Samathan sat upon a rock on the edge of the city of Cascadia, he was waiting for his friend Shadeen to arrive. He had promised her that they would have an adventure together and finally he had come up with one, he wanted to spend more time with his charming friend. As she had told him back in the Green Gryphon Tavern if they didn't spend time together as friends they would never know if a relationship between them would work. He knew this adventure would help them to get to know each other better, he hummed softly as he waited for Shadeen to arrive. His cat Samson mewed and shifted on his lap, Samson was purring softly and rubbed his chin against Samathan's arm and purred all the louder. Samathan laughed and gave his faithful feline campanion a pat "Just wait til you meet Shadeen Samson I know you will like her. She loves cats just like I do," he said softly to Samson.

The gray tabby weaved around Shadeen’s feet as she made her way towards the meeting place Samathan and her had agreed on. She hoped that the meeting would go over a little more smoothly than the last one. She wore her usually garb. The casual white linen and burgundy dress over top suited all of her moods, and the skin boots she wore suited any need. She ambled on her way there, nearly tripping over the cat when he weaved between her legs.

Shadeen stopped to soak in her surroundings. She stooped down and ran her fingers through Dante’s fur, scratching behind his ears. She breathed in the fresh air and continued her trek towards Samathan.

Samathan looked up as his sharp ears heard footsteps approaching, he smiled when he noticed that it was Shadeen. "Hello again Shadeen," he called to her softly as she drew nearer and he got up off his seat to greet her "I am glad you could make it." His cat, Samson, clambered up to sit on his backup and looked over his shoulder at Shadeen. He gave a soft meow and swished his tail contentedly as his owner spoke to this beautiful young woman. Samathan's eyes sparkled as he looked at Shadeen and as he spoke it was obviously he still liked her as more than a friend "It is good to see you again my friend." But in his mind also ran pictures of Ornell, the Avariel Elf he had met in Istan City. He liked them both so much, as Shadeen approached him he took her hand and kissed it softly "I am glad you got my letter, I have a little adventure planned for us and I think it will help us to get to know each other better." Oh how beautiful she looked, he still liked her and hoped this adventure would help them grow closer together. But at the same time he hoped that he and Ornell would get together, well, which ever one worked out first.

“Good morning Samathan.” Shadeen said as Samathan got up from his position on the rock. She noticed the cat perched on his shoulder and waiting until Samathan had let go of her hand before she let the cat sniff her hand.

“Where are we going?” She asked Samathan. When she closed her eyes she could make out the sound of water in the distance. Birds sang in the tree tops and the grass was lush beneath her feet. The sun send out rays of heat but the breeze equalled it out so that she wasn’t over heated. She ran her fingers through her hair and stretched out her legs. The cat at her feet meowed expectantly and she lifted him up off the ground and cradled him in her arms. Now that he was next to her body it was obvious that he was only a kitten. She ran her hand along his back while she waited for a responce.

Samathan smiled at her softly as she spoke, to his ears her voice was like water running over a brook, beautiful. When she asked where they were going he smiled "A secret place known to the High Elves which lies deep in the forest around here. It is not a very hard journey but it is possible that we will run into some enemies along the way," he said softly. "It will take us a couple of days to reach the Sun Grove, but I know that you will absolutely love it there, it is an extremely beautiful place." He took her hand and helped her to her feet, he showed her to his horse "You can ride this when or if your legs get tired," he said with a smile. Had she noticed his pointed ears? Had he spoken to her in elven? He could not remember. He turned to her and looked her in the eyes, it was clear he still liked her but he would wait for her to establish her feelings first "Shadeen?" he said softly and fidgeted nervously "There is something I must tell you but I am afraid," he said softly.

(OoC: I think you have to buy the horse first before you can have one)

“You don’t have to be afraid to tell me anything.” She smiled as she said this to ease whatever fears he may have had about telling her...whatever it was. She hoped that she hadn’t done anything that had made him feel awkward but she didn’t mention anything about it. If he was comfortable he would tell her, if not she would wait until he was to find out.

