Maxi and Xianghua were doing a fine job of ignoring one another while
sitting only a few feet apart on deck of Maxi's vessel. Kilik helped Talim
climb the ramp leading to the ship. Kilik cleared his throat and dropped
Talim's traveling pack on the ground with a loud thud to gain the attention
of his two comrades.
They both cast him a bored glance then went back to staring vacantly. Then a second later, they both did a double take and noticed the young woman at his side that was clutching her arm. Talim smiled shyly at them. Maxi gave an appreciative look to the skimpily clad newcomer that did not go unnoticed by Kilik who shot him a warning glare.
"Hi." She replied before giving Kilik a nervous look.
Kilik smiled to reassure her. "Maxi, Xianghua, I'd like to introduce you to Talim. She had a bit of a run in with Ivy on land and could use some medical assistance."
"I'll get some supplies." Maxi excused himself. She'd look a lot better if her flesh wasn't covered in blood and bruises.
Xianghua smiled at her friend Kilik. "So I see you've been playing the valiant knight/damsel in distress routine." She nodded her head towards Talim. "Nice to meet you. Perhaps you could change into some decent clothing."
Talim roughly pulled her uninjured hand from Kilik's grasp after she felt insulted by the older woman's comments. "I am no damsel in distress and I happen to like these clothes." She told her with a voice full of confidence and without waver, in spite of the immense pain she was feeling from Ivy's whip sword.
"I'm sure." Xianghua told her in a tone that caused the young woman to bristle.
"Look here. I am no child. You have no idea of what I am capable of." Talim told her as Maxi arrived back on deck with medical supplies. He led the angry young woman to a bench and began to tend to her wounds with help from the damsel herself.
"I'm sure she didn't mean to insult you Talim. It's just that we have seen much and have prior experience in dealing with Soul Edge. I'm sure you are capable of fine attacks." Kilik tried to smooth the tension between the two women.
Talim glared at him with a piece of gauze in her mouth as she was wrapping her arm one handed while Maxi was working on a gash on the back of her neck. She finished tucking in the loose end. "I could have taken Ivy fine on my own. It's just a little hard to fight when you haven't eaten for five days."
"You haven't eaten for five days!" Xianghua exclaimed, her sour mood courtesy of Maxi forgotten in an instant. "I'll be right back, you poor thing. I'll get you something to eat."
Kilik sat beside Talim on the bench. "Why have you not eaten for five days? How long have you been away from home?"
"I left my tribe a month ago. We have no such thing as money, so purchasing food is a foreign prospect. I was hunting for my meals until I reached the village. Apparently, there are too many people and the animals are scarce." Talim explained and her stomach gave an unfriendly reminder growl as she began to smell the return of Xianghua.
Maxi finished with the wounds on her neck and let her eat the food offered. She practically inhaled the food. After a few minutes of silence with the only sounds being of Talim eating she looked up at her crowd. "What?" She asked with a mouthful of baked fish.
"I'm curious about you. Could you share a little more? I assume that Kilik intends on inviting you to travel with us." Maxi told her while absently playing with the chains of his nunchaku.
"I am the priestess of the Wind diety for my tribe. I am one with the wind and sense disturbances within it, no matter how minor. I felt the evil of Soul Edge and a merchant from Europe brought a shard of it to my village and I was able to sense the malice in its aura. I spoke with the winds and have discovered it is my fate to send this evil away from this world, back to which it came." Talim explained.
"I see. So this is the first time away from your tribe, you are traveling alone, have no money, and no real idea of direction?" Maxi summed up the situation.
Talim smiled at them one of her genuine smiles. "You've got me all figured out."
"Come on Talim, you and I shall secure our lodgings for the evening. You two shall find out clues to our next destination." Kilik helped Talim rise from her seat and they left the boat.
"Nice friends." Talim muttered.
Kilik smiled at her attitude. "They really are admiral friends. There is just a bit of tension between us because we have recently found Maxi after losing him for years. Unfortunately, he seems to have no memory of us. It's been very hard on Xianghua."
Talim looked up at him and put her hand upon his shoulder in sympathy. "Worry not, Kilik, one day all will be revealed. When do I hear your tale?"
Kilik looked uneasy. "It's a long story, and is very difficult for me to share. If it is okay, I would prefer to share it at a later time."
