Egghunt in the Empire [closed]

[Gildor]

It was midday, but the heat of the Surdan desert was no longer with the traveling group of elves, dragon, and halfing. They had just finished restocking their supplies in Petrovya and were heading north towards Furnost, taking shelter from the afternoon sun in the small forest growing along the western banks of Lake Tudosten. It had been about two weeks since they left Aberon. They were making good time for... wherever it was they were going. Gildor still hadn't decided on a proper heading, nor had he made any noticeable efforts to search for the egg. Once in a while he would wander off at night when a bout of insomnia struck him, only to return to camp in the morning grumbling about them needing to go this or that many more leagues in another random, but generally northbound direction.

He was a little more relaxed and open with everyone in the group now. Well, everyone except Farid. He was incredibly annoying in Gildor's opinion, though he hardly mentioned anything about it. This wasn't good. It was just a matter of time before the older elf exploded on him. He could only take so much chatter about how much better fighting with a sword is than a silly cane, ("For the last time, it's a staff! It just happens to double as a cane, alright!?"). Not to mention his constant teasing of Amerylis, his endless fawning over Cirtolthiel, and his severe overuse of the name 'Gildork'. Slowly but surely the boy was chipping away at Gildor's pride and patience, which was a dangerous thing to do with someone who was notorious for being just a little bit crazy.

...Currently, Farid was loudly wondering why they couldn't walk along the lake's shore in an attempt to, (or at least Gildor took it as an attempt to) get everyone to stop for a while and go for a leisurely swim. Gildor had lead them through the forest and away from the lake for that very reason. They might waste all day swimming instead of traveling! Well, that and because he was just a little scared of deep water.

"We could be spotted more easily from the lake's shore," he said reasonably, though he had to bite his tongue to keep himself from adding something along the lines of 'blockhead' on the end of his sentence. "It's our second day in Empire territory, and you want to risk giving our location away already?"

In reality, he knew there wouldn't be any troops around until they got closer to Furnost. Perhaps an Empire scout would wonder by, but the chances of that were low. The chances of such a scout surviving an encounter with them were even lower. Still, if Gildor sensed a chance to weasel his way out of a swimming trip, then he was going to take it hands down. He hated swimming. All he wanted to do was find that bleeding egg! And, well, maybe stop for a drink or two in Furnost... or three.

[Amerylis]

The relief from the Surdan heat was greatly appreciated. Amerylis had begun to tune out her younger brother as he began to start another round with Gildor. Their endless arguments where beginning to wear down her patience, along with Farid’s constant flirting with Cirtolthiel, and the use of the word Gildork. It was only noon and he had started with Gildor again about getting closer to the lake, and though she could sympathize with her little brother on wanting to get closer, she kept her mouth shut. She remained in the middle of the caravan, keeping space between Gildor and Farid, fearing for her brother’s life.

Farid was currently riding Arsen, since the group took turns riding the stallion in case one was too tired to walk. He looked to the lake longingly and looked back over Amerylis’s head to Gildor. “You know Gildork, it’s a lovely day to go swimming. I mean if you could just see the view from up here, I’m sure you would change your mind about this whole thing.” He ignored the warning glances from his sister and continued on. “Look how refreshing that crystal blue water looks, and I’m sure Arsen could use a drink.” He said patting the stallion with an amused grin.

Amerylis glared at Farid. “Well maybe he wouldn’t need a drink if you hadn’t have been so lazy and decided to ride him. You seem fine now. Not tired or weak, so get off.” She ordered, snatching the reins from Farid’s hands. After he had climbed from the saddle and shot her a few angry glances, she rushed to catch up with Gildor, ignoring the angry remarks of her brother.

"We could be spotted more easily from the lake's shore. It's our second day in Empire territory, and you want to risk giving our location away already?"

Farid rolled his eyes and linked his fingures with Cirtolthiel's. "What you don't like taking risks? I knew you didn't have enough guts to do it. Or are you just scared of the water? Eh, coward?"