The kitten in her arms squirmed about and Shadeen let him claw up onto her shoulder. He perched there and purred into her ear rubbing his head along her cheek. She laughed and scratched under his jaw.

OOC: Oh, most likely lol. Sorry about before *blushes*

Samathan smiled at her kind comment "Thank you Shadeen my friend, that is nice of you to say," he said softly. He stopped and took her hand in his, not in a romantic way but in a friendly way "Shadeen you know I like you but I have to tell you this," he said and parted his hair to reveal his pointed ears "I am not a human, I am a High Elf," he said and looked into her eyes. He sighed and summoned up the courage to say what he needed to say "The reason I did not tell you was because I was afraid Shadeen, I like you and I was afraid that you would not like me if you knew what I was. There are so many who do not like my kind, I couldn't risk losing you Shadeen." It was the truth, he still had feelings for her, he liked her very much. But they had decided to start of as friends, but nevertheless he still liked her "I know we agreed to be friends Shadeen, I do like you, I like you more than a friend, but I will wait for you, only if things seem right will we take it further."

He looked at the ground after telling her this. Would she hate him because he was a High Elf? Would she turn her back on him like so many had done before? He looked back up into her eyes as he awaited her reply. Samson had also climbed back up onto his shoulders and mewed softly to Dante before nuzzling Kyrus' cheek.

Shadeen laughed softly. ”You don’t have to be afraid to tell me that.” She hadn’t meant the laughter to be mean, and if he felt embarrassed by it, it wasn’t her intent. “I don’t mean to sound mean for laughing. It’s just that I already know that you’re an elf.” She laughed a again and motioned to his pointed ears.”You’ve also spoken to me in elven. I know what you are and I don’t care. I’m not really afraid of any other race. Most of them interest me.”

“And where you’re taking me sounds very lovely. Shall we?” She pulled her hand from his but not in an unfriendly way. She needed both to remove the kitten’s claws from her shoulder before they drew blood. She cradled the gray kitten in her arms.

Kyrus smiled softly at her "Thank you Shadeen," he said softly and moved a little closer to walk at her side "That means a lot, many hate my kind and I don't know why. I was afraid that if you found out that you would shun me like all the others have. But you didn't, you were the first to show me kindness Shadeen," he said looking into her eyes again "where others would have pushed me away you smiled and were nice. I thank you Shadeen," he said. He walked along at her side with a smile on her face "You speak of other races interesting you but you interest me Shadeen, you are different from other humans in a way that I can't quite put my finger on." He blushed a a deep scarlet, which was more noticable in an elf "Umm...after our adventure, would you like to come with me to the Songs of elves Tavern?" he asked his shyness only abating slightly because they were becoming friends "it is a lovely place and I know you would like it."

”I’m not sure right now. If this adventure is going to be a few days I think I might want to spend a few days with myself.” She laughed a little. “I’m a little weird like that. I like to spend time alone sometimes after being around people for a long time. It gives me a chance to sit back and relax.”

Shadeen smiled at him. She could imagine that some people may have a problem with other races but she hadn’t met any of them yet.

Samathan laughed happily "Oh no you misunderstand, this journey won't take that long. What I meant to say was the actual journey will take about day and a half but that you could feel you want to stay in the Grove for days," he said "So this said would you be interested in accompaning me to the Tavern?" He smiled and looked at her with those brilliant blue eyes of his "Perhaps on our way to the Grove I can teach you some of the elven tongue like your name for instance, Shadeen although very close to elven itself is Nysha," he said. Then taking her hand he held it up "Your hand is Synni."

