A Little Disconnected (Sam)

[Luke Lammergeier]

Late Night, 4th of Summer, 511 AV It was a comfortably warm summer night. Leth was somewhere in the sky. Lost behind the rows of massive tents and out shined by the fire in front of them. It was a pleasant night where you could fall asleep without a single dream to trouble you. Their was a soft hum of familiar insects that were a constant no matter what land you where in. In the back ground, various crickets and similar bugs played their erratic melodies. Horses neighed and pattered around slowly. A couple Drykas could be heard in the distance. The one noise that stood out above the rest to Luke was the soft clunk of a half empty bottle against his fore head. He was buzzed to say the least. Feeling a little disconnected from his body. Sitting in front of the fire he kept tapping that bottle against his head in dreary rhythm. Eyes closed and thinking deep... ”I can't even remember the last time a bedded a woman.” He spoke with a tired melancholy. Weary with the truth of his statement. ”Honor, Loyalty, Duty.” A quiet scorn filled his mouth. ”They just got in the way of what I truly wanted. A wife, family, land I could call my own.” He took a quick drink and looked at Sama'el. ”I remember this maiden in Syliras. Big chest, something to get lost in... Hips as wide as a horse. Beautiful woman and sweet too. She had a good head on her shoulders....” Luke was hit with sudden memories of that winter. ”When she made love to you it was like... Gods, I can't even describe it.... And the only reason she isn't my wife right now?.....Duty...Loyalty and all that other fucking shit.” He sighed heavy and spat. Disgusted by the memory of Kain. No matter how he loved the man like a father. His life was gone because of him. Even now he was in this hell hole of tents, because of Kain. He would have to wring his throat the next time they met. After a moment of silence he looked at his friend. ”And you? Clan of horsemen must entail a lot of duty and honor? Of course it is for a better cause... Still, who did you loose? Why is this a tent with no wives? Like the others?”

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

Sama'el was not quite so far gone as Luke, knowing it was always a possibility he would have to ride at a moment's notice to serve and protect as a man of the Watch. But he was ruminative, listening to Luke's woes and remembering his own. Alcohol made people melancholy when it didn't make them belligerent or cheerful, and Sama'el was normally a cheerful young man. "Dymphna got away," he said, taking a swig of ale. "Had might sights set on Athe, but..." He shook his head. "Not having the best of luck with women. Thinking perhaps I had better focus on a pavilion and a name, and then the women will come. I'd like to have children soon, and a herd. A proud pavilion. It's my duty to my ancestors, who died when they should not have. My honor is like a thing... I am pregnant with honor," he said, trying to convey the Drykas sense of things in Common parlance. "It builds up inside of me as I work for the clans, and someday I will give birth to my pavilion once more, and my honor will return. "You can have your woman again," he said, "though it sounds like she is no maiden any longer." His smile went a little sly at that. But he did wonder why the Sylirans thought Drykas were married to their horses when Luke was the one describing his dream girl in terms of the equine.

[Luke Lammergeier]

Sitting on the grass he looked and listened to Sama'el. About this woman Dymphna, his ideas for a Pavilion. Although he lost Luke when he started explaining about being pregnant with honor. He understood what it was like because he saw it plenty of times. Kain was practically drowning in his own honor and so was Vincent. Although his old life of torturing people that wouldn't cooperate. Or strangling children so they wouldn't cry out and alert others.. Never really made him feel that honorable, but maybe Luke was missing the point. "You can have your woman again. Though it sounds like she is no maiden any longer." If Luke was a little more observant he would of caught that sly smile, but he definitely heard the other mans tone. ”Ah your full of shit Sam. I couldn't get her back even if I rode to Syliras again. Besides she isn't the point.” Taking another swig, he cleared his throat. ”The fucking point is that no matter what I have done. For honor or to repay my sins. Everything turned to petching shit. In fact I can almost put gold on the fact that a god or two has laughed at me at least once. What I'm saying is... Fuck what was my point?” Luke laughed and slapped Sam on the back. ”Listen to me fucking go and not even have a point. Well I guess I'm just bitching aren't I?... But you best remember honor doesn't mean shit in the end. Your still gonna rot and your still gonna end up with a spear in your lungs, or a knife in the eye. Haha or cleaved in two by an ax or trampled by your own horse! Hell I bet someone died from a Glassbeak fucking them at least once... Piss on honor if it keeps you from doing what needs to be done.” Another swig and laugh. He was enjoying himself greatly. It must be the good company or the ale. ”What about this Dymphna woman? And why isn't she in your tent. Telling us to shut up and shooing me away! I hope honor wasn't the reason you aren't making little Drykas's right now instead of drinking with a fool?”

