"It was! It was! So much life forming and springing forth throughout the field, I couldn't count how many creatures I saw within." Nalada happily adds, her eyes unable to stay closed with her mirth. "I was able to play with the kitten for a little while, it acted exactly like one of flesh and blood from the Prime Material, maybe for an hour or so, I honestly didn't keep track of the time. Hungry little thing, it constantly needed potions to maintain it's form. I found out later, not from Shalavast but from his notes that any potion would have sufficed, or even spells he surmised. It just needed constant magic to exist outside of the mana field. I admit, I was actually sad when he put the little thing back into the field before its body broke down."
"We ran out of potions on hand," she quickly adds.
Yasmin can't help but chuckle at that last comment.
"Sounds adorable, nonetheless," she says. "Though admittedly I have a soft spot for kittens." She pokes at some bits of her supper with a fork.
”As do I, Kitten.” Nalada responds, still wearing a smile of remembrances. ”Now, do you have a story you’d like to share?”
"Me? Um... a personal story, or just any story?"
”One that you would like to tell.” Nalada says.
Yelenn glances over at her friend to see if she was willing to share any interesting tales. Her own personal story somewhat likely to dampen the mood.
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"Well... I'm trying to think of a good story but embarrassingly, I'm having trouble thinking of anything," says Yasmin. "Ummm... I guess I could tell an old tale. It's not my story but it's, uh... funny?"
"In a faraway city there lived a sorceress, who had learned many mystic arts from a young age; her father had taught her to cast a table and to augur and to make seals and signs, and to speak with djinn, and all of the necessary arts of the magician. And she had practiced such arts for some time and come into great wealth and prestige, for she could relieve the afflicted, and restore the transformed, and lift curses from the accursed.
She lived in an alabaster tower that rose over the city, second in magnificence only to the palace of the Sultan. During the day it shown with dazzling light and at night it was a soft beacon. All in the city knew the tower and the stories of the sorceress, and they were a-wonder at the tower, for it never grew faded or cracked or covered in mud or dust.
This sorceress was fair-skinned and dark-haired, a beauty with a face like the moon, a high-bosomed damsel of shining countenance, and always when she went forth it was in a long and silken gown that shown like alabaster and was clasped about her waist with a great girdle lined with silver thread and throughout shining with white pearls. About her neck she bore a similar silver necklace in the center of which was a black pearl as large as a man's thumb. With her great wealth and great beauty she was known far and wide but she had no suitors, for all feared her power. This greatly vexed her for she did yearn for companionship.
One day three thieves arrived in a ship, fleeing from another city where they had escaped persecution. These men were lean and hungry, always keen to cut a purse or escape with a merchant's wares in a crowded marketplace. Upon seeing the tower rising above the city, the first thief said: 'See yonder tower? Look how it shines! Without doubt it is filled with jewels and riches beyond compare. If we could gain entry to that tower we could make off with the ransom of a sultan.'
The second thief said, 'No doubt its owner is mighty and wealthy beyond compare, but if we could steal even a single jewel we could flee this city and live a life of wealth and luxury abroad.'
The third thief said, 'Perhaps the people of the city can ken us more about this place.' And the thieves, pretending to be traders and craftsmen from a faraway land, spoke with the people and asked 'Who lives in yonder tower?' and always they were told of the stories of the marvelous sorceress.
Then did the thieves grow thoughtful, and one of them proposed, 'Let us make this a contest, then, that whoever is the first to sneak into the tower and make off with the sorceress' pearl, shall be acclaimed the greatest thief amongst us,' to which the other two agreed. Then they shook hands and parted ways to scheme upon the means by which they might trick the sorceress out of her beloved jewel.
