Chapter Seven

Disclaimer:  I forgot to put this in last time, so this is for both chapters.  Jander, Danilo, Khelben Arunsun, Laeral, Arilyn, Elaith Craulnober, Kymil Nimesin aren't mine.  They belong to WotC, specifically, Forgotten Realms.

            "Will you at least be semi-polite this time?"

            "It it'll make you happy, I'll try.  'Kay?  Know what else?  I did know the guy.  I went through my book of short stories, and there was one in there.  He's not that bad, except for that fact that he's too damned happy."

            "So you're going to be polite?"

            "Nope."

            "Well, why not?"

            "Cuz I'm not nice or polite because I know someone from a book.  Only if I happen to like that particular person.  You, I happened to like on sight.  Him, I happened to dislike."

            "Just please try to be civil.  Okay? Civil?"

            "I'll try, I said.  What more do you want from me? Jeez.  Anything else, dad?"

            "Don't forget to say please and thank you," Jander said with a grin on his face.  Nire's response was to return his grin and sock him on the shoulder.  "Ready to go, little one?"

            "Yepper deppers."  Nire had picked exactly where Danilo wanted to meet them from the man's mind, unbeknownst to him.  She gated the two of them there, arriving out of thin air, to Danilo's delight.

            "Welcome.  Do come in and meet my wonderful uncle.  You also have the pleasure of meeting my aunt and my lovely wife."

            "Hopefully, two different people," Nire muttered dryly.  Jander tried not to laugh at her rare show of humor, seeing as how it was impolite.  But Danilo did not care, and laughed, delighted with this show of humor, hoping it meant she was warming up to him.

            He escorted them to a sitting room, with three other people in it.  They were introduced to Khelben Arunsun, Laerel Silverhand, and Arilyn Moonblade.  Jander thanked whatever gods were listening that Nire was civil and polite.  Khelben and Laerel were immediately taken with the girl as the delightful child she wasn't.  Arilyn took to her as another fighter.  There was just this look about her that said 'You may not be able to see my weapons, but don't mess with me'.  Jander and Danilo were really the odd ones out.  With Jander, it was merely because he did not wish to intrude on the conversations that Nire was doing just fine with.  He did not know what people's problems were in her world - everybody seemed to like her just fine, here.

            With Danilo, he understood that he had somehow fucked up his first meeting with her.  To try and 'make friends' now would just be asking for trouble.  He didn't know why he hadn't seen immediately that it was a mistake to treat the girl as a child.  Replaying the entire conversation in his head, he had realized that was all it was, and warned the other three against it.

            Danilo and Jander ended up talking about music.  Jander was glad of this, bevause it took his mind off how nervous he was to be in the dwelling of such a powerful mage.  You never know if such people will have ways of detecting the undead, the nosferatu.

            His ears perked up, however, and he began to pay attention when he heard Khelben say, "So, Nire, I understand you can make gates into other worlds."

            "That's right.  That's how I got here."  She smiled a little, like a cat that's just caught a bird.  "I'm guessin' ya wanna know how, right?"

            "Well, yes, we would be grateful if you could explain the spell to us, or perhaps demonstrate it," Laerel said sweetly.

            Jander was afraid for a moment that Nire would refuse, just to be a problem.  That was something she would do without a second thought, but she just smirked at them and answered.

            "Well, okay.  There's a coupla way t' do it."  She paused and ran her hand through her hair, trying to figure out the simplest way.  Her hand abruptly jerked to a stop, and her eyes narrowed suspiciously.  "You're telling my you never figured out cross-dimensional travel?"

            Khelben, Laerel, and Danilo glanced at each other, a bit guiltily, Jander thought.  He sighed inwardly - this was the trouble he was on the watch for.  As far as he was concerned, this behavior, although not commendable, was semi-all right with most people (to tell the truth, one of her charms was her 'screw what you think and your stupid authority' attitude).  Most people weren't mighty mages, Chosen of Mystra.

            As Khelben answered, Jander and Nire had a lightning fast telepathic conversation.

            Nire…

            Well, doesn't that seem weird to you?

            "Well, we can…but I'm looking for a less complicated way, that takes less energy."  Laerel and Danilo nodded to confirm what Khelben said, while Arilyn merely rolled her eyes.  She hated any sort of magical travel.

