From the journal of Vedis Valentine
After dinner broke up the other night, we were provided quarters and… well, you know the entertainment I wrote of? Well, apparently to immortal beings with seemingly limitless resources, 'entertainment' extends to what happens in a bedroom, as well.
I just… can't get this out of my head! So I may as well try to write it down and work through some of the frustrations before we go off on our next jaunt. Well, here goes.
When the concierge escorted us to our lavish, separate quarters, he asked us a question: whether or not we would like a male, female, or both. Kenari opted for a masseuse of any gender, she didn't care. Obviously, she's on a strictly Dassam diet, or maybe only likes other Catfolk that way. Immediately, Ef said he wanted a female, Lenata wanted a male, and when they turned their expectant gazes on me, I froze up and blushed. Lenata smiled knowingly and Ef just smirked, saying "both" in unison. I felt utterly exposed and… well, hurt, I guess. Was I that easily dismissed? I stammered something like "A-a male. Just a male," and shut myself in my quarters to sit on the bed and tremble. And wait.
He came to me, muscles all oiled and in some skimpy toga, smelling faintly of some exotic masculine scent, ready to 'service' me. He was tan with dark hair and violet eyes that almost glowed against his dark complexion. Nothing but the best for the Reigar's honored guests. I shook harder, but tried to hide it. He was a beautiful specimen, and all I could think about was what the others were doing with their 'gifts.' He was perceptive and considerate.
"Would you prefer I leave, my Lady?" I could not place his accent.
"Ah, no. No I'm not rejecting you," I stumbled over words. This was the first time I'd had a stranger come to me, paid to give me pleasure. I was trying hard to wrap my head around the concept, to reconcile how I felt about it with the reality. He never stopped smiling that gentle smile and he came around behind me to settle warm, sure hands on my shoulders.
"You are wound up so tight. Please allow me to relieve some of that."
I sighed and relaxed into his touch. He took his time, allowing me to become accustomed to his presence, and was very skilled and very thorough. "Would you like me to unwind your braids, Lady? Surely they must be hurting your scalp. I would love to brush your hair for you," he offered.
I stopped his fingers with a gentle touch of my own and shook my head 'no'. "My people do not… unbind their hair when not with those in their immediate family. The braids are a reminder of how important our self-control is to our society. The unbraiding of my hair would happen on my wedding night," I explained. "It is not something I would recommend unless there was a strong bond of trust between us. I only take them down when I am completely alone," I shrugged, toying with the embroidery on the duvet.
"Ah. I understand a little, I think," he smiled and resumed the massage, leaving my hair alone. "Your people, do they all have skin like you do?"
I glanced down at the shimmer showing in the lantern light. "Yes," I said simply, "all to some extent. Some have more than others." The massage and the conversation was helping me to feel much better. Normally, I would be reluctant to talk about myself for any length of time, used to being more unusual than those around me, but after everywhere I've been and all I've seen, my strangeness doesn't bother me so much any more. I realize that I've quit wearing my veils in public to cover up and more as the accessories they were meant to be. I stopped caring about the curious looks. For the first time in a long while I was feeling comfortable in my own skin. What a thought!
What followed was a natural progression from comfort to passion, like a long drawn-out sigh, as he manipulated my body masterfully. After, I felt relaxed and happy. He made to get up. It was still dark.
"Please stay," I requested softly, and he returned to hold me while I slept. When I awoke, he was gone, but the pillow was still warm. I looked up at the canopy and pondered, still feeling the effects of having a good night's rest after a lovely time. I stretched luxuriously, smiling. I never even asked his name, nor he mine. I decided to take the night as the gift it was intended to be. Trust Tain to know exactly what I needed? Not likely, but the thought was there, in a backhanded sort of way. I wondered if I'd ever see that beautiful violet-eyed man again. Also unlikely.