[Cirtolthiel]

Finally out of Surda, Cirtolthiel thought. It was the most pleasant, most relaxing thing in her mind, although being in the Empire was more dangerous. Still, the closer to home, the better. Cirtolthiel had learned the rest of the others' story - Gildor was looking for a dragon's egg as punishment, and Amerylis and Kaala were accompanying. Cirtolthiel was enjoying the days of traveling though; it had always been something she loved - the new places, the new environment, the new scenery.

Conversation always lingered over the group. Farid was still flirting with her almost constantly. Cirtolthiel had played along with it at first, but she was soon getting tired of it as much as Gildor was annoyed with Farid calling him Gildork. It was amusing at first, the new nickname, but now it was just downright annoying. They traveled in the forest; though they were close to the Tudosten Lake. Cirtolthiel wanted to see the lake in full view, for all she could see were little glimpses of it between the trees every now and then.

"I just would like to see the lake," Cirtolthiel sighed. "I don't need to swim -" she gave Farid a look "- but enjoy the scenery, you know. I've always been a sucker for that kind of stuff." She paused and gazed through a tiny break through the trees. "Of course, I understand that we can't give our location away," she added to Gildor. "Perhaps one day I'll come back here."

Cirtolthiel slid her sword out of it sheath (she was still walking) and examined it. It was already a little dusty being unused. She frowned, wishing she could just spar with someone...not one of them, though, they would probably beat her in seconds. She slid the sword back in its sheath and walked along, picking a wildflower along the way.

She ignored the daily Farid vs. Gildor quarrel. Their voices gradually grew louder to shouts. Cirtolthiel was about to tell them off for being so loud, but changed her mind when she remembered that an Empire soldier had about zero chance of living if he encountered them. Sighing again, she slowed her pace a bit, falling behind the rest of the group.

[Gildor]

...Make that four or five or six drinks once they'd stopped in Furnost. It was all Gildor could do to bite his tongue and keep his hands off the wineskin of Faelnirv Amerylis gave him. A little jeer there, and little jab here, a little sneer there. The boy was lucky he hadn't gotten his head bitten off yet, especially since he was now poking fun at Gildor's blindness.

"You know Gildork, it's a lovely day to go swimming," he said airily, "I mean if you could just see the view from up here, I'm sure you would change your mind about this whole thing. Look at how refreshing that crystal blue water looks..." he mentioned something about Arsen wanting a drink. Gildor was busy doing his best to block out the chatter.

"I'll have to take your word for it," he responded politely, though it was said through gritted teeth. If Amerylis hadn't forced him off her horse, Gildor might have shoved him off after those little remarks.

"I would like to see the lake," Cirtolthiel added with a longing sigh. "I don't need to swim, but enjoy the scenery, you know..."

Gildor was about to snap that no, he didn't know, but held his tongue. He was sure Cirtolthiel hadn't said that to purposely rub him the wrong way like Farid was doing.

"Of course, I understand that we can't give our location away. Perhaps one day I'll come back here."

Why couldn't that blasted boy be half as kind and understanding as Cirtolthiel was being?

"What, you don't like taking risks?" he asked with a teasing tone. Gildor was about to retort with something reasonable; something along the lines of, 'I'm a spy, of course I enjoy the thrill of taking risks, but I have to be smart about when and where I take those risks.' However, the next few comments out of Farid's mouth were almost enough to make Gildor's anger finally blow up.

"I knew you didn't have enough guts to do it. Or are you just scared of the water? Eh, coward?"

If he hadn't been startled by Farid's correct assumption about water, he would have hammered his head into the ground for calling him a coward. He stopped in his tracks, his brows narrowed and his eyes shut tight. After about ten tense, quiet seconds, he took a deep breath and exhaled slowly, calming himself. He then turned around on his heal to address the group.