He smiled at her softly "We may meet some trouble along the way, Forest Goblins and such but nothing too dangerous I hope. Anyway, you have a big strong elf to protect you," he laughed and then blushing added "That is if you need protecting which you probably don't. But I won't let any harm come to you." He looked at her again "So knowing that the journey will only take a day and a half, would you still be interested in coming with me to the Song Of Elves Tavern? It's quite a special place and I just know that you would love it, a chance to learn some more about me and my kind. Looking up ahead he saw a sign and upon reading it he turned back to Shadeen "Oh dear, it appears the main path was been blocked by a landslide, we are going to have to take one of the other paths which will make the journey longer, say a couple of days" he said and then suddenly remembered something "but along the way there is a little elven home, built to be a place for Elven pilgrams to the Grove to rest. It is a lovely little place, perhaps when we get there we can have a meal there instead of the Songs Of Elves Tavern for now. You will like it, by elven magic even I don't understand there is somehow a meal there waiting for travellers when they arrive," looking at his feet he blushed "you wouldn't have to think of it as a date if you don't want to," he looked at her and blushed "becuase we're friends, but you can think of it as a date if you want to." Even though he was an elf Samathan was bumbling in a situation such as this, he hoped Shadeen would understand "becuase I don't think of it as a date unless you do then I will," it was obvious he hadn't talked to many girls before and was having trouble due to his shyness.

“Nysha.” Shadeen rolled the name around and decided that she liked it in a way, perhaps she might name a child it if she ever had one. She preferred Shadeen as her own name though, doubting that she’d ever be able to get used to being called anything but. “Synni,” She removed her hand from Samathan’s and held it up to her face moving it this way and that, repeating the word once more. “Synni.” She resumed running her hand over her kitten’s soft fur and his purring increased with each stroke.

“I don’t need protecting,” She said a little more sternly than she meant to. She didn’t like being thought of as someone who couldn’t handle herself just because she was a woman. If he had been with a man she doubted he would have offered him protection. She shook it off and smiled repeating it a bit nicer. She thought about the grove and the elven home. “If it’s all the same to you I’d really like to get to the grove as fast as possible. I really can’t wait to see what it looks like now that you’ve described it to me. I hope you don’t mind.” She was itching to get there and her step had taken on a happier pace if she thought about what the grove would be like. “Which way now then?” The landslide would throw off their course and she didn’t quite know where to go after this.

Samathan looked to her "I didn't mean it like that," he said shyly "I meant well I know your not a fighter and at times these woods can be quite dangerous," he said as he led her along towards the path they would take. He smiled at her "You know Shadeen, you are different from the other humans I met. There almost seems something elven about you," he said. He laughed happily as they arrived at the path and headed along it, Samathan sang softly as they walked and he turned to her and looked at her "Ummm," he said shyly "when we get to the Grove would this beautiful young woman before me wish to dance with me? It is the custom of my people to dance in the Grove, we do not usually allow humans to dance with us but you Shadeen, you are different. Would you dance with me?" he asked.

“It’s okay,” She said. “I just don’t like to have the assumption that I can’t defend myself. I’m working on the fighting thing and after that encounter with Fehade I think I can do a little better than when I first started.”

“Oh,” She formed the word with her lips a little bit taken aback by what he had just asked. “Well...” She laughed a little. “It’s a little random to ask out here but. . . Yeah.” She smiled. She hadn’t been dancing in awhile and it might be nice. She hadn’t known that Elves held dancing as such a right before. She wondered vaguely about it but not enough to broach the subject. "I'd like to dance" She smiled at him again.

Kyrus smiled softly as she agreed to join him in the dance "Thank you Shadeen," he said softly "I am glad that you wish to dance with me." There was a bright smile on his face. He strode along the path happily with a spring in his step, he turned back to look at Shadeen "You've never seen dancing until you've seen elves dancing," he said softly "I shall not let you down," he said with a happy smile. He skipped over to her and taking her hands he twirled her along the path in a merry dance "this is what is will be like, expect much better and with music," he said. They had been travelling for a while now and dusk had begun to settle over the land, it would be dark soon. But up ahead Kyrus saw smoke drifting from the chimley of the first elven cottage.

