Veronna walked up the path, her tunic covered with dirt and ripped up here and there from the trip up. When she reached the top of the volcano she looked down into it and saw some lava. A tear running down her dirt covered cheek, and another followed it. Soon she was crying, tears none stop.
She was a Drow, and Drow came with natures that many did not like, but Veronna always followed the Drow rules and it was hard for her to adjust to the light and to adjust to how people were up on the surface. She didn't know what path to follow, she didn't know what to do, where to go.

She looked back down at the lava, maybe she wasn't suppose to be anywhere, maybe she wasn't suppose to be alive. She walked closer to the edge. "What do I do Lolth?" She asked out loud. "Where do I go?" She was still crying.

She fell to her knees at the very edge of the volcano. She screamed so loud she heard it ecoe in the mountain range. She then put her hands over her eyes, trying to stop crying, it didn't help. The volcano rumbled slightly and Veronna looked down again. What was the point of life? Why did she even live?

She felt cold inside, though she was right at the volcano. She felt empty and sad. She started shaking and stood up and she pulled out one of her scimitars and looked at it. She was the Goddess of Blades, but what did she really do to be called that, to get to be immortal? Nothing. She didn't deserve it. She hadn't done anything ever since she's been the Goddess.

It wouldn't matter if she jumped, she was immortal, and she wished she wasn't. She looked at her scimitar again; it had her symbol on it, it was her own scimitar she had had since the Underdark, the symbol was just put on it when she was made Goddess of Blades.

"Bwael deshmal, dos inbal served uns'aa al, tu' d' dos." She said and she drew her other scimitar and threw them in the lava.
Maybe she could hide from her past, but that Drow that lived in her will always be there to haunt her.

She wanted to jump also, but it wouldn't work. And if she wasn't immortal would she still jump? Something seemed to hold her back besides the Immortality.

She sighed and sat back down tears still streaming down her face.

Master Ace had been climbing for a while. He could use a spell to make his wings usable, but he could use the work out. Climbing the volcano would help him build the muscles so he could actualy hold up his two-sided blade. He want to get a nice view down straight into the volcano. It would be the best course of action before he went inside the volcano. "I'll have to remember to get a new robe later on. I can't bring my oversized robe anywhere. But then again who be hanging around a volcano?," Master Ace thought to himself as he climbed the volcano. After a few minutes he got tired of climbing and took a break. "Why don't we do this the easier way," he thought to himself while he casted polymorph. He had learned to use the spell to change just his wings and tail. His ruby scaled wings grew till they had the wing span of the average human height and his tail grew till it was about five feet in length. Master Ace flew gracefully to the top of the volcano. The wind rustled through his flaming red hair.

Once he had reach top he noticed the path to the top of the moutain. "Why didn't I look for the path, that would have been much better than ...," His thoughts were disturbed by Veronna's powerful scream. He quickly turned his attention to her. She seemed familiar in some way but he could not think of how. Thoughts ran through his head, "What is she doing here? Who is she?" He glided down to her slowly. "Why the tears? It is a beatiful night. The glorious moon shines brightly tonight. So why the tears," Master Ace asked as he came down.

Veronna looked up to see someone flying towards her.
"Sevir uns'aa maglust! Usstan ssinssrin tlu a usstan!" she yelled at him. She stood up looked down the path that lead down the volcano.
She thought about running for it, but then she thought otherwise.
"Vel'bol xun dos ssinssrin?" she asked and then remebered that not everyone knew Drow.
"What do you want?" she asked him. She hoped that this man wasn't looking for her, she didn't want to talk to anyone.

She quickly wiped her face off with her hand and looked back up at him. She didn't know this man, and she didn't like to talk about what was going on in her life with strangers.

She still felt alone, even with this man here. She wanted someone to go to, to tell that person how she felt on the inside, but she hadn't found anyone, exept maybe that someone she had met a little while back...

"I'm sorry if I disturbed you, but it looked as though you were crying and your loud scream also gave a hint that everything was not well with you." Master Ace replied as he landed. He looked at her face.
She brought thoughts of his past to his mind. His father was no Drow, but his father's close freind was one. After his mother and then father disappeared, He was like a father to Ace. He called himself Alorous Veldan. This was not a Drowish name, but he liked to be called it none the less. He had taught Ace many things and was a powerful mage. He had left Ace too, but at least Ace knew how he left.
Master Ace shook his head and attempted to dispell the thoughts of the past. He wondered if he had missed her reply in his daze.

Veronna looked at him with a glare on her face. She didn't want to talk to this person about herself, but maybe it would be good for her. She looked down and forced the glare off her face and then looked up at him again. She saw that he knew a bit about the Drow, but he would never know how it was to be one.
"I will ask you again, what do you need?" She asked, she knew he expected her to talk, but she wouldn't mind hearing why he was here.

She looked down at the lava again then back up at the man.
"Oh, and who are you?" She asked him. Her red eyes were sad looking instead of the fierceness that was normally there.

"I'm sorry, How rude of me. I am Ace Draconis," Master Ace replied and then paused. He hadly ever gave his last name to people. "Why did I give her mylast name? Prehaps it is the fact that reminds me of my past or is there something more to her," Master Ace thought to himself.