"Alright, fine. We'll have a group vote," he said nobly, his frustration suddenly hidden behind a mask of indifference. He was handling the situation much more maturely than Farid was. "All those in favor of traveling along the lake shore until we reach Furnost say 'aye'."

[Amerylis]

Farid grinned, knowing he was getting under Gildor’s skin. He looked to Amerylis expectingly. “Well what do you say? You did always love the water. I say aye.” He said making his way up beside his sister. He grinned even wider as he saw her shift uncomfortably from side to side. He put his arm around his sister’s neck and pulled her closer.

Amerylis rolled her eyes as she heard her brother coming closer behind her. She shifted her weight trying to make a descision that wouldn’t jeprodize her relationship with anyone in the group. She was about to answer when Farid’s arm wrapped around her neck and yanked her closer. She slipped from under his arm and pushed him away from her.

“ Fine. Aye. Just long enough for the horse to drink.” She said stepping backwards, and crossing her arms across her chest. “And of course long enough to teach you to respect your elders. I believe a minute under water would suffice.” She said , with no humor in her voice.

Farid stumbled backwards, his foot caught on a root from one of the trees that surrounded him, sending him tumbling backwards to the ground. He turned a bright red and stood up, brushed himself off. He ignored his sister’s idle threat which was followed by hysterical laugher once she had realized what she had unintentionally done. He was thankful that Gildor couldn’t see what just happened, or how red he had became. “Oh shut it.” He mumbled to Amerylis, who was still giggling. "Well one more vote and the aye's get it." he said looking to Cirtolthiel.

[Cirtolthiel]

"Alright, fine. We'll have a group vote. All those in favor of traveling along the lake shore until we reach Furnost say 'aye'," Gildor said, irritated.

Cirtolthiel shrugged. "Doesn't matter to me. I'll come back here one day, anyways. But hey, why not. Aye." She had a weird sense that Gildor greatly disliked water. If it was fear, or just hatred, she didn't know. Wasn't her business, anyways. As for herself, Cirtolthiel didn't mind the water. She had only swum a few times, and was neutral about the whole thing.

Meanwhile, Farid pulled up to his sister. “Well what do you say? You did always love the water. I say aye.” Cirtolthiel has expected this, since he was the one whining to go to the lake the whole time. Amerylis rolled her eyes.

“Fine. Aye. Just long enough for the horse to drink. And of course long enough to teach you to respect your elders. I believe a minute under water would suffice.”

Cirtolthiel laughed out loud. "Nice idea, Amerylis," she grinned, knowing very well that Farid would be annoyed at her taking his sister's side. She smiled cheerfully in Farid's direction, who had fallen down. He had turned red again. Cirtolthiel just looked down at him, smiled and walked on with the others. He could get up himself, right? She turned back to the others. "All the way to Furnost? And I suppose Gildor, that you don't want to go," she added cautiously. Of course, it was a total assumption by the way he was acting. "Maybe we should just go down there for a few hours, then return back up here," she suggested the compromise. Well, that way, everyone's happy...

[Gildor]

As he expected, all of his traveling companions agreed to pay the lake a visit. With these kind of odds, it wouldn't have mattered if Kaala had been around to participate in the vote or not, (she was currently off flying with Mirror). He was outnumbered three to one.

"Fine," Gildor grumbled a little more bitterly than he intended. "You three take Arsen and go enjoy yourselves. I'm going to do some egg hunting by myself. Here," he pulled the packed satchel off his shoulder and tossed it into Farid's chest. The weight and impact of the thrown bag knocked the boy back to the ground again as soon as he stood up. "Take that with you," was all the apology the halfing got... which wasn't really an apology at all.

As he turned to leave, Avalon jumped from Amerylis's shoulder and fluttered to his. The falcon was growing more and more attached to him, probably because he paid her so much attention. Even after a long day of traveling, he always went an hour or two out of his way to teach her something new every evening. She had recently learned to touch her beak to his ear incase she saw something he was about to trip over or walk into, though she was still mastering how to tell him whether it was the right or left he needed to avoid. Slowly but surely she was becoming his next seeing-eye-bird, even though she wasn't truly his. At least she would keep him company for the time being.

