Temathil swooped low over the water of the cities harbor. Shed been flying all day and she was beat. She was amazed that she even made it this far. With a final flap she settled down lightly onto the end of an unused pier. Folding in her wings, she shifted her cloak to conceal them. Her parents had told her that it was dangerous to let yourself be revealed in a public place, especially cities. she strolled down the pier and up the street, still busy even at this hour with dock workers. She eventually found herself at an in called the Song of Elves Tavern & Inn.
Sounds friendly, why not?, she thought to herself. Entering the tavern, she smelled the food, and heard the soft music. It was fairly crowded but she managed to seat herself at the fire across a large table from a sleeping Copper Elf. She couldnt fathom how he fell asleep in this crowd. Eventually a Moon Elf bar maid managed to get around to her. Seeing Temathils chocker she nodded and asked simple yes or no questions to determine what Temathil wanted.
When all was said and done, she had ordered some berry juice, and chicken broth. She then sat back relaxing and taking in her first experiences in a large city....

Griffin strode into the bar. He had become accustomed to eating and drinking here, but the atmosphere was the main ideal that attracted him. He enjoyed the peace and silence of being alone, but tonight as he made to look for a seat, a curious figure caught his eye. He paused in his tracks as he gazed at her. She was different to all the other elves in the tavern, not truly by appearence but by the aura or sense she gave off. It was the same as his own, well part of his own anyway. She was an Avariel Elf. Rare enough to be seen sitting at a local bar, he strode over, curiosity taking over his instinct. Afterall, his mother had been a full Avariel herself, perhapse this women had heard of her.

As Griffin strode up silently behind her he realized his regular tone around the public wouldn't do. He was generally an arrogant, cold, and heartless person, but perhapse if he wanted to learn something from this elf he would need to try a different approach. He paused in front of the fire and stared down at her in her seat. His cloak covered his own body and his own wings so he wondered if she would be able to tell his own race. "Is this seat taken?" He asked as her plainly as his glance settled upon her form. He then glanced about the busy tavern to make it seem like he was looking for one of the few seats not already taken.

Temathil looked up at the elf and shook her head, No, gesturing to a free seat at the table. He didnt seem like any of the other elves, more like her.
Could he be another Avariel? she thought to herself.
As the elf sat down she waved hello, a small grin on her face. Shed never met another elf, let alone talk, or talk somewhat, to one. She passed a folded piece of paper at him, inside it said "Temathil".She then pointed to the symbole at her throat with a bit of a frown.

Griffin nodded a curt thanks as he slipped his body gracefuly into the seat opposite her. As she handed him a piece of paper he took he with a small smile crossing his lips, something you would rarely see, perhapse once in a decade. He unfolded it in his grasp and read it. Temathil He thought as he glanced up at her from the paper. "A unique name you have their." He said as he gazed at her, taking in her elven features, some of which were very different than his own, others, almost identicle. Proprably due to the fact I'm half Drow. He thought. As he witnessed her point to her throat he realized what she mean't as he read the elven sign on her necklass. She could not speak. He nodded at her in understanding.

A slight obstacle. Was his only thought as he gazed at her. He wondered if he minded if he entered her mind, not enough to observe her memories, her past, and such, but merely enough so he could hear her thoughts in his own mind. That was they would be able to communicate. Would you mind talking with me telapathicaly? He asked, sending his voice from his own mind straight to hers. He didn't want to interrupt the privacy of her mind. His mother had told him long ago to do such things was very wrong and was generally intened for harm, unless approved. Well, at least that was before she died. He thought to himself as he gazed at her, awaiting her reply.

"Would you mind talkign with me telepathically?"
As these words went accross her mind she visibly jumped. It startled her and she got a bit scared. Shed never seen or heard of anything like this before. She laid a hand on the hilt of her katana, and braced her wings and legs. Was this a demon? Was that why he could enter her head? The grin had slipped away to wide eyes and a suprised expresion.
Tentativly she thought, "Hello?"

