Within the Fold [Xelhes]

[Sela]

Timestamp: 14th Winter 511 A.V.

It was dark, and Sela was down by the shore.

Not much of it remained besides that which was dominated by the Passenger Quay, the surrounding terrain ripped and torn by the cataclysmic Valterrian. In Sela's day, when she had walked among the humans as one of them, one could walk the shore for miles and miles...no longer. Things had changed, and the feeling of loss was keen. But some of the shore managed to exist nonetheless, and it was there Sela found herself a week and some odd days after her arrival.

If one started at the shoreline solely, it would be as though nothing had changed, Sela realized. But delusion, while fun to indulge in, was not something to cloak yourself with. She had to be careful she wasn't bound up in a noose of memories.

A bird chirped somewhere in the distance, perhaps winding down for the day, or perhaps getting up for a nocturnal hunt. Sela didn't know, though it did rouse her interest in a vague sort of way. But she fine to simply plant her walk along the beach and feel the sand beneath her undead feet instead of finding it out. Which she did, in the end.

The moon had already dominated the sky, Leth's face occupying the space his lover's face occupied by day. It was quite beautiful, and for the first time in a long while, Sela smiled. She had forgotten how beautiful the moon looked in Denval.

But loneliness struck like a rusty knife, catching between her ribs and grinding painfully. Back then, she had someone to share the sight with, back when she was human. Back when she breathed. But she breathed no more, and who did she have to share the sight with?...

It's just me and myself now.

[Xelhes]

OOCI did not mean for this to take so damn long, and I apologize if it is rubbish; I went more on memory and such since I forgot to save the webpage at the time. My other posts should be better. Much better.

Winter 14th, 511 A.V.

The fact that Xelhes was venturing outside the settlement at night was an oddity, and the reason even more so. Ever since his meeting with Veldrys the Ethaefal had not been able to get the Stone out of his mind, and he had told the Symenestra healer he would search for it. That was the reason, to examine as much of the area as he could in order to try and locate the Stone. He knew that logically the chance of finding the it at this time of night would be low, yet it would be better than not trying at all. As well it brought him comfort to move about when Leth was in the sky, feeling the God's energy and using it to sustain his Ethaefal body. Even though he could not hear the God with the memories he had recovered Xelhes now felt Leth's presence, weak though always there, as if it was a part of Xelhes himself.

Reaching the shore he noticed a figure standing on the sand, gazing up at the moon. Taking an arrow from his quiver the Ethaefal moved towards the figure slowly, not nocking the arrow onto his shortbow but keeping the two close together. When ever he left safety of the settlement, even if only a few feet away, Xelhes always brought his bow. The world was dangerous and he had no intention of dying, not yet. Seeing that the general shape of the individual was feminine did not cause Xelhes to lower his guard; he knew that a woman could be just as deadly, if not more so, than any man. Unlike what some may think woman were not truly fragile, Xelhes knowing from his past memories when he once was one.

A few meters from the woman he observed, allowing himself to focus on her and not the beauty of the moon or the sounds of the shore. "I do not mean to sound rude, but what are you doing down here at this time of night? You probably know this, but the world becomes a much more dangerous place when dark replaces the light." Xelhes knew what he said sounded almost hypocritical, as he himself was out here on his own and even though there was a weapon to use, it would hardly make much of a difference. The creatures that were suited for the night, that had adapted to it, would easily subdue a single indivdual. It was then that he realised his own appearance might be odd, looking mortal yet having snow white horns and what some considered a divine beauty.

Glancing quickly towards the water he said, "I am Ethaefal, if my appearance seems odd; a mortal human like you, just with some obstructions proding out from my head." It almost hurt to speak such foul words about his horns, the things he loved about himself. They were not obstructions but the only thing Xelhes considered beautiful about himself, horns so white they seemed to glow of their own light and not Leth's.

[Sela]

A full-bodied, almost derisive laugh drifted across the waters towards Xelhes. "Don't worry about me, my dear." were the words that followed, "I know how to take care of myself." There was a slight silence, and then the voice returned; "and please lower your bow while you're at it."