"Of course it's okay. I trust you and you don't have to tell me at all if you want."
Kilik gave her a quick nod. "Do you have any other clothes?"
Talim smiled. "Would you prefer I change? These clothes are favorable for fighting." She fingered her green and white threads. "I have a white pantsuit, give me a moment and I'll change. I'll be right back." She ran to a building and asked the inhabitants if she could change in one of their rooms and they allowed her.
She came back to Kilik wearing a lovely white pantsuit with blue embroidery and trim and a blue long vest. He smiled at her and then led her towards an Inn. The streets were void of crowds in this sector; hopefully the others would still be able to find clues. Once inside the Inn, at the front desk was an elderly lady. She looked at the two and her solemn face broke into a happy smile.
"Oh! Young love! Welcome to my Inn and you're in luck! Tonight is a special for newly weds!" The elderly lady greeted the two stunned warriors. Apparently Talim's white outfit and Kilik's red and gold ensemble gave off the wrong impression.
"But, we're not-----" Talim began.
"We're also renting a room for our friends. They are another newly wed couple." Kilik interrupted Talim while placing a possessive arm around her waist, careful of her wounds. She glared at him in disbelief, but the elderly lady was blind to her reaction and continued smiling sweetly at the two.
"That's fine! I'll get you the keys while you give me the money." She dug behind her counter and produced two silver keys and handed them to Kilik as he gave her a few coins. "Follow me, I'll show you where the rooms are. I'll come check on you later, to see if you need anything else."
The rooms were across from one another in the hall on the top floor of the inn. They each contained one large bed and a desk. It was simple but it would work for the traveling warriors.
"We still have about two hours before we need to meet the others." Kilik told Talim. "Shall we go upon the town and entertain ourselves with the local street vendors?"
Talim shook her head. "I need some time to meditate. The winds are calling for my attention. You go to the streets, I need time alone to listen to the winds."
Kilik didn't look like he wanted to leave her alone and Talim noticed his look of reluctance. "Please? I really must do this."
"Okay, but I'll be back in one hour."
After Kilik left, Talim climbed outside of the window of her room up to the roof. She shivered from the chill in the winds, but welcomed anything her winds brought her. She sat cross-legged and began to focus. Soon the winds delivered their message to her.
Talim found herself in a field near a mountain shrine. A woman who looked a few years older than her joined her and sat beside her.
The woman smiled at Talim and her green eyes contained a measure of peace and love. "Hello Talim. I have been granted this opportunity to speak with you from your Wind diety. I have a request; will you hear me out?"
"Where are we?" Talim asked.
"We are at the Ling-Sheng Su Temple grounds." The mystery woman replied.
Talim nodded, encouraging her dream visitor to continue.
"My name is Xianglian. I seek your aid, because you are, or at least will be, very precious to one that is dear to me. He is laden with guilt over an act of evil that he could not have prevented or controlled. He will try to purge the evil of Soul Edge by channeling it through his own body. He has many spiritual gifts, however, he will spend eternity in atonement for the evils of this spirit of destruction."
"I understand. What would you have me do?" Talim inquired.
"I knew you would agree. You must help him find the sword of evil. However, in the final battle it is you who must defeat Inferno. You are the only one with a heart and soul of purity and innocence. The evil shall not be able to anchor its malice within you."
"I left my people to rid this world of this evil. I see not how my mission has changed." Talim argued.
Xianglian smiled at the priestess. "I see the fates have chosen well. My brother will not want you to risk your life. However, if he was to fight he is capable of destroying Inferno, but he has not the spiritual power to destroy the evil. It would take more lifetimes than he possesses to channel the evil through himself."
"I understand. Where do we find this Inferno?" Talim asked after processing and agreeing to the request.
"Worry not for now. Your days of travel remain long. You must train in the meantime so that you shall be prepared when the time does come." Xianglian stood up and prepared to leave.
"Do not worry. I won't back down!" Talim told her with great determination.
Xianglian smiled at her. "I know you won't. I shall visit you tonight and show you what has caused the guilt that plagues my brother."
Talim looked uneasy. "I do not wish to interfere with his privacy. I'm sure your brother would tell me when he was ready."