Griffin laughed softly as he heard her voice in his own mind. Of course she was shocked. Only few of elven kind were taught the technique of entering ones mind. It was generally considered a dark art, passed down and taught to him from his fathers side, the drow side of him. Despite this it had served him useful on several occasions including this one. He gazed at her and smiled warmly, signifying he intended her no harm. He looked at her for a moment, waiting for her to realize his intentions. He didn't want to shock her into an act of violence. He did not want to fight, well at least tonight, especially not with one of his own kind.

"Don't worry. I intend you no harm. And look, I am am only far enough into your mind to sense the thoughts you wish to send to me." He said telepathically to her again...

She eased a bit and lowered her hand from the hilt of her sword. Just then her food and drink arrived. She suddenly had no appetite. Shed found a way to actually talk to someone. Well in a manner of speaking.
"Wow...this is amazing! Who are you anyways? Where are you from? What are you? Have you traveled a lot?" the questions came pouring forth. She was intent on not wasteing this opportunity at all.
She leaned forward, as if listening to him. She then started noticing a few features that seemed odd too her. And those that her parents had warned her about.
"Your a drow!" she exclaimed.

Griffin looked at her in amusement as questions littered his mind. He was never willing to answer anyones questions but all of a sudden his thoughts seemed to change. Afterall, even without him telling her anything she knew a fair amount about him. As her final exclamation came out he looked at her, a small smirk crossing his face as he looked intently at her. He folded his arms over his chest and leaned back against his chair. Of course she would have noticed he was part drow. The most obviouse detail being his dark red eyes.

He drew a breath before replying. "Yes, I am a drow and I am not ashamed to admit it. I just just pray you do not judge me entirely on it. Afterall, I am sure there is another part of me you have recognised in yourself as well, and perhapse has interested you more?"[/b] He replied, sending his smooth tone of voice into her mind as he continued to gaze at her, having complete concentration as to hold the telepathic conversation intact.

"I realize your part drow, but your also something else....would i be mistaken in thinking your also part Avariel?" Temathil asked tenativly.
In the last minute everything she had thought or speculated came crashing down. A demon elf was being nice to her, humans werent trying to hunt her on sight, and a drow had Avariel blood. Her head was sore at this sudden information. For her whole life she was brought up to believe that humans would hunt her on sight, drow were demon elves that would kill you with a stare, and that no being would ever show a drow love, let alone have a child with one. She sat back, looking at the half-avariel with curiosity, waiting for the answer she already knew in her heart.

"I would be lying in saying you were mistaken. So yes, I am half Avariel." Griffin said as he paused and looked at her. He sensed a feeling of confusion coming from her. "I know it may seem strange but I never lie." He said plainly.

He allowed her to ask as many questions as she wanted, as long as they didn't become too personal. After that he would ask her some questions of his own. He wanted to know of his mother's clan so desperately he had to force the words to stay hidden inside himself.

All this while, all this time in Taras, and on one unexpected night in a pub, Griffin would allow his mind to be breached with questions. For the first time in many years he truly smiled. Had the curiosity of finding out about what he was trying to run away from completely turned his world upside down, or was it this elf. One night, one night only. He told himself inside his head. Tommorow I will be back to my normal self. Echoed his own voice inside his head once again. He stared blankly at the table in front of them while pondering all this until he lifted his gaze back up to her, awaiting her next question or comment, if one came...

Temathil leaned back, hands in her lap. She did not know what to ask first. Finally she decided on a couple questions.
"Where do you come from? And how did your parents meet without them being....persecuted?"
Her emotions were twisted inside. She felt sorry inpart for this half-averial, for him not going to be accepted by either, and the other part of her stayed constant from her child hood and refused the change, wondering how she could even speak to such a creature. Slowly though, pity overcame, and happiness for being able to speak to another being for the first time without paper.

He looked at her for a moment considering her words, wondering if he should answer. Finally he came to the conclusion that telling her of his parents.