He turned back to Shadeen whom he was still happily dancing with "Up there is the first cottage, you will love it," he said softly "But before the dancing is the ceremony of welcoming," he explained "any guests to the Grove are welcomed by a High Elf elder." He grinned and looked at her as they danced along the path and then a thought struck him "Hey Shadeen, I know other races interest you. Well when we get to the Grove, how would you like it if I told you more about my kind? Why we come to the Grove, some of our music, the purpose of the Grove. I could even show you the place where we take our children to be named, tell you why High Elves are called High Elves"

The kitten clawed at her back when Samathan pulled Shadeen’s hand out from under him. Once perched on her shoulder he hissed at Samathan, not liking to be dislodged from a grooming. Shadeen laughed lightly at her cat and slowed her step until she had stopped dancing and pulled her hands away to tend to her fussy kitten. “He’s still little and needs a lot of attention. I don’t think he likes it when I’m not grooming him,” She plucked the kitten from her shoulder and snuggled him against her body, planting a light kiss on his head which sent him into a purring frenzy again.

She caught the sight of smoke drifting up into the sky and she figured that their first stop wouldn’t be too far off now. She hadn’t had much time to rest between everything she wanted to do in Imythess and she was looking forward to the rest her feet deserved. She wondered about the ceremony and what it would be like. It interested her to know more about the ceremony and what it entailed. She kept her thoughts to herself and decided that should would find out when the time was right.

“That would be great,” She smiled at Samathan and hugged her kitten to her body. He purred louder and the sound made her want to sit down and just spend the entire day catering to him. Kittens were tricky like that. She contented herself with kissing him on the head again and thought about the grove. “When will we get there?”

Samathan smiled at her softly as they continued to walk along the path, he could tell she was excited "You will love our elven dancing," he said softly "of course it will just be us two but I shall show you how we elves dance." He laughed at her kittens antics and stroked his cat, Samson on the tip of his head, Samson purred and rubbed his head against Samathan's cheek "Yes I know very well about kittens," he said with a laugh. They walked up the path towards the home and he saw smoke rising from the chimney, when she asked how long it would take to get to the Grove he smiled "Not too much further," he said softly and in a friendly tone "part of the reason the Grove is so special to High Elves is because it is considered a special place for my kind."

He smiled at her "How do you think of me now Shadeen?" he asked curiously and looked to her as they neared the hut. He began to sing softly in the elven tongue as he waited for her reply.

Shadeen was happy that the grove wasn’t much further. She watched as the smoke rose up to the sky is wispy tendrils. They snaked into the blue sky above and dissipated. She smiled listening to the bird’s chirp in the trees. The wind ruffled the leaves, creating a wave through the trees and grass. She was enjoying the scenery and the small flowers that bloomed at the side of the pathway.

“I think of you the same.” She laughed. The possibility that she might have misinterpreted the question never really crossed her mind. She was too absorbed in the atmosphere in this place.

Samathan walked along but suddenly he felt as if a chill flowed over him, there was something watching them he knew it. He carefully looked about so as not to alarm Shadeen, the hut was not far off now so perhaps they could make it there without the thing catching up with them. He spoke in elven suddenly as he looked about him "The woods are restless, something draws close," because he spoke these words in the elven tongue she would not yet be able to understand though she might be able to understand a few words. He tried not to alarm Shadeen as he slipped his hand down to the hilt of his Scimitar "So you think of me as a friend now?" he asked maintaining a calm, friendly exterior.

He looked around, scanning the vegetation on the sides of the path with his sharp elven eyes "Tell me Shadeen, are you excited about being her with me? About seeing the Grove?" he asked in his usual friendly voice. He didn't want to alarm Shadeen yet but he had the unnerving feeling that they were being stalked. Because of his sharp elven hearing he swore he could hear a faint hiss and a clicking of claws.

Despite her inability to understand elven she could understand the tone of his voice. It made her look curiously at him, and she noticed that he now held his hand over his weapon. She lightly brushed her own with her fingertips before placing her kitten on her shoulder. She knew that if danger came he would be smart enough to go hide and not get into any real trouble. He’d come back once everything was calm again and he knew how to claw down her leg. She wouldn’t mind if it meant he wouldn’t hurt himself.