"Kilik will indeed tell you in time. However, I will show you tonight. You will not remember the details, but you will remember the emotions. It will help you to understand his grief and to help you prevent him from foolish acts of retribution."
Xianglian vanished in a swirl of misty smoke, leaving Talim alone on the field to stare at the temple grounds. The winds danced around her and she enjoyed her last moments of meditation in silent bliss.
~*~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kilik left the Inn slightly annoyed. He really would have preferred not leaving the young priestess by herself. She claimed that she could take care of herself, but he had his doubts. She was simply too small and frail. He aimlessly walked the streets.
They were still mostly empty but a few vendors were open. Most sold fruits and jewelry. Next he saw one that sold musical wind instruments. He paused here.
A familiar voice from his childhood whispered in his ear. "Buy her the flute. She will like the flute."
"Sister?" Kilik gasped in disbelief. He turned quickly and noticed nothing behind him, but felt the chill in the nearby winds.
"The flute." The voice repeated.
Kilik decided to take the voice of his sister's advice. He examined the simple wooden flute and then purchased it much to the delight of the vendor and to his own confusion.
Almost an hour had passed, so Kilik took his prize and began back towards the Inn. The elderly Inn keeper smiled at him warmly. He walked up the stairs to his room and noticed Talim was no where to be seen.
He began to panic but a breeze from the open window drew his attention and he climbed out of it and up to the roof where a certain wind priestess was sitting in a meditative stance.
She smiled at him and opened her eyes. "I could tell you had returned. The wind shifted in your presence. They tell me you have a gift for me."
Kilik sat beside her and drew the flute from the inner pocket of his cape. "I had a feeling that you would like this." He handed her the flute and her eyes widened in delight.
She took the flute and much to Kilik's surprise hugged him fiercely upon receiving it. She wrapped her arms around his neck and examined the flute behind his back. Taken off guard, Kilik slowly circled his arms around her waist.
She began to cry softly with tears of happiness, much to the discomfort of the young man. "Kilik, you do not know how much this means to me! I lost my flute on my travels. It was my source of peace amongst my stresses with my tribe. This will make this journey that much easier!"
She released him from her embrace, but he was a little slower in releasing her. However, Talim didn't notice for her joy in the gift.
Kilik reluctantly allowed her to escape his body's cage. He should not seek warmth and comfort from this priestess. He was unworthy of such things. After the evils he committed, whether under control of the Evil Seed or not, he did not deserve to find peace in an innocent.
"Shall I play for you?" Talim asked, finally redirecting her attention to the gift bearer.
Kilik shook his head. "I'm afraid it shall have to wait. We must meet the others now. There will plenty of time on the ship for you to play for me."
"That's right. We have to tell them about the rooms." Talim looked thoughtful, but then once again regained a sense of indignity. "I can't believe you would lie to that Inn keeper just to save some money!"
Kilik stood up and offered Talim his hand. She took it and he helped her to her feet. "We all must make sacrifices." He reassured her with a wink.
She growled softly and then stormed off the roof.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kilik and Talim met Xianghua and Maxi at the appointed location. The two looked really tired and were not expecting the smug look of mischief upon Kilik's face.
"Why do you have that look?" Maxi immediately inquired. He may not have known Kilik very well, but he knew him well enough to know he was up to something mischievous.
"Nothing. I got a discount on our rooms though. What did you find out and when will your crew be ready to leave?" Kilik ignored the suspicious look upon the other two as he covered Talim's mouth with his hand to keep her from answering about the discount.
"They'll be ready by morning and our destination is Venice. Now tell us about this discount and why you're not allowing Talim to speak!" Maxi demanded.
Slowly Kilik released his silencing hand off Talim and took a deep breath. "Well, the Inn keeper thought that Talim and I were a newly wed couple and said the price was half-off, so I told her that you guys were newly weds too. But we saved so much money!" Kilik told them in his 'I'm being practical' tone.
"You did what?!?" Xianghua exclaimed.
Kilik roughly grabbed hold of the young woman's hand once again and began to lead the way to the Inn. Better to use Talim as a shield than face the wrath of Xianghua.
"Why do you keep touching me!" Talim whispered loudly and with anger.
"Life for a life. I saved you, now you can save me from an angry Xianghua."
"Fine." Talim agreed, because she too was a little afraid of the sputtering volcano that was walking briskly behind them and besides Kilik did just buy her a flute.