"My father was in Avariel territory for the plain reasons of the drow. His clan had been sent to raid and slaughter a settlement of humans just out of Avariel territory. While corssing through he came across my mother in secret. Little was told to me about the few days that followed but apparantly that was all it took to create me. Truthfuly I have no idea what my mother saw in my father. He was a sick, sadistic, and cruel man." He said and paused for a moment and shrugged. "Perhapse he even forced himself upon her, but from that I'll never know. Anyway, I was born to my mother and raised lovingly by her. But it was hard for both her and I you see. Her clan didn't accept me, for they saw my tainted blood, yet my mother, being the chief eldar had final say in the matter. I was trained in the Avariel ways of their clan for many years before." he paused again as he gazed down at the table. Strangely it was still hard for him to talk about his mother, despite her death more than a centuary ago. "Well when she passed the clan saw no reason for me to stay and I was cast out. I was young and had nowhere to go and thus I went to the first place I could thinkg of. I went to my fathers clan. I was reluctantly accepted by them, too bcause of my tainted blood, yet the eldar in their clan saw the so called mutation as a great opportunity. He sought to use me as a weapon. Anyway, as days went on I grew accustomed to the ways of the drow and I learned alot from them." He said and finsished abruptly. That was the main story, except for one part. One part he kept hidden inside him, one part that haunted him and forced him never to let it out.

"Well eventualy I ended up here." He added curtly as he looked back up at her awaiting her reaction, wondering and hoping that she wouldn't question him about his gap in the story.

"Thats such a sad story." Temathil said.
The story though, had something wrong in it. Something was missing. He seemed hesitant to tell her something in the middle of it. Her instincts told her to wait before asking what was missing though.
"I didn't grow up in a clan. My family and I lived in a hovel on the side of a mountain. They were both great artisans. I always questioned them about how they learned their skills but they never told me. No one ever visited us, and we never did leave. Except for me when i was older, but they never knew that. Though there was this one time come to think about it. Someone came too our door, i was in bed and didnt really dwell upon it. But the funny thing is, the only real way to our home was by flying. You could climb but the climb was treacherous and greuling for nothing." Temathil sipped some of her juice.
"You know, you never did tell me your name Mr. Half-drow, half-averial." Temathil then said with a little grin.

"Grifrahan Lhongheratte, Griffin Longheart in the human tongue." He said as he returned the grin. He couldn't help but feel slightly disapointed at the fact that her knowing about his mothers clan would be little to none, but there was always a hope. He shifted the thought from his mind as he gazed at her. "And does your name mean anything specific in our own language?" He asked her curiously...

"Yes, it means Wind Runner basicly. Apperantly i am a fast flyer by my parents standards. But knowing they are my parents, its probably best to take that with a grain of salt." she said, with a grinning wink.
"For being such a nice drow, im suprised your fathers clan accepted you. I was under the impresion they saw caring as weakness, and killed the weak." she said.
As the words left her mouth she realized how offensive that could have been and cursed herself for being so rude. Then she blushed in embaresment as she realized Griffon probably knew she just scolded herself.
Taking her cup of juice, she held it with both hands and raised it to her face. Trying to seem like she was drinking while hiding her face.

Griffin smirked in amusement and leaned in, his elbows resting on the table. "I am generally not this nice with anyone, anyone at all. I can't lie to you, or anyone for that matter. I guess you just have a certain talent for bringing out the truth in me. Well, I am genereally cold, quiet, arrogant, and suspicious. I bring out whats within me to the odd few. Well you and my mother being the only two." He whispered aloud to her, making sure she and no one else could hear him.

Temathil blinked.
"You are an odd drow." she thought, lowering the juice.
She shook her head. Not even here for more than a few hours and im hearing peoples inner most feelings.
"Is the world around such that you have to be so cold? There must be others who are kind or gentle, or both. Or am i just fantasizing?" she asked.

"I am sure there are others who are kind and such but it will be hard to find them around here. This city is filled with vaggers, thiefs, and murderers." He said as he paused and pulled back, leaning against his seat again. "Perhapse it is because you remind me of my mother in a way. I can't begin to think if it is merely the fact that you are the first pure Avariel I have seen in nearly a centuary, or is it the fact that you act in a similar way to the way she acted." He thought to her and shrugged as he his gaze remained locked with hers.