Gildor said nothing to the group as he stalked off in the opposite direction of the lake. Pretty soon his retreating back had disappeared behind the shrubs and trees. He hadn't been able to weasle his way out of a swimming trip, but he had his mind made up firmly enough. He wasn't going risk getting shoved into the lake during one of Farid's stupid gimmicks. He wasn't going to show his fear of water to any of them...

[Kaala]

Kaala grinned as she felt the wind in her hair, gripping tightly to her saddle to keep from falling off. She leaned over slightly and looked down, her eyes coming to rest of the group of people currently walking through the woods, their figures coming in and out sight. She frowned as she noticed that one broke off and started walking off while the others made their way to the lake a ways over.

“What are they up to?” she murmured, her curiosity piqued. “They should know better than to move out into the open.” She looked closer at the lone figure making it’s way away from the group and caught a glimpse of gray hair. “Ah, another Gildor and Farid fight I’m sure. That Halfling is going to get himself in trouble if he doesn’t learn to shut his mouth.” she said with a frustrated look on her face. It was because the two of them that she had decided to go flying.

With a shake of her head she sent a thought to Mirror. “Perhaps we should see what’s going on. I think a swim might be in order.” she said with a grin as she noticed the group reached the shore and not a minute later Farid had made his way into the water. She felt Mirror’s satisfaction at the idea. “I think perhaps you are right, Little one. It would be interesting to see how the Halfling reacts.” She took notice that Mirror seemed to practically spit the word from his mouth. She almost lost her grip on the saddle horn as Mirror made a sharp dive, aiming his large bulk for the crystal clear lake.

She felt the air rip from her lungs at the feeling of the ice-cold suddenly filling the empty space around them. She sent a panicked thought and he swam to the surface, his head breaking the water. She gulped in the air as Mirror swam in lazy circles waiting for her to catch her breath. She laughed at the sight of him nipping at Farid as he got to close.

When she had sufficiently caught her breath he dove once more under the surface. She looked around them and found she could see almost to the bottom of the lake, the sandy bottom seemingly filled with small crystals. She started as a small fish swam in front of her, a bright orange in color. She turned to follow the fish as a small glimmer caught her eye. She jerked her head in that direction and told Mirror. He began the decent and about halfway to the bottom of the lake she saw a small medallion, the chain buried in the sand next to it. She reached down and grabbed the medallion, feeling it come free with a burst of sand. She nodded and Mirror made his way to the surface.

She held up the medallion and saw that it was a small gold thing with a tiny dragon carved in excellent detail. Mirror swam toward the shore when they got there she took the time to remove his saddle and set it aside, checking her provisions to make sure they were still dry before sitting under a shady tree and examining the medallion further, brushing sand and grime from it.

[Amerylis]

"Fine. You three take Arsen and go enjoy yourselves. I'm going to do some egg hunting by myself. Here." He said thrusting his bags to Farid.

Amerylis took a few steps towards him. "Are you sure you want to go alone? I could join you." She said said sadly as he continued on without anwsering. Avalon jumped from her shoulder and followed him, landing on his. She turned to find Farid on the ground agian. "Are you going to be spending all day down there?"

Just as Farid had gotten up he was push down by the weight of Gildor's bag. he completly ignored his sister's comment and shot Gildor a few fiery glances. "I know you couldn't see me there but there IS a thing called common curtsey." He said as Amerylis pulled Gildor's bags off of him, his face flushed in anger.

Amerylis looked down at her brother with a bewildered expression, and grabbed Gildor's belongings. "Well maybe you'd do well to show some." She said, pushing her brother to the ground agian. "What happened to you since I left?" She asked looking at her brother with disgust. "You would have never even though of saying some of the things you've said in the past few weeks." She said pushing past him, leading Arsen with her.

