Do Lovers Always Love Again?

- "You seem very fond of the little guy, Sarevok. What is his name?" Allonia asked.

- "It is Ali. The fate of all these children touches me, but I am specifically attached to him, because..." Sarevok tried to look for a right way to explain his emotions. "... well. It is hard to explain. It is just that he was there, in the bastard lord's manor, and what had been done to him cut deep in my heart. I was reminded of how Reiltar wanted to destroy me, only in a different way. I also... the willingness and need to protect and guide a young one, the yearning to become a father..."

His voice trailed off, his expression grim with sorrow.

- "Perhaps you will find the right woman, Sarevok," Allonia said quietly, understanding the implications all too well. She knew that Tamoko had been slain as well, and had heard tales of her haunting the Undercity of Baldur's Gate.

Sarevok shook his head.

- "I found the right woman, Allonia, when she joined the Throne's armed forces and gave her love to me. I was so blessed... and I spit on her love, sending her to her death. I will never forget the pride, nobility and courage of her unique soul, the absolute fearlessness of her, the depth of her. Her dark, sad eyes will follow me every day of my immortal life. No other woman can ever compare to her, and I will never be able to feel that kind of respect, attachment and devotion for anyone else. I will devote my immortal soul's yearnings to a lady no longer present in this life."

Normally Allonia would have been amused by Sarevok's melodrama, but the deep, dark sorrow so apparent on his face prevented her from seeing anything funny in the situation.

- "Never say never, Sarevok. It has been my experience that lovers always love again. It is a blessing to be capable of such depth of feeling, in a way," she quietly said.

But Sarevok smiled bitterly, his eyes radiating pain.

- "Is it, Allonia? Is it? Think on that, if you ever find yourself in incessant agony you know will never end. Think on what a blessing it is!"

He stormed up to the deck of the Vagabond. Allonia thought it best to let him cool down. Apparently the boy was too deep down in his anguish to believe her. And what did she even know, really. What had happened to him in the afterlife, what kind of things had he seen and endured in the land of death? Allonia felt uneasy, realizing that in spite of being much older in years than Sarevok and his sisters, she probably wasn't the one with most experience and perspective. She sighed, rubbing her forehead. All this had made it even more apparent that death was not the end, but more of a passageway. She felt her brain pretty full for the day, and approached Ali who had shyly been glancing at the daggers she had sheathed at her thighs.

- "Hi, little one. Sarevok told me that your name is Ali," she said.

The child gasped and flinched in fear when approached and talked to.

- "Whoa, now. What's with that? I will not do anything bad to you. Rest assured, anyone I will do anything unpleasant to is not a child," Allonia said, shocked by Ali's reaction.

Ali merely nodded, his face cast down. Allonia crouched next to him.

- "I saw you watching my daggers..." she started.

- "I'm sorry!" The painful whisper, so full of fear. In back of her mind Allonia cursed the one who had made him that way, pleased that the man had already met an unpleasant end.

- "There is nothing to be sorry for! I didn't mean it in any bad way. I was just curious, is all," Allonia said. "You can take a look at them, if you like."

- "Can I?" The brown eyes alight with a tiny flicker of pleasure.

- "Sure. Just mind the blades, they are sharp."

- "Oh, I KNOW." A little bit of pride in the voice.

- "Do you, now? How did you learn about daggers?"

- "Home in Calimport... daddy always taught me to do tricks with daggers. I'd perform for our guests, just for fun, but I really liked playing with them."

- "That sounds nice! Can you show me?"

- "You bet!" The child was grinning, Allonia delighted seeing the happy expression.

When Sarevok descended from the deck, meaning to apologize for his outburst to Allonia, he almost gasped in horror, seeing Ali holding two very sharp daggers. He stifled the gasp however, seeing that the boy really had the hang of handling the weapons. Allonia put two apples on a shelf, apparently suggesting a range. Sarevok could not hear the words, but Ali seemed to find the suggested range laughable. He took a stance from rather impressive distance of the target, face concentrated, and just a little bit proud and joyous.

TWANG. TWANG. Both the apples were skewered with perfect accuracy. Allonia was congratulating the boy, who was beaming with pride. Sarevok smiled. Gods bless Allonia.