Temathil began to feel herself blushing again under the drows unwavering stare. she was never much of a social type, for obvious reasons, and placed suddenly here, she began to feel rather awkward. Looking down at her drink, she began spining the cup with one of her fingers.
"What do i do now?" she thought to herself, trying to keep that thought hidden. She didnt know if she was succesfull or not. Glaninc at the drow she didnt see any change in his face, so she guessed she was succesfull.
"Do I go? He is the only one I have ever seen that i can talk to. I dont want lose this ability so soon...." she thought to herself.
Finally she looked up and said, "Your mother, you must ahve been very attached to her. You obviously miss her."

Griffin felt her awkwardness and he relinquished his gaze. At her question griffin felt his memory rush back to the days before his mothers death. "Yes, I do. She was the only one I ever had in this world and her loss seemed like the end of the world to me." He returned the thought curtly, attempting to keep his feelings hidden. His stared blankly at the wood of the table they sat at as many thoughts of his mother filled his mind. He tried to push them away but he knew as long as he lived he would never be able to.

Temathil leaned forward across the table looking at his face and then sat back. She saw something in his face, a pain. She realized he enver did say his good byes to her, that she didnt simply pass away.
"she didnt really just pass away as you said she did, did she? That is why you are in so much pain arent you?" she asked softly.

Griffin looked up at her. Why was he even talking to her. She wouldn't understand how he felt. The thoughts seemed to automatically run through his head but he pushed them away. No, she asked because he chose to tell her about his past. His anger seemed to vanish as he raised his plain glance to hers. A slight tint of sadnesscrossing his sharp features. "Yes, she was killed, in battle." He said and sighed as he glanced back down at the table.

Temathils eyes widened.
"That is awfull!" she exclaimed.
Without thinking she took his hand, hoping it might help his pain.
She could clearly see the pain in his eyes for a brief second. She saw the anguish in his heart. Whatever her parents had told her about a drows black heart vanished.
"Everything happens for a reason Griffin. think. If your mother ahd not died, and you not gone to your fathers, how could you have learned to speak telepathically? Or how could you have become so skilled in using some of your drow strengths to help you survive? If you couldnt speak with your mind, you would never have spoken with me."

Griffin felt her soft hand brush over his and he rose his gaze back to hers. As he sat there in silence with her he felt as if his worries began to fade for a just a moment. "Perhapse your right." He said and smiled slightly at her. "But who knows, perhapse destiny would have made our paths cross either way." He added with another small smile.

"Perhaps" Temathil said witha small smile, "But under much different circumstances, and probably in much more quite circumstances." she getured to her throat with a bit of a frown.
Temathil thought about how extrodinary this gift was that the drow had. And how much he took it for granted.
"I dont think you realize what kind of extrodinary gift you have, being able to both speak physicaly AND telepathically. You will always have the last word. As for me. I am stuck in a world of silence. It is difficult for me to converse with anyone. Its always been that way, since birth. When i was young and cried out if i got hurt, no one would come, because no one would hear. My cries were silent." A tear formed in Temathils eye and rolled down her cheek. Remembering the times she wished she could cry out, scream, or laugh. She squeezed shut her eyes and looked away.

Griffin raised a hand to her cheek as she turned away. He guided her head gently back to his own gaze as he softly brushed away a stray tear with his thumb. He gave her a small sympathetic smile as he lowered his hands to the table, his elbows resting on its wodden surface. "I can attempt to teach you Temathil, will you let me?" He thought to her, knowing that he could do this at the least for helping him share his pain.

The drows hand was unexpectedly warm as he wiped the tear from her cheek. Looking at him he asked, "I can attempt to teach you Temathil, will you let me?"
Temathil smiled slowly as it dawned on her that he really could teach her to speak in a sense. She clasped his hand tighter with exitement.
"Yes please! Teach me! Thank you!" she exclaimed, all in rapid succesion.
She felt as if she was floating inside. As if it was a dream. She was going to learn how to speak.

Griffin laughed and imagined how her voice would sound actualy floating from her mouth. He allowed her to grasp his hand, feeling a certain satisfaction towards helping her out. "It would be my pleasure." He said with a smile as he gazed at her. "But I have to tell you. It is not an easy thing to learn, for it took me a few years to completely master it, but that is using it as a weapon to by attacking ones mind. I am guessing you would only like to learn how to communicate? Or would you like to me to teach you its full powers?" He asked her curiously.