"It won't be so bad. You can take the bed and I'll take the floor. No need to be all huffy about it." Maxi grumbled a little upset with the reaction. He was taking it personally for some reason that Xianghua wouldn't want to be his wife, even if only for pretend. But he wasn't sure why it was so upsetting, it wasn't like he had known her long or anything or that he cared.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Okay so you take the bed and I'll take the floor." Kilik told his 'wife' after he opened their door. Talim looked at him in confusion.
"I've never slept on a 'bed' before. I'll take the floor. You take that big wooden thing." Talim told him lightly patting him on the back before falling onto the floor in a tired collapse. Kilik stood over and shook his head.
"No, you are sleeping on the bed. You'll like it and it will be good for you." Kilik reassured her.
Talim shook her head stubbornly. "No no, I know how solid ground works. You may sleep on that and I'll sleep here. I'm perfectly happy."
Kilik sighed and threw his bag into the corner before leaning over picking up the young woman and swinging her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. He then threw her onto the bed, pulled the covers over her and then sat himself onto the floor. "Now, go to sleep."
Talim pouted at her loss but then realized how soft and relaxing this bed was. It was much better than the floor. "Such luxuries will make me weak." She muttered before falling asleep.
Kilik listened to her last statement. "There won't be many luxuries where we're going. Enjoy them while they last my little wind priestess."
Talim was having visions again. The Wind diety had allowed Xianglian to speak to her in her dreams warning her about Kilik visually. She saw flashes of a massacre. The location looked similar to the mountain temple she found herself at earlier in her meditation. The entire temple village was destroyed and amongst the dead bodies there was one seen crawling through the gore. He had a fresh cut across his left cheek that looked familiar. Those eyes, that hair, all seemed familiar. He was younger but it was him.
"Kilik! NO! Get away from there!" Talim screamed in her slumber. "It's not your fault! You must survive!"
Kilik awoke from his slumber to screams of his roommate. He rushed to her bedside and shook her shoulders trying to wake her. "Talim! Talim! Wake up!" He pleaded.
Her eyes snapped open. Her warm chocolate eyes were gone and replaced by the emerald orbs of his long lost sister. Her voice was not that of Talim, but that of Xianglian. "Kilik, their deaths were not your fault. My death was not your fault. You were meant to live on. That was why I gave you the Dvapara Yuga."
"But, sister, I do not have it anymore! Nightmare destroyed in our last battle. I have failed. I did not destroy the evil and it has come again." Kilik admitted.
"I know,Kilk. But this time you shall succeed. You can not do it alone. You must not shoulder all the burden of guilt. You can not defeat this evil by yourself for if you try you shall fail and there will be no third chance."
"What do I do then? Sister, show me the way!" Kilik cried.
Talim's eyes were losing the green and turning to chocolate once again, as the spirit of Xianglian was leaving. "You can not do it alone." She whispered and then left leaving a sobbing Talim who had no recollection of the last conversation and only of the visions of bloodshed.
She buried her face into Kilik's bare chest. He removed his hands from her shoulders and wrapped his arms around her frame for the second time that day allowing her to cry. He smoothed her hair down as he gently rubbed her back trying to calm her. He was a little surprised by the strong muscles he could feel of this girl as he held her.
"There was so much blood. So much. So much." She sobbed. "The pain. The evil. The guilt. So much guilt. Too much pain. So much death."
"I know. Trust me, I know." Kilik whispered, he knew she couldn't hear his words. She was lost in a state of despair. "Try to get some sleep, okay?" He suggested while unwinding his arms and releasing her from his grasp.
Talim shook her head when he tried to stand and pulled him back onto the bed. "No. no." She whispered.
Kilik sighed. He was getting too emotionally attached to this little wind priestess. "What would you have me do?"
"Stay." She whispered as she crawled into his lap and wrapped her arms around him while burying her face in his well-toned chest again.
Kilik didn't know what to do. He had vowed to protect her, so perhaps just this once, he would grant her this request. He shifted his weight so that she was more comfortably settled in his lap and then pushed himself backwards until his back rested upon the headboard.