Master Ace then continued, "I was out here for more or less a little bit of peace to work with my talents. I am also scouting out the area for my next field trip with my students. I am a magister at the Academy."

He looked into her sad eyes and asked, "I'm sure you'll tell me alittle about yourself as well, but why are you so sad?" As he looked into her eyes he could feel tears bgining to form in his own.

Zorgn looked across the volcano at the pair. Therab was not a place that Zorgn usually went to, but this was different. He had come to the volcano looking for a place to hide, people were after him and they wouldn't find him here. Not on the top of an active volcano that might blow at any second.

Zorgn had heard the scream, but nothing else. his ears were good, but not good enough to hear across the gap that separated him from the pair. Zorgn would not go over there, Ace was not someone that Zorgn was in the mood to meet. So, Zorgn sat and stared down into the center of the volcano. He watched it churn and throw molten rock into the air, only to harden and fall back into the lava. It was a sight that Zorgn would not forget.

Veronna didn't like talking about herself, she hated to remeber her past, she loved the Underdark but she was thrown out like she was trash. She stared into Ace Draconis eyes and began to wonder if there was more to him, but then again it didn't like there was.
"My name is Veronna Darkblade, I am the Goddess of Blades." She told him. She looked to the ground and was trying to decide if she should tell this man a little about her past, but she didn't know if she should...

"Usstan tlun biu exile dal har'oloth lu' natha disgrace ulu ussta lodias." She told him in Drow. She didn't if he could understand her but she prefered to talk in her own tounge.
She looked back up and loked at him. "Do you under stand Drow?" she asked him.

"I've heard it before from a good friend, but I do not know too many phrases, mostly simple words. I can do little more than carry a simple conversaion. He was more or less reluctant about telling people things of his past. It has also been several years since I last spoke with him and he was the only one I practiced the laguage with," Master Ace explained as his flame red eyes searched for her gaze.

Master Ace's thoughts returned to the past. His father was contsantly treing to get Alorous to tell Ace a little a bout himself and maybe even teach him to speak drow. Alorous procrastinated until after Ace's father left. Alorous lessons were hard to follow. By the time they had begun making an effective progress, Alorous had abondoned Ace as well.

Master Ace's thought returned to the present, "Prehaps I can understand if I concentrate more on the words. I wonder if she might teach me to speak drow better. But then again I suppose a goddess would have better things to do with her time. Why is she here? Why is she so sad? Prehaps I should have brought Draco along after all."

Veronna smiled weakly to herself. I guess I'm not the only Drow trying to had thier past... she thought to herself. She let out a sigh, she didn't know if she should teach it to him or not... She liked talking in it and no one knew what she was saying. She started to feel more calm, her thoughts of her past leaving a bit. "If you come to my temple maybe I can refreash your memory on how to speak it." She told him. She didn't like to see people very often but not many had been to her temple and she felt like she was the lowest goddess.

She closed her eyes and opened them again, a slight tear on her face but it wasn't much. She hoped he would take her offer.

(Sorry that it's so short...)

He could not say no as he looked into the saddness in her eyes. He didn't want to say no either, she had brought him memories of Alorous and some of the brighter parts of his past, even if she did aslo bring up the painful holes that followed.
"Sure, I'll come visit you some time. Prehaps while I'm there I can learn how to learn how to use my blades from the best," He said with a smile. "Despair, pain, sorrow... the gods are more mortal than I thought. It must be rough for her with all the expectations she has to live up to," He had never thought of going to the temple of blades to learn how to use Antepode. The academy of arms was the only thought that came to mind and that didn't get him anywhere.

(That's okay I how it can be when one has things to do. Once we finish with this I'll begin to make my trips to the temple. :) )

Veronna nodded with a small smile on her face. Ever since she was made goddess she had never tought anyone how to sword fight, when someone visted they normally just wanted to fight and that was it. She bowed her head to him, "I should be going, I hope to see you there, and I don't care if you come at night." She told him. She turned and started to head down the steep trail of the volcano.

All the divine had pasts, most not very happy ones like hers. She looked back at Ace Draconis, she hoped he would come, she needed something to do to get her mind off her past.

She looked down the trail and knew it was going to be a long walk, she then had an idea, "Elghinyrr, Usstan lar dos nin, doer ulu uns'aa" She called out and she stood waiting, and then fianlly a Nightmare came running up to her. Veronna smiled and stroked Elghinyrr on the neck. She flung herself on the Nightmare and started to trot down the mountain, it was going to be a ruf ride but Veronna didn't feel like walking.

Master Ace watched her go. "Surely she wouldn't mind my coming at night after all it is the best time of day, for her kind," Master Ace thought as he recalled her parting words. He remembered that drow were sensitive to the light, especialy broad daylight. After she had left he moved over to the edge of the volcano. He sat on the edge and stared down into the churning lava. He saw it toss molten lava in the air and began to wonder. "If I were to jump, how long would it take for me to lose it all," He thought to himself though he had no intention of finding out. Master Ace would be pleased sitting here for a few hours just staring into the heart of Therab.