Farid opened his mouth to reply, then closed it agian seeing no use to since he was already in trouble with the whole group. He sighed and shot a forgiving glance to Cirtolthiel, know that she wasn't the one to be apologizing to. He countinued down the path Amerylis had made and headed straight towards the water. He pulled his tunic over his head along with his pants, leaving only his leggings and quickly entered the water.

Amerylis made her way to the trees that surrounded the water, finding a tree that hid her from the rest of the group. She dropped her and Gildor's bags and sat under the tree. She heard the fimiliar beat of Mirror's wings and looked up, relieved. Finally someone who she could talk to. The only prolem was opening up.

Farid looked up as the the silver dragon dove into the water. He took a hesitant step backwards as the dragon's white teeth came inches from his face. He slid under the water, even more angry than before.

Amerylis watched as Kaala exited the water with a trinket in her hand. She got up from the tree where she was hidden and made her way to Kaala. "What's that?" She asked nodding to her hand. She leaned over to get a better look.

[Cirtolthiel]

Cirtolthiel began to climb down to the shore, but stopped to wait for the others. Gildor looked a bit angry, Farid a little excited, and Amerylis somewhat annoyed. She quietly observed this, and gripped onto a sapling to keep her balance.

"Fine. You three take Arsen and go enjoy yourselves. I'm going to do some egg hunting by myself. Here. Take that with you," Gildor snapped at Farid. Cirtolthiel raised her eyebrows in surprise. It wasn't like Gildor to be so hostile. Of course, Cirtolthiel had long figured out that he was independent; he liked to do things his own way. Farid toppled over again from the force of Gildor's thrust. Cirtolthiel winced. Amerylis, looking concerned, tried to approach Gildor.

"Are you sure you want to go alone? I could join you," she said sadly, but he took no notice of her and went on his way with Avalon. Amerylis looked down at Farid. ""Are you going to be spending all day down there?"" Cirtolthiel climbed up again to help Farid up, but he was already trying to scramble to his feet.

"I know you couldn't see me there but there IS a thing called common courtesy," Farid retorted. Cirtolthiel backed away, letting the two siblings settle it out. Amerylis looked shocked.

"Well maybe you'd do well to show some." Amerylis pushed him to the ground again. "What happened to you since I left? You would have never even though of saying some of the things you've said in the past few weeks," Amerylis pushed past him, leading Arsen. Cirtolthiel moved out of her way automatically. Farid looked at Cirtolthiel, speechless. He walked past her and stripped, leaving on his leggings, and walked into the water.

Cirtolthiel followed, but didn't emerge into the water. She sat down, footsore and still absorbing what had just happened. She saw a large shadow steadily grow larger, and when she looked up it was Kaala and Mirror walking towards them, soaking wet. Kaala was holding something shiny in her hand. Amerylis walked over and pointed. "What's that?"

Cirtolthiel was also curious to see what it was, but she figured she would find out sooner or later. She leaned back, sighing, and shut her eyes. It felt nice to be warm in the sun, resting. She brushed her hair over her eyes so they would be shaded, and listened in.

[Kaala]

“What’s that?”

She almost jumped at the sound of Amerylis’ voice coming from next to her. She had been so wrapped up in studying the medallion she hadn’t even noticed her. “I’m not exactly sure…” she said, her voice filled with confusion. She ran her hand over the dragon and felt a burst of power flow through her hand, causing her to drop it as though it had burned her. She looked at the medallion with and odd feeling of remorse and longing. “What in the world just happened?” she thought, unintentionally projecting her thoughts to Mirror.

