Hola Guys! Thank you for so much support.

Hilary: Yes, we try not to forget the ESGAME guys. The poor elves really need some help...

Ahn-Li: Good guess, but... um... I was not that clever... there is still somebody else. But in case you know it by now, Pssst! ;)

Childlike Empress: Sorry for the slow update frequency but in the future it will probably be one Chapter per month since recently I have a full schedule and I can't manage to write more.

Katherat: Yep. That's gonna be the romance I promised eons ago...

Guan: Really? Sad? Probably a bit melancholic... but nobody died! Not yet! (Ouch, I should keep my mouth in check.) Anyway, this chapter should cheer you up again. ;)

Lady Valura: Yeah, chapter 39 and 40 contain nearly no action but that will change in chapter 41, I promise. The plot will jump towards culmination from then on.

Singvogel: Könnte sein, dass du recht hast. GRINS

Dally: I fear, we two are too subjective about the "useful" hints on Hrongar because we already know.

Dream Unbeing: Thanks. :)

Sphinx12: Yeah, that's an old joke which doesn't have any meaning but for me. Apart from that I liked the sounding of the words. Maybe its also due to a certain anime-series I used to watch. Everybody is named after food there...

And now we give Dalamar a reason to cry over at the next ESGAME meeting...

Chapter 40 - The Right Words...

For Nima the evening and the night also held a lot of unanswered questions. When her mind cleared of the initial confusion one intrinsic question remained. Did she like the mage? And how was it supposed to feel when one liked someone? Nima had never taken interest in any man before. She wished for Naranja to be there. Naranja always liked one boy or the other. And boys liked her. She could have told Nima how 'liking somebody' was supposed to feel. Having slept for two whole days, she stayed awake the rest of the day and during the night while Dalamar was resting. Nima passed hours in the solitude of her bedroom trying to think of home. But whenever she was in the middle of a memory her thoughts wandered to the golden mage and centred around him. Eventually the sun rose and Nima found that she had spent the whole night 'daydreaming' of Raistlin. A fact that made her dilemma even more obvious. And still she was unable to analyze her feelings. Maybe Dalamar could help? Not that he was her first choice in discussing tricky love-matters, but he was the only available person anyway. And besides, he had been so nice to her all the time. Maybe it was time to tell him what had really happened. Then, she wouldn't have to lie to him anymore. She had mistrusted him in the beginning due to all this blackrobed-ness and the dark wizardry stuff, but now she trusted him. So there was probably no use for a masquerade anymore.

Confident with her decision, Nima went for breakfast into the common room of the inn they recently stayed at. For once she was up earlier then her elven companion and spent her time waiting impatiently for him to appear. What would he say to her tale?

When Dalamar entered the common room his Shalafi was already fully awake and apparently waiting for him like somebody who had some urgent news to spread. Dalamar had barely sat down, noticing a rather dreamy expression on Raistlin's face when his Shalafi already opened the conversation.

"Dalamar I have to tell you something." he said gravely, just as Dalamar had anticipated. "I need your advice."

Something in Raistlin's voice and his expression startled the elf. Raistlin looked like somebody who was about to confess a private secret. He stared at Dalamar with what in any other case could have been interpreted as 'big puppy eyes' obviously searching for the right words. Looking cute was an ability little children had. Women, maybe. Even some men up to a certain point but it was not possible for Raistlin to adopt a 'cute' expression. Was it? Instantly, Dalamar remembered the housemaid's conversation some days ago.

"They way he holds his head, or how he sits, I'm not sure, but it's a little bit girlish"

What if the girls had been right? What did it mean then? Raistlin's next question was even more startling the his bizarre behavior.

"Dalamar, did you ever meet someone who was a total stranger to you but still you felt that he meant something to you?" he said slightly embarrassed. Stared intently at the table, 'Raistlin' missed the face of his apprentice growing slightly worried.

"Uhh.. No?"