From the journal of Kenari Sanura
The next morning after a filling breakfast we accompany Tain out to the docks to a meeting he has set up for us. I have to grin as I watch the people of Refuge part in fromt of the Reigar like a boat in the sea. Who knows whether it's love or fear or power that cause them to do that… either way, it must be nice to have that kind of effect on people. When he stops to talk to a seductively dressed woman that I remember clinging to his arm over 15 years ago, however… I admit it peaks my curiosity. It seems that Asreena still has a reputation of loving and leaving her husbands; seeing how she's hardly aged, however, I have to wonder what state she's "leaving" her ex-husbands in.
That curiosity fades quickly at the sight of one of those Mantis ships parked next to a Warbird, however. My hands itch to grab my pistols in case all hells break loose until Lenata lays a hand on my arm and gives a gentle shake of her silvery braided hair. I take a deep breath and try my best not to look at the Scro as Tain escorts us aboard the Warbird and bids us farewell.
Once aboard the Warbird we are escorted into another waiting room where (big surprise) we are forced to wait once again after being told that we would have the meeting on the "Constellation," an Armada-class Elven ship. While Tain I'm sure made us wait for artistic effect, with the Elves it is the slow trudging march of bureaucracy as 6 long hours pass.
Eventually our boredom is broken by an elf walking in with a scroll case under his arm. He introduces himself as the secretary to Commander Silenos as he opens the case and rolls out a large map upon the table in the middle of the room. From what I could gather of the elf's concerns, it seems that they sent a previous mercenary group called The Seven Stars to Morag Space to get information and plans regarding the Scro's revival of a Witchlight Marauder. This group is now assisting others with the war effort, however, so… when it comes to further investigations, that's where we come in. They have discovered from the plans that the Scro need a Witchlight Key in order to make the marauder work. They have several leads and maps on how to find it, and need an expendable group such as ours to obtain the key and bring the Witchlight Marauder to them before the Scro use it to destroy one of their planets.
"You mean like you did to Borka?" I mutter sarcastically under my breath. "Sure, we'll go take a planet destroyer from the Scro and give it to you instead… as long as you only destroy Orc planets what's the harm?" The Elf doesn't say anything before he leaves, but from the tight-lipped smile and squint of his eyes, I'm sure he heard me.
We're left to ponder this new assignment for two hours before we are greeted by Silanos, the chief advisor to the fleet grand admiral. He goes over the map in more detail, and explains some of the decoded text and locations that his team of code-breakers has discovered. In one corner is the phrase: "He who touches the key awakens it, and he who remains in physical contact with the creature controls it." In the bottom corner is the phrase: "The silver key is shaped like a diamond and beats like a heart in a red celestial body." From my travels so far and the books I've read, I can't help but think that there is more to this phrase than meets the eye. Ancients of multiple cultures all seem to have a love for vague riddles and misleading phrases in their prophecies. This "red celestial body" could be a cluster of stars, or it could literally be the body of a Celestian for all we know.
The actual place we're going is dubiously named Shadowspace, as the system seems to be surrounded by dark clumps of…well… shadows. Fortunately there are sections open for ship travel, however. The following is a map key to the locations that he described to us:
Sohoras – "Treasure is here" (more like dragons from the look of it)
Lacume – "Choking Mist"
Iousus – "Sweet Forest"
Zimpunatus – "The Man Comet" (snicker)
Chonat – "Fresh Water"
Wierit – "Caressing Wind"
Kiffin – "Sleeping Giant"
Pajax – "Silent Planes"
Delas – "Spotted Clouds"
Triggit – "Wet Death"
Min – "Pyramid Sun"
"The route to Shadowspace is unfortunately through the home space of the Spawn of Zyros, a particularly fanatical religious cult," Silenos warns. "From what Tain has told us of you, I'm sure your capable crew can handle it. Oh, and one last thing…" he says as he gathers his documents together, "the Spelljammer has been observed there."
"Now see, you should've just started with that," I say with a chuckle. "Then I actually would've paid more attention."