“I never said I didn’t like you as friend. And I’m definitely excited about seeing the grove. It sounds beautiful,” Her voice took on a bit of a daydream tone when she said the word beautiful. She hoped that it would be as wonderful as she imagined it would be. Her kitten meowed then, a little meow, not of fear but of warning and she picked him up and placed him on the ground beside her. He took off into the bushes and she prayed that he would be okay.

Samathan noticed that Shadeen put down her kitten and her hand went to her blade instinctively "So you feel it to," he said softly and dropped back to stand at her side. He leaned over and whispered in her ear "I am glad that you are excited my friend, you have every right to be. I can assure you the Grove is unlike any place you have ever been." Inside himself Samathan was worried, did she like Varonen more than she did him? Did she prefer to be with him? These feelings radiated out from him, perhaps she would feel them too. There was a venomous hiss and the sound of clawed feet scratching on the tiles of the path, the sound of scuttling feet could be heard coming closer before around the bend their atalker come into view. It had the head of a cobra and the body of a scorpion, it was a Kryloc! At first he had thought that these creatures were blind, but then he saw it unlid its eyes and fix its gaze on them with a screech and a snap of its claws.

Samathan drew his Scimitar and moved over, nearer to Shadeen "Oh no," he said his voice even but with a hint of fear in it as the creature lashed out at him with its razor-sharp claws gouging the ground between them "Shadeen, I need your help in this. This is a Kryloc, very dangerous creature. I know that you don't have much experience in fighting but I need you to look for a weakness. It's back is armoured as is its tail but if you can get under the armour at its belly that is where it is vulnerable. Please Shadeen," he said blocking another strike and slash from the creature "I need you to be ready to do exactly what I say. Will you do that for me Shadeen?"

A hiss sounded from behind her and Shadeen whirled around pulling out her katana in the instant she did. Her grip was tight on the leather hilt and her breath came in heavier for a moment before she relaxed enough to gaze at the creature that had emitted that horrid sound. It crawled on six legs, armored like a scorpion, in fact his whole body looked to be a scorpion. The head of a cobra rose from his body and the overall look of him was almost laughable. The combination seemed so absurd to her, like nothing she had even seen. It would have been cause to laugh had the thing not been so deadly. Or seemed so deadly. It opened its beady eyes and screeched causing Shadeen to flinch inwardly. She sent a silent prayer out that her kitten was in the safe confines of the underbrush.

His last statement reminded her of what Varonen had asked her back in the desert when they fought the sand worm. She smiled for just a second remembering it all. She nodded and noticed that he couldn’t really see her. “Yeah,” She said, not sure she had the time for anything else.

Samathan saw that Shadeen was distracted by something "Shadeen but let yourself become distracted, that is its strong point. If you get distracted it will make it easier for it to attack," he said in warning and slashed at the Kryloc with his Scimitar. The creature was slowly pushing him back and he was gradually beginning to tire out with the exertion of blocking its attacks and keeping it concentrating on him "Shadeen," he called "We both need to work together in order to stay alive. I know you are thinking of Varonen but we must focus, please Shadeen I need your help in this," he said, the creature slashed out and cut him with a claw. He gritted his teeth in pain and looked to Shadeen who would see the blood trickling down his front.

“Okay okay,” She moved out from behind him and hesitated at the creature unsure of how to even approach it. She moved cautiously towards it, creeping by. It sensed by emotion right, so perhaps if Samathan got really mad or something he would stay focused on him. She said as much before continuing to look for any weakness in the thing’s armor. She found one and slipped in her katana. Wenching it to the side hoping to get some reaction from the disgusting Kryloc.

Samathan nodded at Shadeen's words and focused his emotions to keep the Kyrloc focused on him and it worked. He broadcasted his pain from his wound, his fear that Shadeen prefered to spend her time with Varonen. The Kryloc hissed and slashed out at him again, Samathan blocked its attack on his blade. Suddenly there was a screech of pain from the creature as Shadeen's katana dug into a soft spot. The Kryloc shrieked and writhed in its attempts to free itself of the biting blade in its side. The Kryloc yanked itself free of Shadeen's blade and whipped out at her with its tail, Samathan leaped into the path of the tail to stop it from hitting Shadeen and was slashed across the chest and knocked down. He was bleeding freely now and he slashed out a the creature cutting off one of its legs.