Temathil blinked.
"A weapon? No...no thank you. I just want to communicate."
She couldnt imagine the pain and suffering one would go through should they be killed in such manner. It was horrible to even think about.

"Very well, but even that will be challenging and time consuming." He thought to her as his gazed glanced about the bar then back to her. He grinned as he observed her face light up at the thought of learining to speak, and of course she would not want to use it as a weapon. She was like his own mother in more ways than she knew. He thought to himself and grinned. His expression turned curiously as he wondered if she would mind him asking the question. "Would you mind telling me how an Avariel Elf such as yourself has become, well, a mute?" He asked curiously, trying to place his words in the nicest possible way.

Tamethil looked down.
"I was born that way. I know its pretty rare among humans, let alone elves, but i was born without the ability to speak."
She fingered the charm on her chocker.
"Thats why my father made this. It supposed to be the symbole for silence. He hoped others would think i just ook an oath of silence i guess."
She thought back to when her father first gave her the beutifull piece of jewelry.

"Thats a shame. I am sure if you were gifted with a voice you would have the voice of an angel. Not saying you differ much from one now, I mean you have the wings, the beauty, and the personality." He said and smiled passionatly at her. The thing is, he wasn't trying to charm her but he was merely telling the truth. As she told him about the necklass he gazed at it and leaned in. "May I?" He asked motioning with his hand to touch and examine the piece of jewelry.

Temathil blushed profusely, and this time had no juice cup to hide it. Then the drows asked her if he could examine the pendant. She couldnt figure out why not so so she nodded yes and moved her head to the side so he could reach it easier.
"Why would he want to see the pendant?" she wondered to herself.

Griffin leaned in and touched the pendant gently on her neck. He lifted his off her skin, holding it gently as if it contained something sacred. It was merely a piece of jewelry but an extremely beautiful one at that. There on it was insicribed the symbol for silence in the Avariel's own tongue.

He slowly let it touched her soft skin again before sitting back and looked at her. "It's beautiful. It looks like lots of love and care was put into the making of that bracelet." Not like he would remember much of love or care. He wondered as he pushed the thought from his mind and grinned.

Temathil nodded.
"My father loved me very much." she said, thinking back to her father over the bellows.
"What are you grinning at?" she asked curiously.

"Nothing really, I'm just in a rare good mood." he said and grinned at her again. He wiped the grin from his face before asking his next question. "Do you miss them?" He asked her, propably already knowing the answer...

Temathil never really thought about home till now, and suddenly home sickness hit her.
"Yes, i do. They have been the only people ive known my whole life. They care for me." she said
She thought back to the day she left. When she just wrote a note and walked out the door. She wondered what their reactions would have been when they walked and she felt a sudden pain of guilt.
"I should have really said bye to them. I wonder what they are doing now." she said.

"I am sure they are doing just fine now. If they truly loved you they would trust in you to return home one day." He said and paused for a moment. "You will return to see them at the least wont you? And then again, why did you leave?" he asked her curiosly as he folded his arms over his chest again, leaning back.

"Well, as i got older, i began flying farther anf farther fromm home. Finally one day i happened across a village, nestled in a valley. The villagers were nice and friendly, and I heard stories of great cities, and castles, and about places where there was so much water that when you looked out over it, you could not see land on the side. This got me curious. When I got back home my parents were out foraging and hunting. I packed a bag and took off. Flying as far as i could in one day. The next I came accross another village. It went like this for a while till i realized, i was a good weeks flight from home. I hadnt of planed to go so far. I just shruged though and thought, maybe theres one of those great cities just overt he horizon. Eventually after about 3 weeks of flying I came to this city." Temathil explained. This was true. She never planed to go so far from home, but one thing led to another and here she was.

Griffin nodded as he allowed her words to fill his mind. "I wonder how your parents would react if they found out what you were doing right now..." He returned the thought with a slight smirk, remembering how she reacted when she first found out he was also part drow.