            To her surprise, Jadner shared a commiserating half-smile with her at the stupidity of it all.  Why a gold elf would even look at a half-breed moon elf puzzled her a little, not that she really cared.

            See? Tol'ja. Nire said scathingly to Jander.  Out loud, she said, "So, why should I share my well-earned secrets?"

            Nire… Jander said warningly, almost pleadingly.

            Screw you and your stupid politeness!  Why should I waste my time telling anybody anything they already know?

            "I mean, really.  Screw this, I have no more pity."

            Jander's nerves were already taut because of a perverse feeling that something bad would happen all week.  He had learned to trust these feelings.  Now, he was even more keyed up and nervous.  You never knew what could happen around people, mages, like this.  After that incident when he met Nire… Finally, hearing Nire talk to the two Chosen in that scathingly sarcastic tone she had, his jangling nerves snapped.

            "Will you stop being such a vith problem!?" he snapped at her out loud.

            As soon as he realized he had said it out loud, not telepathically as he had meant to, and that they all (except Nire) knew exactly what he had said…  Then the look on Nire's face - no longer pissed, just slightly deflated and crestfallen, with sad, worried eyes.  Her entire visage quickly turned hard, though, so no one else noticed it.

            "My apologies, lady," he first apologized to Arilyn, then to the rest.  "And to all of you, too."

            To Nire, he didn't bother with any verbal apologies.  She viewed them as being worth about as much as the breath used to utter them - in other words, nothing.  Her favorite saying was, 'Sorry's don't cut it in the real world'.  One of his favorite things about telepathy, that came in the most use, was that you could use emotions to convey things, not just words.  So, as an explanation, he let her see what he was feeling right now.  She smiled sympathetically in acceptance of his wordless apology, the whole thing taking only a couple seconds.  Still, she was noticeably subdued by his reprimand.

            My, my, did you just swear? she asked playfully.  What'd it mean?

            I'm not teaching you to swear in elvish.  Get the idea out of your head.

            Out loud, she said, "Anyways…  The two easiest ways I came up with…" She paused to think.  A knife appeared from somewhere in her boots, and she began tapping the hilt on her knee.  Jander didn't think she even realized she was doing this.  The two men in the room and Laerel smiled at each other.  Arilyn had the exact same habit of playing with weapons when she was thinking hard.

            "Got it!"  The knife disappeared.  "Okay.  The easiest way is also the most dangerous.  D'you even want to know that way?"

            "Why is it dangerous?" Khelben asked, sitting forward in his chair.

            "Well, you need absolute concentration, to the point of almost entering a meditative state.  You have to picture where you wanna go and will the gate into existence.  If your attention wanders in even the slightest, the gate will go to a random place, or to the place you were thinking about, and you won't know it until you step through.  It could end up in Tantras, in the deepest pit of the Nine Hells, under the ocean, a thousand feet up in the air-"

            "Wait, how do you know this?" Jander interrupted her.

            "How do you think?" she returned with a perfectly innocent look on her face.  "It's really hot in the deepest pit of the Nine Hells-"

            "What!?!"

            "Chill out, man.  I'm kidding.  Just yankin' yer chain.  Raist made me let him try it out before I used it."  You worry too much.   "Anyways, you just gotta will it and believe it will happen and concentrate hard.  But, you can only make three of 'em without resting 'fore you're basically unconscious."

            "That's about what we can get," Khelben said.

            "Okay,' Laerel said.  "And what's the other way?"

            "Ya gotta picture where ya wanna go, or who ya wanna go see.  Then ya reach out, like you're wrappin' a rope 'round y'ahm, and jerk.  'S not real 'magical' lookin', or anything', but I' works."

            "What about the energy factor?" Danilo asked.  Arilyn looked thoroughly bored.

            "Four 'r fahve tahmes.  Dependin'."

            "On what?"

            "Whaddaya think?  How good a night's sleep ya had, how healthy y'ahe.  That kinda stuff.  Duh."  She rolled her eyes.

            Nire…

            Sorry Jander.  I couldn't help it.  It was a stupid question.

            Ready to leave?

            Nire heard the strain in his mental voice.  Sure.  They got what they wanted, and must be ready to get rid of me.