For a brief moment, Samathan looked into Shadeen's eyes. Would she see what he felt? But then he was drawn back into the battle. He was panting and blood continued to trickle down his front "Well done Shadeen, exactly what I meant," he smiled at her. His mind raced, how were they going to kill this creature? It was a formidable foe indeed. The Kryloc saw how he was protecting Shadeen with his life and shrieked, moving back, away from them. Something was causing it to be afraid. Of course! Strong emotions, Krylocs feared strong emotions, being creatures of darkness they were afraid of love, the willingness to lay down one's life to save another. Samathan shouted at the creature, which could understand some of human speech "You will not harm her. I will die to protect her if I must," he said.

His last line confused her. She wasn’t sure where it had even come from and the Kryloc’s screech made it hard for her to think, let alone comprehend what was going on. She stood a little dumbfounded watching the creature back away with a cringe on her face. The sound it made ate at her making her ears burn. She slid her katana back into its sheath, feeling that she would no longer need it. The Kryloc had backed up quite a bit by this point and she felt that she could tear her eyes away long enough to assess the damage that had been done.

Jade eyes gazed over towards Samathan. He was bleeding, she wasn’t sure where though. He had been hit by the Kryloc’s tail and she wasn’t sure how much damage that had actually caused. Worry took over. They couldn’t continue the journey like this. It was too dangerous.

“We have to go.” Her voice was strained. “We have to go and get you to a physician. You’re hurt.” She wasn’t sure what to do with herself and just stood helplessly. She wasn’t trained in healing of any kind, and she had only ever addressed small wounds or gashes. “Please let’s go. We can’t keep going like this it’s too dangerous. We’ll come back another time. We have to go!”

Kyrus shook his head at Shadeen "No, me must keep going. Don't worry about me I will be fine," he said softly even as blood trickled down his front "do not worry...I..I can heal." His hand began to glow blue as he chanted a spell and miraclously his wounds began to heal and he stopped bleeding "It is an ancient High Elven healing spell," he explained "it can heal most wounds." It took several moments before his wounds were fully closed and he ceased the spell "I was lucky that I wasn't too badly injured, the Kryloc's attacks missed any vital organs. By the time we get to the Grove I shall have recooperated. I promised you a dance Shadeen and I shall give you one," he said with a warm smile.

His hand ceased glowing and he looked at Shadeen, his wounds had been healed and now he was back to his usual self "We must continue Shadeen," he said with a broad smile "You will love the Grove I promise. But please can we keep going? I promised you an adventure Shadeen and I want you to see the Grove," he said broadly and flexed, he was now healed thanks to his spell. He took her hand gently and continued to walk along the path "I thank you greatly for your concern my friend but I am fine now. That healing spell fixed me up, luckily I suffered only minor wounds. If that Kryloc had gotten me with both pincers then I would be in serious trouble." Minutes later they arrived at the little elven hut "Here we are Shadeen, the first stop on our journey to the Grove."

Her kitten came running out from the brush and Shadeen dislodged her hand from his and caught her kitten as it jumped up into her arms. “Dante! Thank god your safe,” She cuddled the kitten into her body and he meowed and purred happily at being back with his owner. She was very happy that he had stayed safely hidden instead of trying to fight with them. She held him against her with one arm and stroked him with the other.

Once they had come to a stop and Samathan announced their arrival she looked up to see the little elven hut before her. It had been the one that the smoke had been coming from a few moments earlier. She was relieved that they could stop and rest for a bit. Although she didn’t want to stay too long. It wouldn’t be very fun to linger in one place too long. And so she stopped petting her kitten and placed one hand on the door. Gently she pushed the door open.