Now the three thieves had been partners in many a caper and so they all struck upon similar schemes; and going to the market-place they spun tales about being merchants from faraway lands, and they would pick the pockets of the unwary and steal the rings from the people in the market, then they did pass themselves off as traders from a faraway land. And each in turn spun a tale of their shipment of goods to come, such that they would importune other sellers for samples of their wares to trade, and they would say 'I will try such-and-such and if it is to my liking I will take it with me on my trips abroad to sell at great price,' and make a show of coins and jewels they carried, and thereby they gained some measure of goods for their schemes.
The first thief though to himself, 'Mayhap this sorceress has need of lamps to do her spell-work and strike her table in the long hours of the night, and I shall make my way in as a lamp-seller and thereby gain access to her domicile and find means to take the jewel.' He went to a lamp-maker and said, 'I have a mind to start supplying many lamps to the people of the city; and these and those such as are made of brass and bronze and beaten copper, all shined to a good sheen, would be well-received. And being a merchant of means I have thought to make a sale first to the sorceress of the tower, so that I might thereby induce the people of this city to purchase such lamps themselves and make a great golden light in the sun.' The lamp-maker thought only of how many sales he could make to people if this were to become so; and thinking the thief to be a wealthy merchant who could arrange such things, he readily agreed to give the thief some of his best brass lamps, saying, 'O my brother, do not hesitate to tell people that you have furnished your supplies from the lamp-seller at such-and-such place in the market bazaar.' The first thief nodded sagely and he took possession of a great basket filled with all manner of lamps of brass, bronze, and beaten copper.
The second thief thought to himself 'A woman of this caliber must dine on sweetmeats and fine lean venison and other such treats; bethought I might bring such savories to her to gain entry to her tower and thereby secure the jewel.' He went to a butcher and a supplier of victuals and he said, 'I have in mind to have a great feast, and to invite the many inspectors and chiefs and merchants of the city, and woo their favor to my way; and I would like many of your cuts and meats, so that I may set such delicacies on a table as would spin the mind of the sultan.' And the butcher, fooled by the thief's golden rings and jingling coins, agreed and said 'Oh my lord, if you desire anything else, I am your servant; I will supply you with such things as none may compare.' And the thief nodded and said, 'Wrap them and place them in yonder basket, that I may carry the selection to my place of business.' The butcher eagerly did so and the thief said, 'I shall pay thee anon, and here is a small deposit on faith of my credit; for surely a merchant of my stature would be able to avail himself of your goodwill.' The butcher, so taken with the thoughts of wealth that would come to him from such bill of sale, did readily agree and wrapped all of the victuals and placed them in the basket.
Meanwhile the third thief thought to himself, 'No doubt a woman of this caliber has her own bath, and her sitting-room, and many such conveniences; and if I make of myself to be a plumber, with a great many clever devices for such, then belike I can convince her to let me examine her bathing-room and make such suggestions and measurements as will let me gain access to her quarters and seek out the jewel.' And like his brethren he went to the marketplace and with stolen coin in hand he did propose to be a wealthy man seeking to build a new bath-house, and he purchased there a selection of pipes and fittings and had them bundled up and placed on a donkey to carry them.
Thus did the three thieves start their business all through the afternoon; and the first thief finished soonest, because he needed but to secure several lamps into a basket, and he headed forthwith to the place of the great tower of the sorceress. And he struck upon the door, and soon the door opened, and behold! there in the doorway hovered a great djinn, blue as the sky, with the arms of a mighty warrior, but its lower part of its body was like unto smoke. And the djinn wore a circlet inscribed with great seals and magical signs and it said, 'Who are you, that seeks to disturb my mistress?'
And the thief quavered, but thought to himself, 'There is nothing for it, but that I must see this through; and if I can trick a djinn, I can trick a sorceress.' The thief then said, 'Oh sir, I am a merchant from a faraway land, and I have here a selection of many lamps to sell, and the word has reached my ear that your mistress avails herself of only the finest such lamps for her work. And working her spell-craft as she does in the late hours so that she may see the movement of the heavens and the portents of the stars, no doubt she has need of many such lamps, and I have a selection of beauteous metal lamps second to none, that will provide her good light and good designs for her workings.'