            This was basically what she told them, after explaining how to close the gate.  "T' close it, ya jus' guddah picture a door slammin' shut and go like this."  She demonstrated the hand motion.  "Ah'ight.  Ya got watcha wanted.  I believe Jander and I will take our leave now."

            Nire stood up and Jander followed suit.  There was nothing else he could do, but he did wish she had used more tact.

            Khelben stood up, too.  "I'll see you to the door." 

A glance passed between him and Laerel, and she nodded, almost imperceptibly.  At the door to outside, Khelben turned to the two of them.

"Thank you very much for the information.  It should be very helpful.  Laerel and I would love to have you two for dinner some time."

"Ha!" Nire laughed.  "No you wouldn't.  I am the pickiest eater in the world."

Khelben smiled easily.  "There's got to be something you like."

She snorted disbelievingly.  "I dunno.  Maybe sometime."

Khelben shrugged.  "We'd still like you to come back sometime."

"You'll prob'ly see us 'round Wa'uhdeep sometime," was Nire's answer as she stifled a yawn.  Her strange accent got more pronounced as she got tired.  "I really gotta get back 'for my parents realize I'm gone."

            "You're parents don't know you're here?"

            Nire shrugged.  "I'm out with a responsible adult.  What more can you ask for?  See ya lay-duh."

            She made a quick gate and stepped through.  Jander threw an apologetic smile at Khelben and followed her.  She immediately grabbed her pajamas and went into the bathroom to change.  When she came out, she tossed her clothes on the floor.

            "Pick them up.  What if your parents find them?"

            "Nag, nag, nag.  You're just as bad as a parent.  'Sides, my dad barely comes down this end of the hall,  'cept to say g'night t' my sister, and mom won't notice."  She did pick everything up and shove it into her closet.  "Happy?"
            "Yes.  Do I really sound like a parent?"  He sat on the end of her bed.

            "Sometimes."  She grinned at him.  "I'm jus' yankin' yer chain.  I don't mind, mos' th' time."

            Jander looked a little concerned.  "Nire…Do your parents…Do they really treat you as bad as you say/"

            She stopped fiddling with whatever she had been fiddling with - froze, really - and sighed.  "Well…  I don't really know.  Maybe I'm exaggerating, but…  I'm the middle child.  Nobody really notices the middle child."  Surprisingly, she came and sat next to him, leaning into his side, so he put his arm around her.  Right now, she had that peculiar smell of depression hanging about her, which his sensitive nose picked up.  "Plus, I've gotten so good at blending into the wallpaper…  They don't abuse me, they just don't really notice me.  I'm not really neglected, and mom's not that bad, I just hate my father."

            "Why?"

            "Just… Many little things.  Like… I hate having most people touch me, come into my personal space.  Not you," she said quickly, "you're different.  So's my mom.  But that's about it.  Well, and the other guys - Raist and Gar and such.  But I really don't like my dad being too close to me, and he insists on patting my head, and shit like that."

            "Why don't you just explain that to him, little one?"

            Nire laughed cynically.  "He wouldn't understand.  He didn't really have a lot to do with us when we were really little.  Now, it's like he expects he can have this really close, father-daughter relationship.  Just add water," Nire said brightly and laughed.  Jander, of course, did not get the joke, and just smiled a little befuddled.  "It's so stupid.  And he truly doesn't get it.  Even my sister understands, don't come to close to Nire."  She paused for a moment, and moved a little closer to him, unconsciously seeking the comfort she would never admit she needed.  "Anyways, let's talk 'bout somethin' happy, 'kay?  'Nough complainin' 'bout my life."

            Jander noticed how cold she felt, not really cold, but clammy, like she was coming down with something.  But, she did not smell like it, yet.  "I'm probably not the best person to be sitting with if you're cold, little one."

            "Oh, who cares.  You're scarily comfortable to be leaning against.  'S like," yawn, "you were made for this."

            That threw him for a little loop. He was a vampire, made for stalking people - even little girls like her - late at night and feeding on their blood. He was evil incarnate.  For the longest time, he had let no one get close to him, though some tried.  He sold his carvings, and that was it.  He was definitely not made for having little kids (not really little anymore, though) leaning into his side, leaving their neck trustingly exposed, and telling him it was 'comfortable'.