Samathan smiled as she entered the house, as he had earlier mentioned their was food waiting for them on the table and a warm fire crackled in the fire place. Although he was healed Samathan's wounds gave him trouble as the magic continued to work and fix up his injuries, he gritted his teeth in pain which Shadeen would notice and perhaps she would be concerned for him "Ow," he said "that Kryloc sure did get a good go at me," he said and winced slightly "it will take a little while for the healing spell to finish its work so a short rest and some good food would be good." He moved to sit beside her "I had to take that blow for you Shadeen," he said looking at her "I just couldn't let you be harmed. I have lost too much that was dear to me and I won't loose you too."

Shadeen pulled up a chair and nibbled at her food for a moment. The fire provided a nice touch, although it was still warm outside, it would probably cool down later on. It was a warm little place, although the absence of any other elves disturbed her a little. She felt as though she was intruding on someone else’s home. She fed Dante some meat from her plate, and he gnawed on it happily in her lap. She didn’t mind as long as he didn’t miss and bite her instead.

She felt bad that she had caused such harm to come to Samathan, she didn’t want to mention it or remind herself of it. She hated the embarrassment it would cause her. “I hope your okay.” She knew that the healing spell would take its course and that he would be fine. She had seen magic working and, although she didn’t understand it, she knew that t would heal. “You’ve lost a lot of people then. . .” She didn’t know what to say at such a time. It was a touchy subject for most and she didn’t want to intrude on anything. He would elaborate if he wished.

Samathan nodded at her kind words "Thank you for your concern my friend, yes I shall be okay. It sometimes just takes the magic a little time to do its thing, and with the number of times I was hit by the Kryloc it will take a bit longer," he explained then took a bite of his food. Samson lay in his lap purring and also nibbling on a piece of meat happily "Yes I have lost many dear to me, my mother and father were murdered before me by Dark Elf bandits when I was but five as you already know. There was a woman whom I loved greatly who was taken from me one dark night, I heard her scream and ran after her," he said a tear flowing down his cheek "but..but I was too late Shadeen, I found her bloodied body lying in the grass. Her killers had tried to...do things to her but had failed." These memories were painful for him to recall but he had to tell them "She was killed by Dark Elves, I would recognize their work anywhere."

He then looked over into her eyes "That is why I could not lose you Shadeen. I care about you and never want to lose one who is dear to me ever again," he said and took another bite of his meal before saying "I am sorry to burden you with all this but there is one last thing I must talk to you about my friend. You may have seen it in my eyes during the fight, I wanted to speak with you about it but I am..afraid as to what you will think."

She shifted a bit in her chair, unsure of what to say to such a personal account. She really had no comfort to offer since nothing of the like that ever happened to her. She had happily left home with both her parents waving her off and wishing her well. She couldn’t relate to such things and so she never tried.

He had said something similar to her in the Green Gryphon and her response would be much the same now as it was then. “You can tell me,” She sat back and stroked Dante.

Samathan blushed softly 'Really? I can?" he said and looked at the floor for a moment "Well I like you as more than a friend but I am worried, you seem to like that man Varonen more," he admitted "It's just that when I met you, you brought a smile to my face, and I hadn't smiled for quite a while." His shyness was fading as a result of them having spent time together "I know its none of my business but I can't help being jealous. You are just such a beautiful young woman and well I must admit I would love to get to know more about you to possibly grow closer," this last word caused the slightest of blushes to rise on his cheeks. He took another bite of his food before swallowing and looking at her "If you wouldn't mind I would like to entrust you with my elven name. It is something we High Elves only reveal to our kin or others we trust greatly," he said with a smile.

Shadeen felt that she was someone that could keep someone’s trust in her. However with something as powerful as love, or even infatuation, it seemed as though it was a burden more than a trust. She wasn’t sure what she should do or even how she should react to something so great. It was odd. . .how she considered herself trustworthy but didn’t want the trust. It was also odd how she could become withdrawn inside herself when she considered herself to be a nice, friendly, outgoing person. She thought of Varonen then. . .She did like him. She wasn’t sure how much or if it would grow. It was hard when it came to things like this. Hard to decide. Hard to think. Just plain hard. She didn’t like it, and she didn’t like being put in a situation like this. It wasn’t often she was called beautiful either, and it made it awkward because she didn’t know how to react. She squirmed in her seat until Dante meowed at her to ‘stop it’. She composed herself and thought through her response once . . .twice. . .thrice. She just wasn’t sure what she should do. She took a deep breath and just said it.