The djinn surveyed the thief for a moment, and none could say whether he believed or disbelieved this speech, but finally he moved aside and said, 'My mistress waits in yonder chamber, go in and be about thy business.' And the djinn picked up the great basket filled with lamps and brought it inside.
The thief stepped into the tower and saw inside was covered in plush rugs, and tapestries, and bedecked with a jeweled chandelier; and cushions, and couches, and such luxury as would make a vizier envious. And beyond this antechamber the sorceress waited in a doorway and she spoke thus, saying, 'Have you come to bring light to my doorway?'The thief was taken aback at her beauty and her manner and finally said, 'Yes, mistress, I have yonder all manner of lamps with which to light your chambers.' The sorceress said to her djinn, 'Bring the lamps forth from the baskets so that they may be examined.' The djinn said 'I hear and obey, O mistress,' and in a nonce he had taken the lamps from the basket and placed them about the room.
'These lamps please me, but they are in need of some shining,' said the sorceress. 'Perhaps they ought to be well rubbed.' The thief nodded his head in agreement and said, 'Yes, rub them well and they will surely be pleasing to the eye.' The sorceress, taking his hand, placed it upon the black pearl on her necklace and said, 'Show me.' So the thief carefully stroked the pearl, wondering how he might palm it, and the sorceress gasped with delight and drew him into her boudoir, where she had her way with him as he practiced rubbing and stroking.
Soon the sorceress had her fill but even then there was a knock at the door, and the djinn moved to answer it. The sorceress spoke to the thief, saying urgently, 'This is ill luck! Forsooth, it may well be mine assignation, for while I am hot with desire for thee, I have had a companion these many nights. But he is ill-tempered and dangerous. Hide in yonder basket that you might escape his notice until I knock thrice on the lid.' Then the thief scurried into the basket, bereft of his clothing, and pulled the lid over, and the djinn moved the basket into a closet where he could see and hear nought.
From the door came the second thief, saying, 'Oh sorceress, I am a seller of savory victuals, and I have brought all manner of delights for the mouth and fresh meats for consumption.' And the sorceress spoke from the doorway in a state of some undress and said, 'Hast though brought a sausage? For I have a mind to try thy sausage, if it be firm and spicy.' And she instructed the djinn to take the meats from the basket and place them on a table. Thus did she lure the second thief into the boudoir, and she had her way with him and tasted of his sausage and its juices.
Then came a knock at the door, and the sorceress said, 'Quick! Surely that is my former lover, who is still wroth at our parting; and he is ill-tempered and dangerous. Hide in yonder basket so that though mightest escape his wrath, and respond not until I knock thrice upon the lid.' Then the second thief, still undressed, climbed into the basket in which he had brought the meats, and the djinn took the basket and placed it in a closet where he could see and hear nought.
The djinn answered the door and the third thief arrived, and peering into the chamber with its bright lamps and array of victuals he said, 'O great sorceress, I am a bath-maker by trade, and I have it known that your tower has all the greatest luxuries of the day; but surely I can make a bath for you that runs hot or cold at your pleasure, quick as you wish, suitable for princes and sultans and even one such as yourself. With my tools and pipes I may make such adjustments as are necessary to give the a bath unparalled.'
From the doorway to her chamber the sorceress in some dishevelment said, 'You have come to bring me pipes? Then let me see thine pipe and if it be large enough I shall enjoin thee to install it and let it flow.' And thus did she seduce the third thief into her boudoir and have her way with his pipe-laying.
Now of course the other two thieves were in the closet, and hearing nothing and having waited so long, they started making a noise and a racket, and shaking the baskets they were in, and shouting, saying, 'O sorceress, when will I be free? O sorceress, when will you release me?' Then the sorceress sprang up and said, 'Ill luck indeed! The bound spirits that I command have become unquiet, for it is the night of the new moon and the planets are in unfavorable houses. You must flee at once, lest they take thee for a sacrifice!' And the third thief was right frightened, and he ran from the room and leapt upon the donkey and rode off into the night bare-assed.