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

Sama'el grinned at the slap of his back, then shotgunned his ale and laid back to stare up at the glitter of stars spangling the night sky. He supposed he didn't really know enough of the details to say whether Luke had a chance of winning back his woman, but it seemed appropriate to be supportive, but that might just have been the alcohol talking. Sama'el didn't drink a whole lot on the regular, so he wasn't sure exactly what his limit was. He knew that when it sounded like a good idea to piss res on a campfire, he probably needed to pass the hell out for the night. "I don't think I believe in sin," he mused aloud. "Transgressing against a god? Well, but they all might have differing viewpoints, so you can't help but sin against one of them eventually... and what's wrong with sinning against the god of evil? Wouldn't that make sin good in that case? "Oh Dymphna... Her father married her off to someone more established. I wasn't bold enough to take her. My fault."

[Luke Lammergeier]

“No Sam I meant sins against your heart. Against you as a man. The sin's that fuck with your spirit. Petch the gods and all they stand for. I never had help from them and will never need it.” Luke had a bad habit of talking before he really thought about his words. Getting heated was a fatal flaw he would have to unlearn. ”...Well scratch that. The god's have their goods and bads. But I have never been fond of other meddling in my affairs. Is what I meant.” Luke felt a little uneasy cursing all the gods and held up his ale in a vague direction. ”Sorry” He muttered taking a drink. Was it really him being suspicious or the old stories he heard from Kain? Better safe than sorry. Gods were everywhere after all and it wouldn't be practical to be on their bad side. ”What I was... er. Well forget what I was saying because I can't even remember. Now explain more about this Dympna woman! What did she look like? How did she talk. Come on man I want information!” He shouted with a harmless surly temper. When he looked at Sam, dead in the grass he chuckled. ”Look at you, bold is your first middle and last name haha! Besides how could he just sell her off anyways? Is that how it works amongst the Drykas?” He thought for a moment about the way Kain had handled “love” amongst his men. It seemed every culture had a firm grasp on who could love who and when. “”And even if you weren't bold in his eyes. Why didn't you just tar the old man and take the daughter? I was under the impression you Drykas had a little more fire in your balls than that! Hell I could help you with it! He said laughing and taking another drink. For some more of this ale and perhaps a woman of my own that is! I come with a price after all.” The thought was ridiculous but exciting. It had been a long time since he had picked up a sword in earnest, and this would be a good cause for once. Plus the ale was taking grip.

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

"Oh," he said, marveling at how Pavi was still his fluent, native tongue, and that even though he spoke Common well, there were still misunderstandings. He was quiet, though, when Luke began his tirade against the gods, remembering how Trios the Isur had been struck down by Zulrav before his very eyes and cursed by that patron deity of the plainsmen. Thankfully he retracted his drunken statements before the gods came down to defend themselves. "I don't really want to talk about my failures," he said, but he would at least try to enlighten the foreigner about Drykas marriage customs. "Her father has the right to marry her to whom he will. Most fathers will take their daughters' desires into account, but ultimately these unions are for the good of the pavilions, the families, the clans. They aren't always the great love affairs that people talk about elsewhere. We are building pavilions with people, and so one needs to have skills that will be helpful, and temperaments that mesh well together, but even though some of our women fight alongside the men, track and hunt and defend, we have fewer men than women here, and so it is common to have several wives to build a strong family unit, the pavilion. "So," he continued, still staring at the stars as if Zintila would write out the correct path for him to follow across that great expanse, "I have joined the Watch to build my reputation, and I am going to start breeding my horses to build up a herd, and I am working on many skills and trying to save coin as well, so I can buy a pavilion and then I will be more marriageable. Then the good women will want me, and I will have a family again."