"You will have three aides of ours accompanying you on this trip for training purposes," Silenos continues without batting an eye at my snarky comment. "They will prepare and be ready to board your ship in the morning." I hear Vedis groan softly and catch as she rolls her eyes and mouths the word "babysitting." I can tell from the stiff expression on Lenata's face, however, that she's thinking of the last time we were "accompanied" on one of our adventures… when she found herself impaled to our helm by a Giff sword. "In the meantime we will see to repairs on your ship and supply you with some necessary added equipment for your travels."
Silenos then rolls up the maps and hands them to Lenata. He then shakes her and Vedis' hands and informs us on how we will get back to Refuge before taking his leave. It isn't till we're back on our ship in Refuge that Vedis speaks up about the meeting. "Check out what Silenos slipped me when he left!" She unfolds a piece of paper and reads a message that warns us that there may be a spy forwarding information to the Scro, and that we should arrest them if we catch them on our ship.
Great… there's always got to be a catch.
"So….." I say as I clap my hands together and inch my way towards the boarding ramp. "Seeing as we've got till the morning and all… I've got something to do so I will see you all later. Bye!" And with that I take off down the ramp and run through the docks.
"Wait a minute… where's she going?" Ef Utan asks with a puzzled expression.
"Where do you think?" Lenata smiles knowingly. "If Aladan was here, you wouldn't see me till the morning either."
From the journal of Vedis Valentine
True to form, Tain has once again set us on a path that will prove… interesting. We're on a job for the EIN. In exchange for a new helm and a few other improvements to the ship, we're going undercover, sort of, to retrieve a key to something called a Witchlight Marauder. According to the pictures, it's a giant worm. Ok, maybe giant isn't the right word here. I would say the drawing of one they showed us was massive, gargantuan, huge beyond rational imagining. And they tell me that was just a baby.
These things destroy planets. I'm not sure if they eat them or just burrow on through, but they aren't natural creatures. They were created for this purpose and whoever controls the key controls the Marauder. Apparently, the SCRO have one and it's our job to get to the key before they do. We were given a heading and maps to the area where they believe the key to be. It looks like a giant riddle. I absolutely loathe riddles.
We spent a lot of time just sitting around waiting for someone to come talk to us. I didn't want to appear to be spying or writing down 'classified' information, so I left the journaling for after the return journey. Tain has been the consummate host, feeding us delicacies and providing entertainment and beautiful silk garments. I love my shiftweave, but after a while I get tired of wearing the same five outfits every day. As soon as we got back, I changed back into the silky, flowy tunic thing and sat down to write. Earlier before we left, Lenata and I played a game of tag in the gardens. We felt like mythical nymphs, all we were missing was a satyr….
It's almost time for dinner so I will have to say goodbye for now. One more bit of news, though: Kenari went to go see Dassam and I haven't seen much of her since. She didn't say anything about it, but she has this happy glow about her. I think it went well.
From the journal of Kenari Sanura
I know it's been fifteen years for him, but it's only been around two months for me… and despite the fact that I said good-bye in that letter, I just have to see with my own eyes. Is he still here? Did he find someone? Is he happy?
I weave my way through the city streets and finally make my way to what I knew to be his home once. Taking that as a good sign, I cling to the shadows and try to peer through some of the windows. I keep telling myself that if I find proof of someone else with him that I will leave… but all I can see are the usual trappings that I remember. There are a few changes here and there, but from the general disarray of the place I can tell that a female has not occupied it. I gasp and duck quickly as a light is turned on inside.
Bast help me, he's still here… what should I do? Would it be fair to him if I came back into his life now? Is it selfish of me to want to be happy in his arms again, even if it's just for one night before we're off on another chase?
I am shaken from my reverie by a knocking… and then I realize that in my obsessing over the moment, I've already knocked on his door.
I hold my breath in fear and anticipation as the door opens and I see his blue eyes staring back at me in surprise. His hair may be a little grey around the edges… but he is still the Dassam I remember. "Hi," I say meekly. "Did you get my letter?"