            "That wasn't really too bad today, was it?"

            "Nope.  And, really, I'm sorry for snapping at you out loud like that.  I really meant it to be a telepathic snap.  I still forget, sometimes."

            "Sorries don't cut it in the real world, man."  Yawn.  "But, 's okay.  I didn't really mind."

            That was not what the look on her face as soon as the words had left his mouth told him, but he let it slide.  He had a sneaking suspicion that under her hard exterior, Nire was extremely sensitive and took everything to heart, then made herself (and the rest of the world) believe she didn't care.

            Which was why he added, "Really, I was just…  After that one incident with that piddling mage, being around any sort of mage makes me nervous.  And you're antagonistic approach wasn't helping, especially with two Chosen of Mystra."

            "Well, I'm a mage.  Does it make you nervous to be around me? And so's Raistlin, an' you come with me there all the time."

            "You're different, and yes, being around Raistlin does make me nervous."  Nire yawned hugely, and Jander stood up.  "You should really go to bed."

            " 'Kay," she said sleepily.  "Thanks for stickin' it out today." Then, she did the second (and possibly most) surprising thing of the day by jumping up and giving him a hug.  Before he could react, she was back under her light sheets.

            "Sweet dreams, little one."  As usual, he walked over and flicked off her lights, it having become a habit once she showed him how, and made a gate to go home.

*  *  *  *  *

            After watching his two guests go through the gate, Khelben walked back to the sitting room.  He wanted to see what the other thought of the girl, to see if they shared his opinions.

            "See?" Danilo said.  "I told you they were a strange pair."

            The two women murmured their agreement.  "Did you invite them back?" Laeral asked Khelben.

            "Yes, I did.  Her response was to ask next time one of us saw her on the streets.  The elf didn't say anything either way."

            "I don't trust him," interrupted Arilyn.

            "Why ever not?" Danilo asked.  "He seemed like a perfectly polite and agreeable person to me.  He was even polite to you."

            "Exactly.  He was a full-blooded High Elf.  You could tell that just by looking at him.  Look at the only two other full-blooded elves who've given me more than a second glance.  Kymil Nimesin and Elaith Craulnober."

            "Wait now, Elaith's not that bad," protested Danilo.

            "He was when I first met him."

            "Okay, so you don't trust Jander," Laeral interrupted, to forestall an argument, "but what did you think of the little girl?"

            Arilyn snorted.  "She shows good taste.  She obviously doesn't like you, Dan."

            Danilo put on as mournful face for his aunt and uncle.  "You see what I have to put up with?"

            "I, for one, agree with the lovely lady," Khelben returned.  Everybody paused to laugh a bit before continuing the discussion.

            "Are you going to try to win her over, Dan?" Arilyn asked.

            "I managed to marry you, my dear," was Danilo's immediate response, causing her to remember how much she had disliked him at first.

Arilyn finished her thought.  "She seemed…lonely, like she was an oasis in the middle of a desert.  No, more like a desert in the middle of an oasis.  It seemed as though, we were all in the room, but she was completely alone."

            "Yes, I had similar thoughts," Laeral said.  "I thought she was rather sad, for the same reasons that Arilyn found her to be lonely.  Yet, she seemed like she did not give a wit what anyone thought of her, almost that she was happy being a piece of desert."

            "Except when Jander reprimanded her."  Everyone's heads swiveled around to look puzzeldly at Khelben.  "Did none of you see her face?"  They all shook their heads.  "She looked like he had just shot her through the heart, although her mask was pulled quickly back down."

            "I wonder who's really in charger there," Danilo mused.  "On the street, and even in here, for the most part, it seemed as though Nire was."

            "I think that was only because Jander let her be," said Laeral.  "But I do wonder what their relationship is."

            "Definitely not any type of guardianship.  When I was outside with them, she said that she had to get back before her parents realized she was gone.  I'd wager they don't know about Jander, and he is just one of her friends."

            "Ah ha!"  Danilo snapped his fingers.  "That's what it is!  She seems like she had no home.  That she doesn't really belong anywhere."

            Laeral looked at Khelben, and the famous mage could tell exactly what she was thinking.  I liked her.  We should try and give her some sort of home.  Luckily, he agreed wholeheartedly with her.  There was just something about the girl…