[Luke Lammergeier]

When Sama'el didn't want to talk about his failures Luke smiled. He didn't want to fucking talk about his crimes either. He needed to learn the difference between blunt and curious. The ale was making feel a little tunneled. A little disconnected from his body. It was nice, but he could feel a mistake was going to happen. A slip up of some kind. Anxiety was always present whenever he felt himself slacking but this time could be different. "Her father has the right to marry her to whom he will. Most fathers will take their daughters' desires into account, but ultimately these unions are for the good of the pavilions, the families, the clans. They aren't always the great love affairs that people talk about elsewhere. We are building pavilions with people, and so one needs to have skills that will be helpful, and temperaments that mesh well together, but even though some of our women fight alongside the men, track and hunt and defend, we have fewer men than women here, and so it is common to have several wives to build a strong family unit, the pavilion.” Luke was taken back a little by the long and slightly irritating explanation. Even the idea of someone controlling his life because of blood. Pissed him off. Duty and Honor he could relate too, but not blood. Blood meant nothing to him and even the idea made him grind his teeth. Blood meant Nothing in his eyes. "So,I have joined the Watch to build my reputation, and I am going to start breeding my horses to build up a herd, and I am working on many skills and trying to save coin as well, so I can buy a pavilion and then I will be more marriageable. Then the good women will want me, and I will have a family again." The young Drykas spoke and Luke watched him watch the sky. Taking another drink he thought about the other man's words for a moment. ”Load of fucking shit in my opinion.” He said itching his nose. ”I can understand the man woman differences here. Nearly got killed my fucking self coming across this wilderness.' 'But no man should be able to keep you from who you love... A fucking house and home mean nothing without love. I haven't had a steady home since I was... Oh, about seventeen I think? And I learned early on. That the only things that meant shit. Where the ones I loved.” The last part of his sentence struck him as odd. He never really thought about all this before, but he continued to keep from dwelling. ”So whats the point of having wives if there isn't love, huh? What kinda family is that!” He paused for a moment. Thinking about how the other man said. Have a family ”again” was curious. He wondered if he could take a wild stab at this. ”Have a family again?.. They dead or am I talking to a fellow orphan?” Luke leaned over a little to gauge the mans reaction to what he said. Luke was a little blunt but he hoped the Warrior wasn't some little wench about it. People died, some never showed up in the first place. Some you had to killed yourself, nothing to get upset over.

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

Luke's condemnation of the Drykas way of life sent bees to buzzing in his blood. Sama'el had seen a good deal of the world in his time, more than most Drykas his age, but he still thought the Drykas way worked for the Drykas. Few Ankals outright forced marriages, but their opinions were greatly respected, and passion was quick to cool, but marriages were long-standing things, business arrangements and family-building, and it was generally understood that most Drykas marriages of long-standing ended up fostering love. "Well, nobody forced you to come here," he replied, bristling a bit, "and nobody's forcing you to stay. Many's the arranged marriage I saw in Sylira, and most of those less happy than the Drykas variety. And I never said there was no love with Drykas wives..." He shook his head and looked away. "They died a long while ago."

[Luke Lammergeier]

In many peoples opinion Luke spoke too much too often and about the worst subjects imaginable. Kain almost banned his right hand from drinking because of this. So it was probably a bad idea to give the man a drink in the first place. Especially around a new culture. Sama'el was lucky he didn't say worse. Luke of course was oblivious to the idea that he offended anyone til he spoke up. "Well, nobody forced you to come here," The sharp tone made Luke smile crookedly. Did he offend the Drykas? Weren't they a little tougher than that? Sensitive little things about their rights and order in life. He took another swig as he listened to Sam comparing Syliras marriages to Drykas. "They died a long while ago." Sam said looking off. That on the other hand made him regret that he had spoken at all. ”I am sorry to hear that Sama'el.” He hoped silently that he didn't butcher the name. ”I know what it is like to loose loved ones... My parents left me as a babe in Syliras. It's my blood brothers, so to speak. That I lost.” He never liked talking about personal things like this but it felt right in the situation. ”And petch me. What do I know, I'm just one man. Forget I said shit.” Luke thought for a moment about his next words and decided to push further. Just a small amount. He started tapping his bottle softly with a finger, and listened to the hollow sound of a nearly empty bottle. ”So what were they like? Mum and dad? If you don't mind me asking.”

[Sama'el Sunsinger]

"I don't remember a lot," he admitted quietly after a long, ruminative pause. "It slips away more and more... I was seven. Da swung a scimitar, too. Ma wove crowns of grass and flowers for us." He didn't even want to bring up sisters, brothers, and cousins. It was too much; the enormity of his loss was impossible to hold, let alone share. It was the millstone around his neck, that against which he pitted all his strength to move forward. "I don't know. They were people. They loved me. They're gone now." It was the alcohol that made his eyes burn, not the loss. He had shed too many secret tears for the dead, longed to join them, deemed himself unfit for their ghostly company. He was trying to rebuild a life now to make them proud, to make himself worthy of joining them when the time came for another turning of the wheel, a new life.