Sela emerged from the darkness, carefully threading her way towards Xelhes. "I know plenty well what you are." she said, cocking her head. "An Ethaefal! Dear me, there seem to be quite a few of you in this town, isn't there...? But I do have to say, you are the first I've seen up close with...those." Sela gestured towards his 'obstructions'.

"Don't deceive yourself, you're not mortal at all." she breathed, "Are you? Ethaefal are...different from the rest of us, aren't they? Ageless." Sela quirked her lips at the unseen irony in her words.

"If I may so inquire, why are you out here?"

As she waited for her answer, Sela drifted close to the man. After a few moments, her curiosity got the better.

"May I?" Sela asked, gesturing towards his horns with her hands, with drew close to them but did not touch.

[Xelhes]

OOCYou can kill me. I deserve it.

Winter 14th, 511 A.V.

Sela telling Xelhes that she could take care of herself made the made smile lightly, thought not in a happy way. No, the smile was more of a sign to Sela that her being able to defend herself or fight was the very reason he had drawn his bow; if he doubted someone's ability to kill he would never have nocked the arrow but he knew all to well that anyone could kill, and someone you did not know was someone you could not predict accurately. Yet when she requested him to lower his bow the Ethaefal slowly did, keeping the arrow close to the string but not nocked nor aimed directly at the woman. Even if the bow was not ready and his skills far from masterful Xelhes knew that if she did charge he would at least be able to fire one arrow. However he could not help but question himself on why she even would attack; if she wanted to kill him, even if for no reason, she probably would have tried to already.

Being called Ethaefal made Xelhes sigh to himself, feeling like a total fool. Why had he even tried to hide that, when he knew almost everyone in Denval or around the area knew of Ethaefal? Now he just looked stupid, and could even tell that a child would have seen through his painful attempt at being human. When the woman spoke of his horns Xelhes smiled again, happy she had noticed them. Vanity was something Xelhes did not normally show, unless it was his horns that were the subject as they were the only thing he considered to be beautiful about himself.

Sela telling him not to deceive himself about being mortal made the Ethaefal chuckle, though it was an empty sound, hollow and devoid of life. "No, I am as mortal as everyone else. If someone were to stop my heart, damage my brain, inflict a fatal wound, I would die; I am as mortal as anyone else, regardless of being Ethaefal." He said, looking slightly sad about something that could not be seen. In a way it pained Xelhes to be Ethaefal, to have the ageless power of his race and yet still to die. If he could die anyway he wanted to age as well, to be the same as the other mortal races on Mizahar. To be ageless was a curse in a sense, as he would see anyone he loved move forward while his own body would stay unaffected by the flow of time. He would never grow old and die smiling with someone he loved.

The question on what Xelhes was doing made the Ethaefal blink, not wishing to say the actual reason directly. Telling someone about regaining memories of a past life and searching for a magic stone were not completely unbelievable; he was an Ethaefal and gained memories back anyway, and magic could be found everywhere in the world, thought hid from sight. Looking at Sela, he quietly spoke, "I lost something important a good while ago and have been looking for it. Sadly I have absolutely no idea where I lost it, so I have been searching everywhere I can in and around Denval. Lately I have been becoming a little more desperate than normal to find it, so now I sometimes search at night as well."

While speaking he watched Sela slowly approach him, slowly getting closer and closer. Normally he would step away, and did at first, but when he noticed what her eyes were looking at he stopped and for a moment, laughed. When she asked he laughed again, happy that someone seemed interested in his horns. Despite being in Denval for some time not one person had ever tried to touch his horns, most just looking at them from afar. With the last of his laugh fading he said, "If you are not rough on them, then yes. I have never had someone ask that question before so I am sorry for laughing; the question just took me by surprise." With that the Ethaefal bent down a little, to let Sela have a better angle to observe the horns that Xelhes was so proud to possess.