly and stuff, right?” He sighed wistfully, “If I could fly, I don’t think I’d ever stop.” </p><p></p><p>S’lann shook his head wonderingly, understanding what the kid was saying. He’d never really appreciated what he had until that very moment, in the face of someone else’s naked longing to have it themselves. </p><p></p><p>To be special. </p><p></p><p>He looked at Elim and Adama and realized, despite Adama’s curse and Elim’s hate for humans, they were special too. They might not see it but truly, they were special and unique in their own right. </p><p></p><p>And he realized they had just come after him, to save his life. </p><p></p><p>“Um, thank you,” he said and awkwardly clasped both forearms with Adama and clapped Elim on the shoulder before hugging him, “You came after me.” </p><p></p><p>“Yep,” Adama said with a nod and a resolute stance.</p><p></p><p>“We wanted your stuff,” Elim responded at the same time, grinning anyway. </p><p></p><p>S’lann made as it hit him and then paused, looking around and missing both the shadow and the smell of their third. “what happened to Kilmor?” </p><p></p><p>The other two looked kind of embarrassed and a voice came out of the nearby reeds. “’Promise not to laugh,” he demanded. The voice was different but the inflection and the trace of Kilmor was there. </p><p></p><p>“Um alright?” S’lann agreed confusedly and ogled as a human stepped out of the bushes. “’You didn’t! Tell me you’re not soul-riding a human!”</p><p></p><p>“It was the best idea at the time,” Kilmor responded from the body of the man, “though I will be happy to shed this skin. He is weak and petty and cruel and I feel as if I am wearing the oubliette on me every moment I am in here.” </p><p></p><p>“‘Not to mention his new form is a lot less strong and durable than the original,” Elim chuckled. </p><p></p><p>“He’s a shapeshifter TOO!?” Squirrel demanded, pointing at the body Kilmor was wearing. </p><p></p><p>“No Squirrel,” S’lann explained, “he’s a ‘Soul-rider’. He takes over another’s body, like a possession except that his body is inside that person’s body and it makes him as vulnerable as the person he’s controlling.” </p><p></p><p>“So he could die in this body if it died?” Squirrel asked, “He’s not really changing shape but taking someone’s body?” He shuddered. “That’s just wrong.” </p><p></p><p>“I don’t do it much,” Kilmor replied softly. “This was the best way to get us into the city.”</p><p></p><p>“Huh! You guys don’t know anything do you?” He gestured to the whole wide world, “Only marks use the gates. We got sewers, ya know. They empty outside the city. You go in one and you come out inside the city- happens all the time.” He crossed his arms and shook his head, “You guys were all slaves, right?”</p><p></p><p>Elim’s head snapped around, “How did you know that?” </p><p></p><p>Squirrel jerked a thumb at S’lann who looked utterly bewildered. “He sticks out like a black spider on a white wall,” he snorted. “New stuff without any wear on it but he travels in on foot. He doesn’t know what merchants are or how they advertise and he’s all scared of ‘em. He talks to slumming noble bit- er, women rather than the hookers when he’s fishin’ for information and he talks like it came outta a book.” He gestured to each of them in turn, “The goat-man is the only one that doesn’t act like he’s been down a hole his whole life.”</p><p></p><p>”Huh!” Adama choked as he chewed a grain cube, eating again. </p><p></p><p>“You try bein’ all tough so people don’t know how scared you are,” he pointed at Elim. “You’re okay and all but you’re scared of people and you want to keep them away.” </p><p></p><p>He pointed at S’lann, “And you got all this book-learnin’ but no real experience.”</p><p></p><p>He pointed at Kilmor, “Dunno about you yet but you and goat-man seem to have more world-ways about you but you’re both too polite and polished to get around out here.” </p><p></p><p>S’lann looked sick, Adama and Kilmor were transfixed and Elim was frowning so hard his eyes had almost disappeared under his brows. </p><p></p><p>*He’s got you and you know it* the bow told him *and it sucks because it not only came from a human but a child too!*</p><p></p><p>~If you weren’t already dead….~ Elim growled silently back</p><p></p><p>*You love me and you know it so shut it* came the tart-teasing reply. Elim blushed a pewter shade and stopped frowning, sighing gustily and giving it up. </p><p></p><p>“Alright then. What do you want?” </p><p></p><p>“Whaddya mean”” Squirrel asked cautiously. </p><p></p><p>“To keep you quiet about us,” Elim clarified. “You gotta want something to keep you quiet.” </p><p></p><p>“Uh,” Squirrel paused, looking completely blindsided.