General disclaimer: I own nothing, even Maiyn generally decides her own path.

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Blessings

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The forest changed as she watched, shifting and changing; nothing stayed the same for long here. This was not Home for her, but Home for him. And it was time they talked.

The path that had lain open before her, winding its way through the twisted trees on the edge of this huge forest, winked from existence. In its place formed a dense wall of trees, almost as if he knew someone was trying to find him. She allowed herself a wry smile -- it mattered not if one way closed. There was always another.

The sun disappeared as she walked, being replaced almost immediately by heavy grey clouds and the rumbles of thunder. Large drops of rain fell down around her, but none managed to land on her pearly skin or wet her flowing yellow tresses. The gentle breeze turned into a ferocious gale, and all the time, the landscape shifted and changed. Nothing stayed the same here, except for him. No matter what, he refused to leave this place, refused to use his home in Arvandor. He was the constant in the ever-changing Limbo.

Her determination won out; beside a pool in a glade that quickly turned into a small quagmire, he sat, watching her as she approached. She smiled; he looked away -- she'd known he would. She stood beside him, looking over to the changing trees... moving, altering as she watched. The rain eased off but the clouds stayed above, the wind died down, but a faint breeze gently passed by. He sighed heavily.

"Why have you come?"

She looked down to him, her benign smile continuing. He didn't return it -- his youthful face never strayed too far from being solemn, and at that moment it seemed to be bordering on angry. He returned to his previous actions -- scraping the blade of 'Thornbite' along the stone he held in his left hand. She watched with faint amusement before deciding to answer.

"You know why."

The scraping stopped, silence surrounding them. Even the landscape seemed to cease its endless altering as they stood there -- she looking at him, he staring at his blade. Then he stood, walking a few paces away.

"What do you want?"

"Nothing."

He turned back to face her, frustration on his features. He was clad in simple clothing, quite unlike the others in the Seldarine with their fancy garb. Even she, she reluctantly admitted, worse a flowing gown of white and yellow -- lengthy as it was, it afforded only the minimum of coverage, and it was part of the reason that he seemed to be so awkward with her standing before him.

Only a very small part though.

"We don't have anything to say to each other," he tried.

"Perhaps not," she agreed -- he looked surprised. "But I think we could. You are watching them as well, aren't you?"

He stiffened. "I don't encourage anyone to follow me."

"But she piqued your interest," she pressed. "To the point you sent your avatar to her in a dream, informing her of your acceptance."

He shrugged. "She needed guidance... she needed something."

"She became happy. She is still happy now. But... she could be happier."

His eyebrow rose suspiciously. She let out a small chuckle at the sight, causing his frown to return.

"You watch the one who follows my guidance also," she noted. She didn't have to ask if she was correct -- she knew her followers -- all of them, and especially those with such prolific lifestyles -- well enough to know if someone else was interested in them. Although revealing herself to them was not her style, dabbling in their lives was not beyond her -- especially when it involved the world of love and emotion. "He has been separated from yours, and we have watched because it is not our place to involve ourselves. But we know what lies in store for them in the future -- we know what is happening to them in the present. And still they pray for each other, think of each other, despite their other... interests."

"They will find their own way," he replied gruffly, turning away and wandering over to a cabin that had just appeared.

"Perhaps," she nodded acquiescingly. "But do not think I am not aware of your actions thus far."

He ignored her, wandering up the wooden steps to the porch of the building and sitting back down on a rough wooden chair. When he met her gaze, his eyes were flashing... with anger? His gaze was dark, certainly, but he remained calm otherwise, refusing to offer anything to this part of the conversation.

"Do not think I don't know when my follower gets a... lucky hit, shall we say, while in the depths of a forest... or in the midst of a battle with woodland creatures. The incident at the town on their material plane was a hard one to work out, but the signs of your... interest... were there, nonetheless. I know it was not of my own working; and it is too frequent, too often for me to put down to Erevan, though I know he has a soft spot for such characters."

"Your point is?"

"My point is, we fulfil their prayers when we can... do not think I am not heeding the words of my own faithful. He cries her name every evening in his thoughts, no matter where his current affections seem to lie. The hold she placed on him was granted by my own hand, the ultimate reward for his loyal service -- the feeling of true love to show him the proper way. It is still there, despite their misfortune now." She paused, regarding him curiously before she continued. "Your girl has been blessed with the luck of a thousand romantics while in her current dark abode, but even luck can run out. It will take more than hope for them to escape from this... you know as well as I do what the dark ones are planning -- and I do not only refer to the ones absent from the city. She and her companions will walk into it, unless they show great caution and care. And then their escape from the bowels of the earth will be in great danger."

He stood up abruptly, allowing the cabin to disappear. He was standing on a small natural incline now, the forest further back from them than it had been previously. "They will be fine."

"We both know that Lolth's eye has become fixed on her, especially when she is so close to one of the Demon Queen's own favoured. The path she walks, though noble, is perilous... "

"She will cope."

"She will," she nodded knowingly. "If you use what influence you have-"

He spoke abruptly, cutting her off. "You know what she is. We cannot interfere in her path."

Hanali laughed properly this time, the sparkle in her eyes almost enough to make Fenmarel's expression soften. "You have interfered without knowing, without meaning to, on several occasions. Perhaps she is in need of some more of the 'guidance' you wished to offer so strongly before. We will talk again soon... Sehanine is eager for you to return to Arvandor for a short while, and Solonar would like to see you."

She turned and walked away, knowing he understood -- he would delay as long as possible, but he would travel to his Home now if only because he wished to not upset those who meant anything to him. And while there, she would talk to him again and encourage him to take more from what had been offered to him -- reluctantly or not. To have one so powerful in one's following was a blessing he seemed to be naively unaware of -- but Hanali knew the benefits; and she recognised the potential of having one part of a potential whole amongst her own flock.