“There is something strange about that medallion.” he told her, his eyes glinting in the sunlight as he basked by the lake. He snorted before rolling over, keeping a watchful eye of Farid. “Be careful, Kaala”

She picked up the medallion, holding it carefully in her hand. She looked at her hand and saw that a small blister had started to form on palm. She stood and made her way to lake shore, the medallion still clutch in her other hand. She place her hand in the water and hissed at the feeling. She walked over to where the bags were laid out and drew out a piece of cloth. She wrapped it around her hand and took a look at the medallion. She turned it over and ran her uninjured hand over an engraving that had been long since worn away. She sighed and sat down, squinting her eyes in the light. She shook her head and laid back, head coming to rest on one of her travel bags. She closed her eyes and sighed, gathering her scattered thoughts.

[Amerylis]

Amerylis watched as Kaala left her beneath the tree and made her way to the water. "So much for that idea." She thought aloud, standing up and returning to her place behind the large tree. She closed her eyes and leaned back agianst the trunk of the tree. She took a deep breath and began meditating. Her head began to buzz with the excitement of the forest, and her breathing slowed as she entered a sleep-like trance.

After Farid got in few good minutes of swimming, he waded back to shore. He came a few feet away from Cirtolthiel and splashed her playfully, then took a seat beside her in the grass. He ran a hand through his hair, then leaned back on the palms of his hand. "So how are you supposed to take in the scenery if your eyes are shut?" He asked grinning over at her. He layed back and rested his head on his arm.

[Cirtolthiel]

“I’m not exactly sure…” Kaala's voice drifted over. Her footsteps gradually faded away. Cirtolthiel shifted a bit. Whatever that thing is, it might be dangerous... she thought. She sighed again, relaxed.

"So much for that idea," she heard Amerylis mutter. Cirtolthiel nodded in agreement to no one in particular. She inhaled, smelling the sweet, fresh grass hinted with a scent of fishiness. She began to wonder about various things. Where did Gildor wander off to? How long is Farid going to swim? And Amerylis, why does she dis-

A splash of cool water interrupted her thoughts. "So how are you supposed to take in the scenery if your eyes are shut?" Farid's voice asked. Cirtolthiel's eyes popped open. She smiled wearily, feeling suddenly ancient. It was absurd; she felt like she hadn't moved in years and suddenly decided to jump up. However, she shook off the feeling, then yawned.

"I was getting to that. And what was the splash for?" she grinned. She sat up and gazed to the beautiful lake. It wasn't quite as pretty as the ocean, nor did it have the entrancing crashing of waves, but it was nonetheless pretty. Better than the desert, anyways. "Is the water warm?" she asked casually. Somehow, a swim was starting to sound like good idea in this warmth, though they were probably going to get on the move soon.

((EH...such a short post...It bothers me ))

[Gildor]

About two-and-a-half hours later, Gildor re-emerged from the shady cover of the woods with Avalon still perched comfortably on his shoulder. As usual, he returned empty-handed, low-spirited, and and utterly exhausted.

He made his way down the shore, leaving a trail of light footprints and a wavering line in his wake, and finally stopped when he reached the spot where the group was resting. Although they were all probably ready and waiting to go, Gildor most certainly was not. Without so much as a greeting, he made his way towards the nearest tree, (which happened to be the same one Amerylis was seated at) dropped his staff, (accidentally in her lap) and plopped himself against it's vacant side with a tired sigh. Startled, Avalon chirped and fluttered up to a higher branch where she perched and peered down at them curiously through the leaves.

Gildor's many sleepless nights appeared to be catching up with him. The blackened bags under his pale, (now closed) eyes were growing darker with each night he spent awake. Not only this, but his magic reserves seemed to be at an all time low. Any nearby elf could sense it, (and in this case, there were three). Whatever he had been doing in the forest for two-and-a-half hours certainly seemed to have extracted a toll from him.

"Are you all quite finished here?" he asked loudly but wearily. No one had said anything since he rejoined them, and he felt a couple of questioning gazes locked in his direction. "Don't know about the rest of you, but I'm ready to get going as soon as the lot of you are. Jus' say the word and I'll be... up..." He stated the last part of his sentence with a weak flick of his hand, then crossed his arms comfortably across his chest and allowed his head to droop tiredly. If they didn't get him up and going soon he'd probably fall asleep within minutes, and then they'd be going nowhere.