</p><p></p><p>“You didn’t even think of that did you kid?” Adama chortled, pleased to see some of that karma paid back instantly. </p><p></p><p>“I wanna come,” he piped up, looking shocked at the very idea and yet, bold as brass about it. </p><p></p><p>Adama drew his sword and stepped forward, catching Squirrel by the shoulder and holding the blade down where he could touch it. “Swear on this blade you mean no betrayal and that you will not do so. It is a holy blade and should you lie or betray us, you will be cursed until the end of your days.” </p><p></p><p>“I make a deal,” Squirrel replied with all the pre-adolescent indignity he could muster after putting his hand on the blade, “I keep it.” There was a momentary glow from the sword that faded a moment later, which was good that Squirrel was so raptly looking at it and missed the look of utter amazement on Adama, Elim and S’lann’s face. </p><p></p><p>None of them had guessed it would do that, whatever it was. </p><p></p><p>“Okay then,” Adama said as he turned to the horses, “let’s get going.” He pulled Squirrel up on the saddle before him, “Can you show us how to get into the city without being seen?” </p><p></p><p>“You’ll have to leave the horses,” he replied. “I know someone outside the sewers that’ll tend ‘em or buy ‘em, if you want.”</p><p></p><p>“I think we can sell them actually,” Elim replied thoughtfully. </p><p></p><p>“What d’you have in mind Elim,” Adama asked with that suspicious growl. “Not more fruit and paint, I hope?” </p><p></p><p>“Trust me, my dear goat, trust me.”</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Aristoi, post: 2687626, member: 32975"] Unseen in the darkness a Lizardman crawled from the water carrying what appeared to be a pack on its shoulders, though it detached as soon as they were clear of the water. “Ugh,” Squirrel shook himself and the layers of fabric he wore, “glad I am now that this is a warm night.” The Lizardman shifted and shrank, becoming the elf-boy shape S’lann normally wore. “As am I,” S’lann replied with a grim smile, naked on the ground where he lay, very tired. “Then is it not a good thing that you have friends,” came a raspy voice from the darkness. Squirrel immediately jumped up in wary alert and drew knives. “’Peace,” S’lann gestured to him, standing slowly and smiling. “I know this spectre- it is Elim.” “It is,” he replied, melting into view out of the darkness, his eyes softly radiant like the moon above. He touched S’lann on the shoulder in greeting and then looked down at Squirrel. “You seem to make the oddest friends, S’lann.” “Yes I do,” S’lann replied, poking Elim in the chest to prove the point. “So you do,” Elim replied, more glad than he would admit that S’lann was alright. He chose instead to joke but he still smiled that smile that made others shudder in horror. He really had an impressive set of choppers. “And you are?” he looked down at the immature human. “Squirrel,” came the wary reply. “What are you?” “I am a Githzerai,” Elim replied, grinning at the wary way the child acted and yet, displaying a child’s curiosity. “I bet you don’t know where on Toril I’m from?” “Is that a kind of Elf?” Squirrel asked. “Nope.” “Cormyr then?” he asked. “Nope.” Dragon Coast.” “Nope.” And the litany went on and on as Elim got a cloak and gave it to S’lann to cover himself with. It was funny how they had become modest, now that they had a choice to have modesty. S’lann chuckled as he took the cloak, seeing Elim roll his eyes at what had turned into a game was becoming a trial. “’Give up?” S’lann asked Squirrel with a grin that suggested he should. “Why?” the boy asked, looking suspicious. “It’s a trick right?” “Actually,” Elim replied squatting down to Squirrel’s level, “it was a riddle. My people aren’t from anyplace on Toril. We live on other planes.” “You’re crappin’ me!” Squirrel scoffed, looking like he suspected they weren’t but really not wanting to think he was talking to a demon or something. S’lann shook his head and Elim just grinned again. “Damn! So I guess Seran here is a Demon too?” “Half,” Elim replied with a smile and a chuckle, “but I’m not a Demon. My people used to be human-like but our world was destroyed by war.” He shrugged, “So we travel the worlds and planes.” “So THAT’s why you can change forms and stuff!” Squirrel almost jumped up and down excitedly. “’Wish I could do that. I’d be top-thief!” “I wish I could give it to you,” S’lann replied gloomily. “Why?” Squirrel demanded indignantly. “Is makes you special and you can do really amazing thing with it! You became a Lizardman to carry me down the river with you, which was sure scary, lemme tell you. You can probably become like those elves that can fly and stuff, right?” He sighed wistfully, “If I could fly, I don’t think I’d ever stop.” S’lann shook his head wonderingly, understanding what the kid was saying. He’d never really appreciated what he had until that very moment, in the face of someone else’s naked longing to have it themselves. To be special. He looked at Elim and Adama and realized, despite Adama’s curse and Elim’s hate for humans, they were special too. They might not see it but truly, they were special and unique in their own right. And he realized they had just come after him, to save his life. “Um, thank you,” he said and awkwardly clasped both forearms with Adama and clapped Elim on the shoulder before hugging him, “You