Then the sorceress said to the djinn, 'Take these two baskets and deposit them in the oasis some distance outside of town, then knock thrice upon both.' The djinn put each basket upon one arm and then he flew through the air and deposited them and knocked upon the lids, but was gone in a mist before the two thieves tumbled forth. Then the two men saw that they had been dispossessed and left at an oasis with the city shining far in the distance and only the new moon on a dark night, and they huddled by the side of the water in misery, cursing their fates. Soon came the sound of hooves and then arrived the donkey bearing the third thief, and all three were reunited in their dismay. And they swore never to return to that city nor to trouble the sorceress again.
Meanwhile the djinn returned and the sorceress said, 'I have had my fill of lamp-rubbing and sausages and pipes for the nonce, but I recognize these as the work of such-and-such merchants, so take to each of them a bag of three hundred dirhams.' The djinn took up the coins from the sorceress' ample treasury and said 'I hear and obey, O mistress,' and flying through the night it took the silver to the various merchants, who upon finding it on the morrow would believe their business concluded and be none the wiser.
Then did the sorceress finally finish her spells, for her evening's diversion served only to entertain her until the hour of the dark morning, and she cast her table and finished such work as the stars permitted and then returned to her bed until morning."
Yasmin coughs once and says, "Yeah it's a little goofy but it's all I could think of."
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Yelenn smiles, enjoying the story and finding humor in the less than subtle underlying innuendo. "An excellent story! I'm sure accomplished sorceresses occasionally find themselves in need of distraction from time to time." she says flashing Nalada a grin.
Nalada is wearing a grin to match Yelenn’s, having placed her elbows on the table and her chin on hands in rapt attention to Yasmin’s tale. Errantly opening her eyes every now and then she just had the serendipity to catch the Magi’s face, which made her smile widen. ”Indeed, it reminds me of Shivanii, she would have loved this. Such a lovely tale, with a happy ending too! You make a great storyteller, Yasmin, thank you for entertaining us with this tale.”
She then lifts her head up and toward Yelenn. ”Now, what about you, Kitten?” she purred.
"Well, I've never been much of a storyteller....,more of a reader myself." Yelenn begins hesitantly. She considered the story of how she came to be a prisoner anyway, but didn't want to kill the mood with a tale of death and loss.
"Hmm, you would have gotten along with Shalavast then. What kind of books and tales do you like to read?" Nalada asks.
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"Ooh any and everything I can get my hands on! Information, magic, fiction, theory, forbidden...You name it. I love learning more about things, people..The universe around me really." she says blushing slightly at her unintentional enthusiasm.
Nalada nods to herself contently. "I guessed correctly then, you would have have enjoyed being in Shala's workshop. Now... forbidden you say?" she asks with a bit of a smirk.
"Well if you like to read fiction maybe you can share one of your favorite stories of that kind," suggests Yasmin.
Nalada nods along with Yasmin’s suggestion.
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Thinking for a bit, Yelenn brightens with inspiration. "There's one of my favorite pieces of poetry if you'd like."
Nalada eagerly smiles. "Oh, go on! Tell us."
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Taking a breath, the witchblade begins reciting in a steady, somewhat musical rhythm, putting emotion into the words.
