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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Rystil Arden" data-source="post: 2175680" data-attributes="member: 29014">Shalah, Flower of the Hidden Oasis and Ala’Kamal’s Fallen Star*Lounging against the soft comfort of the fine silk cushions and leaning gently to the side, with her side stretched along the familiar warmth of Samira, Shalah waits expectantly for the answers to the canny guardian's queries.* *She knows that she cannot stand by and allow true love to wither from Kadar's oppressive patriarchal tyranny, but neither was it right to break the pledge of sharing salt. Clearly the gen, in their supernatural wisdom, had guided the Heirs to this oasis for just this purpose; to test their response to this plea on behalf of love which to fulfill would requiring a violation of their oaths and a compromise of their honour. For the Heirs do not have the option to wait until they are no longer Kadar's guests, as this would betray Marid's agitated insistence that he must see the fire nymph before moonset.*  *If the young man's love proves true enough to stand up to Jibril's queries and her own scrutiny, she has a plan to slay both ronuses with a single careful jambiya slice. But it is not without risk, for it will place her wits and her beloved Samira's against those of the cunning Kadar...bringing the two of them in direct contact with a man who makes his living sending girls to a bleak life of slavery much like that which they had escaped. And aside from a forced return to Ala'Kamal's harem, this is the last situation in which Shalah desires to be.* *But she knows that as a ruler she must some day make great sacrifices for the good of her subjects, and she passionately believed that the eager young man deserves no less than the joy that she herself feels each morning, waking up to the awesome radiance of Feloram's blazing orb to gaze upon the splendour of the open desert before her, a free woman, with the beautiful Flamekissed for whom she felt a fiery passion and a soul-deep bond.*  *Was Marid's obsession truly love? Shalah still does not know. Her ignorance of the matter mirrors the confusion in her own heart as to her full feelings for Samira. True she had convinced herself that it had simply been infatuation, but now that Samira had returned, she was no longer so sure. Had the distance she had placed between them and her dismissal of their love as infatuation merely been a defense mechanism to protect herself from the pain of Samira's loss after having her messages intercepted? After all, it was far less painful to believe that she had merely left behind a friend for whom she had an infatuation than it was to imagine that she had forever lost her one true love. Or is her judgment even now being subtly manipulated from her direct contact with Samira's ineffable beauty and charm, the half-nymph's stunning presence and gentle and loving insistence impossible to resist? For that matter, what could be said of Marid? If Shalah cannot trust her own wits, how can a callow young man hope to stay unaffected by the artifice of pulchritude? Shalah is not sure, but she knows that she will do her best to bring happiness to this young man--yes, even the son of a slaver such as Kadar!--if it is within her power. She says nothing, but listens intently.*  [OOC: Shalah is making a Sense Motive check as she listens to Marid answer Jibril's questions-+16. She is pondering the matter deeply, thinking that perhaps understanding this situation will bring her metaphorical and spiritual enlightenment as to her own, mentally constructing a poem to bring her thoughts into focus. Additionally, she is attempting Knowledge(local), Knowledge(history), and Knowledge(nature) checks to see if she has heard of Malika-+12 each {I know she failed such checks before, but her boni should be substantially larger this time thanks to her higher Intelligence}.]</blockquote>

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