came after me.” “Yep,” Adama said with a nod and a resolute stance. “We wanted your stuff,” Elim responded at the same time, grinning anyway. S’lann made as it hit him and then paused, looking around and missing both the shadow and the smell of their third. “what happened to Kilmor?” The other two looked kind of embarrassed and a voice came out of the nearby reeds. “’Promise not to laugh,” he demanded. The voice was different but the inflection and the trace of Kilmor was there. “Um alright?” S’lann agreed confusedly and ogled as a human stepped out of the bushes. “’You didn’t! Tell me you’re not soul-riding a human!” “It was the best idea at the time,” Kilmor responded from the body of the man, “though I will be happy to shed this skin. He is weak and petty and cruel and I feel as if I am wearing the oubliette on me every moment I am in here.” “‘Not to mention his new form is a lot less strong and durable than the original,” Elim chuckled. “He’s a shapeshifter TOO!?” Squirrel demanded, pointing at the body Kilmor was wearing. “No Squirrel,” S’lann explained, “he’s a ‘Soul-rider’. He takes over another’s body, like a possession except that his body is inside that person’s body and it makes him as vulnerable as the person he’s controlling.” “So he could die in this body if it died?” Squirrel asked, “He’s not really changing shape but taking someone’s body?” He shuddered. “That’s just wrong.” “I don’t do it much,” Kilmor replied softly. “This was the best way to get us into the city.” “Huh! You guys don’t know anything do you?” He gestured to the whole wide world, “Only marks use the gates. We got sewers, ya know. They empty outside the city. You go in one and you come out inside the city- happens all the time.” He crossed his arms and shook his head, “You guys were all slaves, right?” Elim’s head snapped around, “How did you know that?” Squirrel jerked a thumb at S’lann who looked utterly bewildered. “He sticks out like a black spider on a white wall,” he snorted. “New stuff without any wear on it but he travels in on foot. He doesn’t know what merchants are or how they advertise and he’s all scared of ‘em. He talks to slumming noble bit- er, women rather than the hookers when he’s fishin’ for information and he talks like it came outta a book.” He gestured to each of them in turn, “The goat-man is the only one that doesn’t act like he’s been down a hole his whole life.” ”Huh!” Adama choked as he chewed a grain cube, eating again. “You try bein’ all tough so people don’t know how scared you are,” he pointed at Elim. “You’re okay and all but you’re scared of people and you want to keep them away.” He pointed at S’lann, “And you got all this book-learnin’ but no real experience.” He pointed at Kilmor, “Dunno about you yet but you and goat-man seem to have more world-ways about you but you’re both too polite and polished to get around out here.” S’lann looked sick, Adama and Kilmor were transfixed and Elim was frowning so hard his eyes had almost disappeared under his brows. *He’s got you and you know it* the bow told him *and it sucks because it not only came from a human but a child too!* ~If you weren’t already dead….~ Elim growled silently back *You love me and you know it so shut it* came the tart-teasing reply. Elim blushed a pewter shade and stopped frowning, sighing gustily and giving it up. “Alright then. What do you want?” “Whaddya mean”” Squirrel asked cautiously. “To keep you quiet about us,” Elim clarified. “You gotta want something to keep you quiet.” “Uh,” Squirrel paused, looking completely blindsided. “You didn’t even think of that did you kid?” Adama chortled, pleased to see some of that karma paid back instantly. “I wanna come,” he piped up, looking shocked at the very idea and yet, bold as brass about it. Adama drew his sword and stepped forward, catching Squirrel by the shoulder and holding the blade down where he could touch it. “Swear on this blade you mean no betrayal and that you will not do so. It is a holy blade and should you lie or betray us, you will be cursed until the end of your days.” “I make a deal,” Squirrel replied with all the pre-adolescent indignity he could muster after putting his hand on the blade, “I keep it.” There was a momentary glow from the sword that faded a moment later, which was good that Squirrel was so raptly looking at it and missed the look of utter amazement on Adama, Elim and S’lann’s face. None of them had guessed it would do that, whatever it was. “Okay then,” Adama said as he turned to the horses, “let’s get going.” He pulled Squirrel up on the saddle before him, “Can you show us how to get into the city without being seen?” “You’ll have to leave the horses,” he replied. “I know someone outside the sewers that’ll tend ‘em or buy ‘em, if you want.” “I think we can sell them actually,” Elim replied thoughtfully. “What d’you have in mind Elim,” Adama asked with that suspicious growl. “Not more fruit and paint, I hope?” “Trust me, my dear goat, trust me.” [/QUOTE]
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