"Oh, the king
Gone mad within his suffering
Called out for relief
Someone cure him of his grief
His only son
Cut down, but the battle won
Oh, what is it worth
When all that's left is hurt
Like the stars chase the sun
Over the glowing hill, I will conquer
Blood is running deep
Some things never sleep
Suddenly I'm overcome
Dissolving like the setting sun
Like a boat into oblivion
Cause you're driving me away
Now you have me on the run
The damage is already done
Come on, is this what you want
Cause you're driving me away
Oh, the queen of peace
Always does her best to please
Is it any use
Somebody's got to lose
Like a long stream
I'll bear all this echoing
Oh, what is it worth
All that's left is hurt
Like the stars chase the sun
Over the glowing hill, I will conquer
Blood is running deep
Some things never sleep
Suddenly I'm overcome
Dissolving like the setting sun
Like a boat into oblivion
Cause you're driving me away
Now you have me on the run
The damage is already done
Come on, is this what you want
Cause you're driving me away
And my love is no good
Against the fortress that it made of you
Blood is running deep
Sorrow that you keep
Suddenly I'm overcome
Dissolving like the setting sun
Like a boat into oblivion
Cause you're driving me away
Now you have me on the run
The damage is already done
Come on, is this what you want
Cause you're driving me away"
Nalada sits quietly and aptly as Yelenn recites verse after verse. "My, that is quite beautiful, if sad. What makes it your favourite?" she asks, eyes opening in curiosity to focus on the Witchblade.
"Well, at first I thought about it the same way, beautiful but sad...which it is. But the more I thought about it, the deeper it felt to me. Everyone suffers, Kings, Queens....everyone, and now I identify with it a lot more. Exiled by everything I've ever known, pretty much something we can all identify with in one way or another. For different reasons, we've all become outcasts of a sort, so it just...feels rather poignant I suppose." Yelenn replies.
Nalada’s head tilts slightly, looking down before her eyes come back up she reaches over to gently take Yelenn’s hand. ”You’re right.”
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Yelenn squeezes Nalada's hands, looking warmly into her intoxicating eyes. "But none of us is alone, we have each other."
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Nalada’s gaze drift’s into Yelenn’s as her fingers welcome her’s, getting happily lost rather than locking into a stare. ”Right again, Kitten.”
Yasmin smiles gently and dabs her lips again with a kerchief.
"Thank you for the poem, Yelenn."
"I suppose there's nothing to it now but to turn in for the night, unless someone wants to play cards or something," she says.
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Giving Nalada's hand a kiss, she leans over to speak with Yasmin more quietly. "You should....try to get in contact with your…companion if you can. I think that in this place, with everything we have to face, if you find someone that makes you feel less alone, or brings you joy even briefly it’s worth it. Besides if she does have anything nefarious in mind, well between us all there’s a pretty high sensitivity to magic all around you. If you need help, we’ll be there.”
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Nalada's cheeks darken ever so slightly at the Witchblade's kiss. When Yelenn leans over to converse with Yasmin she smiles, a smile that almost turns into a giddy smirk, as she resists the urge to focus on the conversation, as tempting as it would be. Instead she lets attention drift elsewhere. Catherine who had been going in and out finally yawns and stand up, picking up the passed out Wallace to take him to his bed, preferably something more suited for sleeping than a lounge chair.
The Vaelongs were happily caught up in their stories they told each other, smiling and giggling, conveniently forgetting everything else going on. She thought Zogtih was doing his equivalent of smiling, anyway.
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After a bit, Yelenn returns her attention to Nalada. "The night seems to be winding down.....would you like to turn in?" the witchblade asks, the color rising in her cheeks.
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"Very much so, Kitten," Nalada quietly purred back.
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"It's been a very long, and eventful day, I think we'll be calling it a night." Yelenn says to the others, standing and taking Nalada's hand. "Don't worry about cleanup, I'll take care of it in the morning."
She could feel her pulse racing with excitement at the dark elf's throaty purr, her promise-laden voice sending a tingle down her spine.
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"If Xeros doesn't come back for a midnight snack." Nalada chuckles as she moves in tandem with Yelenn standing and taking her hand, her face already darkening a bit. "Seranna, Yasmin, thank you again for all that you have done for me, I bid you all a warm and comforting night, and pleasant dreams."
Yasmin nods and says, "Thank you. I hope everyone sleeps well. I know I will. This is some of the first real relaxation I've had in a while. Well, aside from the extradimensional inn, which all turned out to be a trap anyway."