[Amerylis]

"I was getting to that. And what was the splash for?" He grinned playfully and began to awnser when she asked, "Is the water warm?"

Farid looked past her as he saw the movement in the trees behind her. He cursed himself for leaving his sword so far away. Then Gildor emerged and relief washed over him. He watched in silence as Gildor made his way behind on of the trees on the far end of the lake. He looked exhausted."Are you all quite finished here? Don't know about the rest of you, but I'm ready to get going as soon as the lot of you are. Jus' say the word and I'll be... up..."

Farid shrugged, uninterested, and looked back to Cirtolthiel. He stood up and extended his hand to her. "The water is perfect." He said grinning down to her.

The birds and insects became frightened and scurried away. Amerylis senced that Gildor was returning, but she wasn't aware how close he was till the staff landed in her lap. Her eylids fluttered then she reluctantly opened her eyes.

Amerylis peered up at Gildor, squinting from bright rays of the sun. She opened her mouth to speak then noticed that he seemed keen on resting and closed it agian. She placed the staff inbetween them and leaned back agianst the tree with her eyes closed once more. There will be plenty of time for questioning later. She thought, sighing lightly.

[Cirtolthiel]

Cirtolthiel saw Farid look past her, and she followed his gaze. Sure enough, there was Gildor, stumbling out of the woods while calling to the rest of them, "Are you all quite finished here? Don't know about the rest of you, but I'm ready to get going as soon as the lot of you are. Jus' say the word and I'll be... up..." He collapsed in the tree beside Amerylis.

Cirtolthiel's lighthearted expression changed into worry. She looked at Farid, who had turned back to her. "The water is perfect," he said, returning her now vanished grin. He held out his harm to help her up. She took it, straightening up while brushing grass and dirt off her. Eyebrows furrowed, she sighed.

"Come on, let's get back over there," she said and lead the way to the tree. She caught up to them and looked down at Amerylis and Gildor. Gildor was utterly exhausted; dark, deep bags circled his closed eyes and Cirtolthiel felt his magic energy alarmingly low. She gave Amerylis a worried look. Frowning, she knelt down on a knee.

"Gildor," Cirtolthiel said gently. "Come on, we're going to go now." She put a soothing hand on his shoulder to waken him, moving her thumb slowly. She looked up at Amerylis. "We should put him on Arsen so he can sleep. And if he objects to that, then we'd better find that wineskin of faelnirv," her voice was nothing more than the softest tone, not quite a whisper. She looked back at Gildor, still concerned.

[Gildor]

Gildor had just begun to doze off when the sound of someone approaching caught his dazed attention.

"Gildor," Cirtolthiel's gentle voice called. He lifted his head up slightly and opened his eyelids to their usual halfway, sightless gaze. "Come on, we're going to go now," she coaxed, rubbing his shoulder soothingly. Although he could have fallen back asleep with her massaging him like that, he resisted and shifted away from her hand.

"Finally," he muttered and began searching the grassy ground for where he dropped his staff. He found it leaning against the tree between him and Amerylis and grasped it's smooth surface.

He was only half-listening as Cirtolthiel mentioned something about him riding on Arsen and something else about faelnirv. Actually, he only really heard the part about faelnirv. The mention of it was enough to get him up. With one hand firmly gripping his staff and the other leaning against the base of the tree, he slowly hoisted himself to his feet. Apparently he was used to being this tired and drained, considering how well he seemed to be functioning despite his lack of energy. It wasn't necessarily a good thing that he was so used to it, but at least he could still handle himself.