She seemed to have already fallen asleep. He sighed once again and then rested his chin on the top of head and fell asleep himself. There won't be time for these luxuries later on, so he might as well enjoy them while they were still alive.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Not much fighting in this chapter, other than verbally, but there is some important character depth. ~Belle
They both cast him a bored glance then went back to staring vacantly. Then a second later, they both did a double take and noticed the young woman at his side that was clutching her arm. Talim smiled shyly at them. Maxi gave an appreciative look to the skimpily clad newcomer that did not go unnoticed by Kilik who shot him a warning glare.
"Hi." She replied before giving Kilik a nervous look.
Kilik smiled to reassure her. "Maxi, Xianghua, I'd like to introduce you to Talim. She had a bit of a run in with Ivy on land and could use some medical assistance."
"I'll get some supplies." Maxi excused himself. She'd look a lot better if her flesh wasn't covered in blood and bruises.
Xianghua smiled at her friend Kilik. "So I see you've been playing the valiant knight/damsel in distress routine." She nodded her head towards Talim. "Nice to meet you. Perhaps you could change into some decent clothing."
Talim roughly pulled her uninjured hand from Kilik's grasp after she felt insulted by the older woman's comments. "I am no damsel in distress and I happen to like these clothes." She told her with a voice full of confidence and without waver, in spite of the immense pain she was feeling from Ivy's whip sword.
"I'm sure." Xianghua told her in a tone that caused the young woman to bristle.
"Look here. I am no child. You have no idea of what I am capable of." Talim told her as Maxi arrived back on deck with medical supplies. He led the angry young woman to a bench and began to tend to her wounds with help from the damsel herself.
"I'm sure she didn't mean to insult you Talim. It's just that we have seen much and have prior experience in dealing with Soul Edge. I'm sure you are capable of fine attacks." Kilik tried to smooth the tension between the two women.
Talim glared at him with a piece of gauze in her mouth as she was wrapping her arm one handed while Maxi was working on a gash on the back of her neck. She finished tucking in the loose end. "I could have taken Ivy fine on my own. It's just a little hard to fight when you haven't eaten for five days."
"You haven't eaten for five days!" Xianghua exclaimed, her sour mood courtesy of Maxi forgotten in an instant. "I'll be right back, you poor thing. I'll get you something to eat."
Kilik sat beside Talim on the bench. "Why have you not eaten for five days? How long have you been away from home?"
"I left my tribe a month ago. We have no such thing as money, so purchasing food is a foreign prospect. I was hunting for my meals until I reached the village. Apparently, there are too many people and the animals are scarce." Talim explained and her stomach gave an unfriendly reminder growl as she began to smell the return of Xianghua.
Maxi finished with the wounds on her neck and let her eat the food offered. She practically inhaled the food. After a few minutes of silence with the only sounds being of Talim eating she looked up at her crowd. "What?" She asked with a mouthful of baked fish.
"I'm curious about you. Could you share a little more? I assume that Kilik intends on inviting you to travel with us." Maxi told her while absently playing with the chains of his nunchaku.
"I am the priestess of the Wind diety for my tribe. I am one with the wind and sense disturbances within it, no matter how minor. I felt the evil of Soul Edge and a merchant from Europe brought a shard of it to my village and I was able to sense the malice in its aura. I spoke with the winds and have discovered it is my fate to send this evil away from this world, back to which it came." Talim explained.
"I see. So this is the first time away from your tribe, you are traveling alone, have no money, and no real idea of direction?" Maxi summed up the situation.
Talim smiled at them one of her genuine smiles. "You've got me all figured out."
"Come on Talim, you and I shall secure our lodgings for the evening. You two shall find out clues to our next destination." Kilik helped Talim rise from her seat and they left the boat.
"Nice friends." Talim muttered.
Kilik smiled at her attitude. "They really are admiral friends. There is just a bit of tension between us because we have recently found Maxi after losing him for years. Unfortunately, he seems to have no memory of us. It's been very hard on Xianghua."
Talim looked up at him and put her hand upon his shoulder in sympathy. "Worry not, Kilik, one day all will be revealed. When do I hear your tale?"
Kilik looked uneasy. "It's a long story, and is very difficult for me to share. If it is okay, I would prefer to share it at a later time."
"Of course it's okay. I trust you and you don't have to tell me at all if you want."
Kilik gave her a quick nod. "Do you have any other clothes?"