Dalamar was at a loss of words. The situation could only be described as utterly weird. What was Raistlin talking about? They hadn't met anybody these days. And the only 'stranger' he was with was Dalamar himself. The elf choked. Was Raistlin perhaps talking about him? But that made no sense at all. It sounded too... private... too emotional... to have something to do with their relationship. However, other incidences came to mind in an instant. When Raistlin had gotten drunk in Palanthas, he had had a certain expression in his eyes. A stare that a man shouldn't have in his eyes when he looked at another man. At that time, Dalamar had ascribed this to his Shalafi's extreme intoxication, but suddenly he was not so convinced about that anymore...

"Oh, but well, see..."

Raistlin went on, oblivious to Dalamar's alarmed expression.

"What would you say if I told you that I have met somebody who is very different then me. I barely know him... But I think I may develop an affection..."

At these words, Dalamar's doubt developed to a light panic. Raistlin had mentioned a certain 'him' and 'affection' in the same sentence. There was no way to deny it. His Shalafi definitely spoke of a male. That could only mean... NO! But, regarding how Raistlin had changed since the accident, nothing seemed impossible anymore. Mercilessly, Raistlin went on, thus causing Dalamar to feel utter mortification.

"I think I should tell you a secret. I've been hiding it for too long..."

'Please, gods. Have mercy. Let my die. Now!'

"Maybe time has come to lay the cards open." Raistlin decided. "I trust you now very much. I should probably have told you this much earlier, but you have to understand, everything is confusing and so complicated and I have no idea where to begin. Something like this never happened to me before and was so unsure about everything when I realized what had happened to me. But I don't want to lie to you anymore, Dalamar. Speaking honestly, I fear that I have to admit that I am-"

In this moment, Dalamar rushed to his feet nearly knocking down his chair in the process. His Shalafi watched him dumbfounded. But the elf had decided he couldn't bear this distressing discussion any longer.

"No, Shalafi! Certain things may not return to what they are now if you speak further. There is a limit! You know, Shalafi, I accepted your sudden change of religious preference, I tolerated your fatal liking for alcoholic beverages, I even said nothing when you developed kleptomaniac tendencies two days ago by picking the mercenaries' pockets, but too much is too much. That's it! After I brought you to Solace we both will part! But you will keep your secrets to yourself as far as they are concerning me! If you insist to go on with this, we'll part right here and you can find your way on your own!"

After this outburst, Dalamar took a deep breath struggling for calmness. He hadn't meant to show his irritation so openly, but apparently this trip and his Shalafi's derangement had marked his own psyche as well.

Raistlin looked at him thunderstruck totally lacking understanding of what was going on.

"Ahh... well, ok." he said after a while. "I didn't know this would bother you so much. If you say so... But, but... I'm NOT A KLEPTOMANIAC!"

In the meantime Dalamar's discomposure had turned to anger.

"Tell that to my spellcomponents!" he hissed and stormed out of the inn to saddle the horses before Raistlin could change his mind and complete his confession. What had gotten into his Shalafi's mind to put them both into such an abashing situation! He, Dalamar, had been showing more patience then anybody, especially Raistlin, deserved. Madness? Fine, well, that could happen... But there were limits! And Raistlin had just crossed them. If this was only a bad joke, Raistlin would pay for it. If not... Dalamar had no idea what to do then. But the idea of teleporting to Solace became suddenly more appealing that ever. Raistlin's mental condition had not improved. If anything it had declined. A teleport would bring him much quicker into a familiar environment, where his family could take care of him. Then it wouldn't lie in his hands alone anymore and Raistlin would be distracted from the emotions he recently discovered. Yes, maybe a teleport was in order...

Due to his quick leave, the elf missed his Shalafi sitting motionless on the table for a while, blinking and finally blurting out:

"WHOA! BIGGIES CAN BE SO ANNOYING! I KNOW, LATER HE WILL SCOLD ME BECAUSE I DIDN'T TELL HIM EARLIER! BIGGIES ARE SUCH CONFUSING PEOPLE!"

TBC

(My career as a slash-writer ended before it got started, eh? ROFL)