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Yelenn gives Yasmin a supportive smile before heading upstairs with Nalada in tow. The first order of business was to find one of the unoccupied bedrooms that Wallace had mentioned.
Nalada turns to the sound of Yasmin’s voice, offering her a supportive smile as she was lead away by Yelenn.
"Now to find an unoccupied room." the witchblade says, following the curve of the hallway past Catherine's room.
Past Catherine and Wallace’s room on the left there are two doors on the right as the hallyway begins to turn, leading to one more door on each side before leading to a door at the end of the hallway. Opening her eyes slightly Nalada smirks. ”I believe you have your pick, kitten.”
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Smiling, Yelenn squeezes Nalada's hand, savoring the sound of the words on the drow's lips. "Well then, let's see what the left has to offer shall we?" she says going up to the door and trying the knob.
Opening the door with a satisfying click Yelenn finds herself a moderately big if sparsely filled room. A rather large bed covered with a dark silk duvet, more than adequate for what she looking for, took up almost half of the room with a wardrobe in a corner with a writing desk with lamp in the opposite corner. ”A lovely offering of space. Unless you were looking for something more adventurous?” Nalada says while tenderly holding the Witchblade’s hand, taking comfort in the warmth as she let her eyes adjust to the nonexistent light in the room.
"I'm happy with a big, comfortable bed." Yelenn says with a grin, "But if you want to see what's in the other room I'm fine with that too. Whatever you like." she says with meaning.
Nalada chuckles. "No, no, this bed will more than suffice, kitten. If we press our luck we might just end up with a smaller bed, or no bed, then what?" she says a smile.
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"You're right." Yelenn says closing the door behind her with a smile. "I happen to consider myself very lucky right now, and a big bed should definitely be appreciated."
Yelenn says closing the door behind her with a smile.
"As do I, and oh, it very much will be." Nalada adds, her voice just a tad bit louder now.
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In the darkness, Nalada can see Yelenn smile. "So I think I have the perfect balance for lighting....because while you can see perfectly, I very much want to be able to see you too." she says as she whispers an incantation, her hand gesturing toward the ground as four wan orbs of light manifest under the corners of the bed, shedding a soft lavender glow through the room.
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"Afraid I might disappear?" Nalada starts before picking up the incantation at the end of her words. Softly blinking on reflex at the sudden little bits of light the Drow watches as Yelenn sets the room, and mood. "My, my, my, you are quite the clever kitten." she muses while watching the room then turning to the Magus, her eyes seeming to glow from the reflected light as she focused her gaze.
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Yasmin sneaks off to a room for herself, where she finally sets down her pack and has a chance to just breathe and process everything that's happened. She lights a bedside candle, lies down, and revels in the moment of silence and contemplation.
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Pulse racing, Yelenn moves closer, watching the light dance in Nalada's eyes as the dim illumination adds a sense of magic to the room. "You disappearing is something I definitely wouldn't want to happen, though given what I've seen so far, not impossible."
The magus drops her tosses her gear aside, unbuckling her sword belt and propping her weapon against the wall, momentarily feeling the pulse of...something touch her mind again for a moment, but the sensation is quickly ignored for more basic impulses.
"I have to say, there's something about the way you say 'kitten' that sends a shiver up my spine." she says stepping closer.
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Of course, Nalada obviously thinks as she arches a brow when Yelenn brings up the possibility of her disappearing due to the island. Smiling to dismiss the thought her eyes wander back into Yelenn’s before the woman begins to remove her gear. ”Your eyes are lovely too, little gray crystals. I’ve never really gotten a chance to see a human’s this close before.”
”Oh?” she remarks when the Witchblade steps closer. Slowly, and deliberately, she raises her hand up to Yelenn’s face, moving her hair aside as her fingers drift across her skin. ”Does it, kitten?”
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