Talim smiled. "Would you prefer I change? These clothes are favorable for fighting." She fingered her green and white threads. "I have a white pantsuit, give me a moment and I'll change. I'll be right back." She ran to a building and asked the inhabitants if she could change in one of their rooms and they allowed her.
She came back to Kilik wearing a lovely white pantsuit with blue embroidery and trim and a blue long vest. He smiled at her and then led her towards an Inn. The streets were void of crowds in this sector; hopefully the others would still be able to find clues. Once inside the Inn, at the front desk was an elderly lady. She looked at the two and her solemn face broke into a happy smile.
"Oh! Young love! Welcome to my Inn and you're in luck! Tonight is a special for newly weds!" The elderly lady greeted the two stunned warriors. Apparently Talim's white outfit and Kilik's red and gold ensemble gave off the wrong impression.
"But, we're not-----" Talim began.
"We're also renting a room for our friends. They are another newly wed couple." Kilik interrupted Talim while placing a possessive arm around her waist, careful of her wounds. She glared at him in disbelief, but the elderly lady was blind to her reaction and continued smiling sweetly at the two.
"That's fine! I'll get you the keys while you give me the money." She dug behind her counter and produced two silver keys and handed them to Kilik as he gave her a few coins. "Follow me, I'll show you where the rooms are. I'll come check on you later, to see if you need anything else."
The rooms were across from one another in the hall on the top floor of the inn. They each contained one large bed and a desk. It was simple but it would work for the traveling warriors.
"We still have about two hours before we need to meet the others." Kilik told Talim. "Shall we go upon the town and entertain ourselves with the local street vendors?"
Talim shook her head. "I need some time to meditate. The winds are calling for my attention. You go to the streets, I need time alone to listen to the winds."
Kilik didn't look like he wanted to leave her alone and Talim noticed his look of reluctance. "Please? I really must do this."
"Okay, but I'll be back in one hour."
After Kilik left, Talim climbed outside of the window of her room up to the roof. She shivered from the chill in the winds, but welcomed anything her winds brought her. She sat cross-legged and began to focus. Soon the winds delivered their message to her.
Talim found herself in a field near a mountain shrine. A woman who looked a few years older than her joined her and sat beside her.
The woman smiled at Talim and her green eyes contained a measure of peace and love. "Hello Talim. I have been granted this opportunity to speak with you from your Wind diety. I have a request; will you hear me out?"
"Where are we?" Talim asked.
"We are at the Ling-Sheng Su Temple grounds." The mystery woman replied.
Talim nodded, encouraging her dream visitor to continue.
"My name is Xianglian. I seek your aid, because you are, or at least will be, very precious to one that is dear to me. He is laden with guilt over an act of evil that he could not have prevented or controlled. He will try to purge the evil of Soul Edge by channeling it through his own body. He has many spiritual gifts, however, he will spend eternity in atonement for the evils of this spirit of destruction."
"I understand. What would you have me do?" Talim inquired.
"I knew you would agree. You must help him find the sword of evil. However, in the final battle it is you who must defeat Inferno. You are the only one with a heart and soul of purity and innocence. The evil shall not be able to anchor its malice within you."
"I left my people to rid this world of this evil. I see not how my mission has changed." Talim argued.
Xianglian smiled at the priestess. "I see the fates have chosen well. My brother will not want you to risk your life. However, if he was to fight he is capable of destroying Inferno, but he has not the spiritual power to destroy the evil. It would take more lifetimes than he possesses to channel the evil through himself."
"I understand. Where do we find this Inferno?" Talim asked after processing and agreeing to the request.
"Worry not for now. Your days of travel remain long. You must train in the meantime so that you shall be prepared when the time does come." Xianglian stood up and prepared to leave.
"Do not worry. I won't back down!" Talim told her with great determination.
Xianglian smiled at her. "I know you won't. I shall visit you tonight and show you what has caused the guilt that plagues my brother."
Talim looked uneasy. "I do not wish to interfere with his privacy. I'm sure your brother would tell me when he was ready."
"Kilik will indeed tell you in time. However, I will show you tonight. You will not remember the details, but you will remember the emotions. It will help you to understand his grief and to help you prevent him from foolish acts of retribution."