[Amerylis]

Farid cast the water a longing glance and pulled her to her feet. He gathered his clothing and weapon and followed Cirtolthiel to where Gildor had sat. He quickly dressed and leaned agianst the tree as Cirt tried to coax Gildor onto Arsen. He frowned when he noticed the state Gildor was in. His eye had bags and dark circles around him, still he carried himself as usual. This Farid praised him on. Day without sleep would have Farid dragging his feet and speaking incoherently.

Amerylis watched Cirtolthiel try to wake Gildor which took less energy that imagined. She stood beside him and watched him carefully. He seemed okay, just tired. "Do you think you could ride Arsen? He's trained not to panic under any circumstance." She said, a bit worried. She clicked her tongue, and Arsen walked from the edge of the water to her obediently. He snorted and blinked then stood perfectly still.

[Gildor]

"Do you think you could ride Arsen?" Amerylis asked once he was up. "He's trained not to panic under and circumstance..."

The reason she said this was because of his notorious bad luck with horses. Well, it wasn't bad luck, really. It was his sensory magic. He vaguely remembered explaining it about a week ago, after he was asked why he never rode horses for travel. The vibrations he was constantly sending out and absorbing in with magic often spooked horses away, making it impossible for him to ride. Despite his extensive training, even Arsen backed away from him at times.

However, it didn't seem as though Gildor would be using anymore magic for the time being; not even sensory magic. He would have to allow himself to remain completely blind to the world while he recuperated from... whatever it was he was doing in the woods to make him so drained. Didn't he say he was searching for the egg? Or had something else happened?

He finally voiced his response to Amerylis... a slow nod with a soft agreement, "Yes, I can ride... by your lead." He then took a moment to search the ground with the tip of his staff to find his belongings, which he hoisted up and tied with fairly clumsy fingers to the back of Arsen's saddle.

However, before he mounted he turned on his heel to face Cirtolthiel, (though he missed her direction by about five degrees and swayed a little bit more dangerously than usual) and held his staff out before her. "Can I trust you to hold onto and be careful with this?" he asked with a tone of dead seriousness...

Not once since they began their journey had his staff left his side, except for the time Farid tried to snatch it from him as a joke. It was back during their first week together. After swiftly locking the lad up with a full body-binding spell, he made it very clear to Farid and the rest of the group to always respect his staff and to never so much as touch it without his permission. He depended on it more than he did his right arm. Asking someone to watch over it, even for a little while, was not something he was about to take lightly.

[Cirtolthiel]

Incredibly, Gildor managed to hoist himself up. He leaned against the tree, looking oddly energetic for a moment. Cirtolthiel crossed her arms and tilted her head, thinking. What on earth was he up to while he was gone? I thought he was just looking for an egg! She sighed, realizing that once again, she would probably never know.

Amerylis nodded. "Do you think you could ride Arsen? He's trained not to panic under any circumstance," she said, persuading him. She clicked her tongue and Arsen trotted faithfully over. He grew a still as a statue, watching curiously. Cirtolthiel looked back to Gildor's expression, whom was considering. He slowly nodded.

"Yes, I can ride... by your lead." He gripped his staff and patted it to the ground, finding his bags and tying them up a little clumsily. Cirtolthiel smiled, feeling reassured. He took a step onto Arsen, but turned back to Cirtolthiel's direction. He swayed a bit, missing where she actually was. He held out his long staff to her.

"Can I trust you to hold onto and be careful with this?" he asked her, his voice deadly austere. She blinked in surprise, but took a step towards him. She placed her hand on the staff, feeling the strong, smooth wood.

"Of course," she said quietly yet consolingly. She knew how important it was to him - he hadn't let anyone put hardly a finger on it. Allowing her to have it in her care was undoubtedly serious thing. Cirtolthiel gently tugged on it, slipping it from his grip. She held it in front of her, letting her arm lean slightly on it. But Cirtolthiel suddenly frowned, confused.

"Wait..." she hesitated. "Do you mind how I carry it?" she felt foolish asking this question, but she didn't want to risk anything.