His jaw drops as he looks me up and down… and then his hands are in my hair as he pulls me to him and I kick the door closed behind us.
"Make the sun go away," I groan in frustration as the light of the morning makes its way through the shutters and across the bed. I scoot backwards into the warm fur of Dassam's arms and pull the blanket over my eyes. "It's not morning until I wake up," I protest, "and I refuse to open my eyes."
"I agree," Dassam mutters as he pulls me closer and nuzzles my neck. "I would sleep forever if I could make this dream last… for I have dreamt of it for so long."
"The Gods can keep their predictions… they don't need me to help save all of existence, right? Tell me I can just stay here… with you… and be happy," I whisper as I clutch his arms to me.
A shiver runs down my spine as he sighs into my hair and gently turns me to face him. "I cannot make such a decision for you, despite what my heart tells me." He cups my cheek and raises my eyes to his. "You have touched the Gods, love… and they have seen what I have; that underneath all of the fur and frivolity burns a pure heart."
I stare into his eyes and sniff as I fight the tears that want to fall. "Damn you for being so…so…" I whisper as I pull him to me and hide my face in his shoulder.
Dassam sighs as he holds me close. "All dreams have to end sometime."
When I finally make it back to the docks I find that the Helm has finally been repaired, and that a new "paddle" ship has been lashed to the deck. Emergency vessel, maybe? I can only guess, as I've never seen one in use. As I make my way back to my quarters I see that not everything is running smoothly, however; It seems that our new guests have arrived.
The first is a rather austere looking female Elf named Kora in the grey bodysuit of an EIN engineer. Apparently she is the Elven god's gift to spelljammers, because she's demanding her own quarters.
"We're not exactly a luxury ship here," I say in Elven with a raised brow and hands on my hips. "If you want a room to yourself so badly, you can go sleep in the stalls with Elliwinkle!" Her eyes widen in disgust and she walks away in a huff. Besides, if I wanted to deal with people with their noses in the air, I'd have stayed home. Her desire for being alone does make her suspicious, however.
The next is a tall, thin human with yellowish skin and billowing purple robes. Oh great… a Shu. That's a red flag for me there, I'm ashamed to admit. Just because Takero doesn't want to kill me doesn't mean that the rest of his people don't. Shusaka Iki will bear watching as well.
The last is a strange sight indeed as a short and squat Elf named Tolvin with a load of boxes shuffles in. Apparently he is a biology expert who is going to conduct some experiments while onboard. Just so long as he keeps them away from our animals…
Thankfully Vedis and Ef Utan have the quarters arranging under control… because after having to leave Dassam this morning, I am in no mood for annoyances such as this. I shake my head and head up on deck to get a last look at Refuge before we embark. Who knows when I'll be able to come back next… even the simplest mission could end up in chaos when it comes to our fates. I peer into the distance and search for his black furred form in some vain hope that I might see him one last time… despite how much it might hurt. Sighing, I turn from the rail but stop short when I hear a voice calling in the distance.
"Wait! Wait for me!"
I throw myself against the rail as I watch the dark form of Dassam running towards the ship with a duffel bag over his shoulder and his hand waving in the air. I leap over the rail with a smile and launch myself into his arms as he drops his bag. "What do you think you're doing, you crazy fool? The places we're going, there's no telling what might happen to us!"
"Exactly," Dassam replies when I let him come up for air. "I would rather take the risk and spend another day with you then wait here wondering if I'll ever see you again. Gods forgive, Kenari… but I don't think my heart can take another 15 years."
"Well then," I say as I tug his hand with a grin and wipe a tear from my cheek with the other, "Let me show you where you'll be staying! I hope you like hammocks…"
We board the ship together and I grin at the others talking to a rather flamboyantly dressed messenger boy about Tain. "I'm just going to show Dassam where he'll be sleeping," I say over my shoulder as we walk down the hall towards our rooms.
"Heh… I doubt sleeping will have anything to do with it," I hear Ef Utan mutter.