Xianglian vanished in a swirl of misty smoke, leaving Talim alone on the field to stare at the temple grounds. The winds danced around her and she enjoyed her last moments of meditation in silent bliss.
~*~*~*~*~ *~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kilik left the Inn slightly annoyed. He really would have preferred not leaving the young priestess by herself. She claimed that she could take care of herself, but he had his doubts. She was simply too small and frail. He aimlessly walked the streets.
They were still mostly empty but a few vendors were open. Most sold fruits and jewelry. Next he saw one that sold musical wind instruments. He paused here.
A familiar voice from his childhood whispered in his ear. "Buy her the flute. She will like the flute."
"Sister?" Kilik gasped in disbelief. He turned quickly and noticed nothing behind him, but felt the chill in the nearby winds.
"The flute." The voice repeated.
Kilik decided to take the voice of his sister's advice. He examined the simple wooden flute and then purchased it much to the delight of the vendor and to his own confusion.
Almost an hour had passed, so Kilik took his prize and began back towards the Inn. The elderly Inn keeper smiled at him warmly. He walked up the stairs to his room and noticed Talim was no where to be seen.
He began to panic but a breeze from the open window drew his attention and he climbed out of it and up to the roof where a certain wind priestess was sitting in a meditative stance.
She smiled at him and opened her eyes. "I could tell you had returned. The wind shifted in your presence. They tell me you have a gift for me."
Kilik sat beside her and drew the flute from the inner pocket of his cape. "I had a feeling that you would like this." He handed her the flute and her eyes widened in delight.
She took the flute and much to Kilik's surprise hugged him fiercely upon receiving it. She wrapped her arms around his neck and examined the flute behind his back. Taken off guard, Kilik slowly circled his arms around her waist.
She began to cry softly with tears of happiness, much to the discomfort of the young man. "Kilik, you do not know how much this means to me! I lost my flute on my travels. It was my source of peace amongst my stresses with my tribe. This will make this journey that much easier!"
She released him from her embrace, but he was a little slower in releasing her. However, Talim didn't notice for her joy in the gift.
Kilik reluctantly allowed her to escape his body's cage. He should not seek warmth and comfort from this priestess. He was unworthy of such things. After the evils he committed, whether under control of the Evil Seed or not, he did not deserve to find peace in an innocent.
"Shall I play for you?" Talim asked, finally redirecting her attention to the gift bearer.
Kilik shook his head. "I'm afraid it shall have to wait. We must meet the others now. There will plenty of time on the ship for you to play for me."
"That's right. We have to tell them about the rooms." Talim looked thoughtful, but then once again regained a sense of indignity. "I can't believe you would lie to that Inn keeper just to save some money!"
Kilik stood up and offered Talim his hand. She took it and he helped her to her feet. "We all must make sacrifices." He reassured her with a wink.
She growled softly and then stormed off the roof.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kilik and Talim met Xianghua and Maxi at the appointed location. The two looked really tired and were not expecting the smug look of mischief upon Kilik's face.
"Why do you have that look?" Maxi immediately inquired. He may not have known Kilik very well, but he knew him well enough to know he was up to something mischievous.
"Nothing. I got a discount on our rooms though. What did you find out and when will your crew be ready to leave?" Kilik ignored the suspicious look upon the other two as he covered Talim's mouth with his hand to keep her from answering about the discount.
"They'll be ready by morning and our destination is Venice. Now tell us about this discount and why you're not allowing Talim to speak!" Maxi demanded.
Slowly Kilik released his silencing hand off Talim and took a deep breath. "Well, the Inn keeper thought that Talim and I were a newly wed couple and said the price was half-off, so I told her that you guys were newly weds too. But we saved so much money!" Kilik told them in his 'I'm being practical' tone.
"You did what?!?" Xianghua exclaimed.
Kilik roughly grabbed hold of the young woman's hand once again and began to lead the way to the Inn. Better to use Talim as a shield than face the wrath of Xianghua.
"Why do you keep touching me!" Talim whispered loudly and with anger.
"Life for a life. I saved you, now you can save me from an angry Xianghua."
"Fine." Talim agreed, because she too was a little afraid of the sputtering volcano that was walking briskly behind them and besides Kilik did just buy her a flute.