“Here’s the thing. This is a bit awkward for me. It isn’t as though I don’t like you. I just don’t like you putting me in these kinds of positions. It makes me uncomfortable and I’m just never sure what I should say or what’s appropriate to say. I would like to get to know you better, but you’re leaving me in a bit of an odd position. I don’t necessarily mean anything offensive or mean by it, but I’d rather just enjoy myself and have some fun, instead of worrying what to say or how to act or if I’m sending you signals that I don’t even know about. I hope you understand.”

Samathan nodded as she spoke and he listened intently to what she had to say "I want you to have fun Shadeen, that is why I brought you on this adventure as well as in a hope that he would grow closer as friends. I realise now that I only care for you as a friend," he said with a warm smile. He became much more at ease around her and became his normal self again "Umm Shadeen, you are my friend so can I ask you for some advice?" he asked. He was thinking about a certain elven woman he had met recently at the Taras Docks and wanted her advice.

“You need my advice?” Shadeen was a bit confused, but she would gladly give any advice she had to whatever problem Samathan had. She finished off her food and set the plate on her lap for Dante to lick clean.

“I’ll gladly help any way I can.” She smiled.

Samathan smiled at her "Well my true name is Kyrus," he said "Kyrus Lynin." He had just revealed his elven name to his friend "What I need advice about is this. My wife Aris has returned, I thought I had lost her, thought that she had been killed. But she has returned to me and oh what a joyous reuinion it was. I want to get her something to show how much I missed her, how much I am glad that we are together again. What would you suggest" he asked.

This confession of a wife shocked her since he had been trying to gain her hand mere hours earlier. She thought of his confession of jealousy and his confession that he liked her. The things he had said before and now suddenly he had a wife. She was suddenly very put off, very unsure of this man sitting before her. She shifted in her chair not knowing what to do or say.

“A. . .rose?”

She didn’t know what else to say or do. She looked at him in a different light. Someone who had a wife and was here with her now. She stood up from the table, taking up Dante in her arms.

“I’m sorry, Samathan. . .Kyrus. I didn’t know you had a wife. I think I should leave now.” She staggered out through the doorway and disappeared into the foliage outside.

Kyrus got to his feet and went after her, he caught her by the elbow and turned her to face him "Shadeen don't go," he said "I am sorry, I wanted to tell you about my wife earlier, but I was only reunited with her recently. It all happened so quickly "besides you only said you liked me as a friend? Gave me the feeling that you liked Varonen more," he said. "Now come back with me Shadeen, I want you to see the Grove, I want you to journey with me." He held her arm and looked at her as he waited for her to speak "I love my wife, she was lost to me for a long time and I did have feelings for you Shadeen, real feelings but you said you only liked me as a friend. But my wife is back now and my love for her has been awoken, please Shadeen we can be friends can't we?" He didn't understand why she was acting this way, it confused him no end.

Kryus caught her by the elbow and she seriously considered yanking it out of his grip. She didn’t. Shadeen stood and let her jade eyes bore into his blue ones. She did want to go to the grove but just seconds ago he said he had a wife, and seconds before that he admitted he liked her more than just a friend. She wasn’t sure what kind of man would have a wife and hit on her as well. It annoyed her, frustrated her, and she didn’t want to be with a man like that.

“So let me get this straight,” Contempt crept into her voice. “You bring me here, hold my hand, dance with me, tell me that you want us to be more than just friends. You say you care about me and that Varonen makes you jealous. Yes I like you as a friend, or did, but this. This.” She shook her head violently and then did pull her elbow out of his grip. “I mean seconds ago you said you liked me as more than a friend, and now you suddenly have a wife. When did this happen? Before we even left? I can’t. . . I don’t like people like this. People who can do this. Hit on girls and have a wife. Your. . .” A noise of frustration escaped her lips, and she stared at him, demanding to get an explanation for all of this.