"It won't be so bad. You can take the bed and I'll take the floor. No need to be all huffy about it." Maxi grumbled a little upset with the reaction. He was taking it personally for some reason that Xianghua wouldn't want to be his wife, even if only for pretend. But he wasn't sure why it was so upsetting, it wasn't like he had known her long or anything or that he cared.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
"Okay so you take the bed and I'll take the floor." Kilik told his 'wife' after he opened their door. Talim looked at him in confusion.
"I've never slept on a 'bed' before. I'll take the floor. You take that big wooden thing." Talim told him lightly patting him on the back before falling onto the floor in a tired collapse. Kilik stood over and shook his head.
"No, you are sleeping on the bed. You'll like it and it will be good for you." Kilik reassured her.
Talim shook her head stubbornly. "No no, I know how solid ground works. You may sleep on that and I'll sleep here. I'm perfectly happy."
Kilik sighed and threw his bag into the corner before leaning over picking up the young woman and swinging her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. He then threw her onto the bed, pulled the covers over her and then sat himself onto the floor. "Now, go to sleep."
Talim pouted at her loss but then realized how soft and relaxing this bed was. It was much better than the floor. "Such luxuries will make me weak." She muttered before falling asleep.
Kilik listened to her last statement. "There won't be many luxuries where we're going. Enjoy them while they last my little wind priestess."
Talim was having visions again. The Wind diety had allowed Xianglian to speak to her in her dreams warning her about Kilik visually. She saw flashes of a massacre. The location looked similar to the mountain temple she found herself at earlier in her meditation. The entire temple village was destroyed and amongst the dead bodies there was one seen crawling through the gore. He had a fresh cut across his left cheek that looked familiar. Those eyes, that hair, all seemed familiar. He was younger but it was him.
"Kilik! NO! Get away from there!" Talim screamed in her slumber. "It's not your fault! You must survive!"
Kilik awoke from his slumber to screams of his roommate. He rushed to her bedside and shook her shoulders trying to wake her. "Talim! Talim! Wake up!" He pleaded.
Her eyes snapped open. Her warm chocolate eyes were gone and replaced by the emerald orbs of his long lost sister. Her voice was not that of Talim, but that of Xianglian. "Kilik, their deaths were not your fault. My death was not your fault. You were meant to live on. That was why I gave you the Dvapara Yuga."
"But, sister, I do not have it anymore! Nightmare destroyed in our last battle. I have failed. I did not destroy the evil and it has come again." Kilik admitted.
"I know,Kilk. But this time you shall succeed. You can not do it alone. You must not shoulder all the burden of guilt. You can not defeat this evil by yourself for if you try you shall fail and there will be no third chance."
"What do I do then? Sister, show me the way!" Kilik cried.
Talim's eyes were losing the green and turning to chocolate once again, as the spirit of Xianglian was leaving. "You can not do it alone." She whispered and then left leaving a sobbing Talim who had no recollection of the last conversation and only of the visions of bloodshed.
She buried her face into Kilik's bare chest. He removed his hands from her shoulders and wrapped his arms around her frame for the second time that day allowing her to cry. He smoothed her hair down as he gently rubbed her back trying to calm her. He was a little surprised by the strong muscles he could feel of this girl as he held her.
"There was so much blood. So much. So much." She sobbed. "The pain. The evil. The guilt. So much guilt. Too much pain. So much death."
"I know. Trust me, I know." Kilik whispered, he knew she couldn't hear his words. She was lost in a state of despair. "Try to get some sleep, okay?" He suggested while unwinding his arms and releasing her from his grasp.
Talim shook her head when he tried to stand and pulled him back onto the bed. "No. no." She whispered.
Kilik sighed. He was getting too emotionally attached to this little wind priestess. "What would you have me do?"
"Stay." She whispered as she crawled into his lap and wrapped her arms around him while burying her face in his well-toned chest again.
Kilik didn't know what to do. He had vowed to protect her, so perhaps just this once, he would grant her this request. He shifted his weight so that she was more comfortably settled in his lap and then pushed himself backwards until his back rested upon the headboard.
She seemed to have already fallen asleep. He sighed once again and then rested his chin on the top of head and fell asleep himself. There won't be time for these luxuries later on, so he might as well enjoy them while they were still alive.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Not much fighting in this chapter, other than verbally, but there is some important character depth. ~Belle