It was very quiet up in the treetops of the Norwood Forest. Not being a Wood Elf, the Moon Elf stuck out like dragon in a human village. Compared to the dark copper skin of the Eood Elves, her pale skin and grren/blue veins seemed... odd. The other Wood Elves her age looked down on her secretely, she knew, because she was not pretty in their eyes. At least, not pretty in their sense. But it was alright, because they were friendly people, if a bit mundane. Nothing exciting happened in this village except for in the summer when there would be a party almost every day.

Nessa Nenmacil sighed lightly as she sat quietly on a patch of grass, admiring the moonlight. Most of the elves had retired for the night, but Nessa had refused to sleep until she basked in the silver orb's light.

Something inside her stirred like the wind the pushed her silky silver hair around as if it was almost non-existant. "It's so quiet... No one to talk to. It's been almost a month since I started my journey and I've only met one other person, besides the elves. How am I going to complete my goals if I can't find anyone to help me...?" After a moment she sighed loudly and flopped back onto the grass. Someone would come, she had to trust that fact. And if no one came today, she would search out the only other person she had met while on her quest and seek his help, if he would listen... And if he could be trusted...

"Why do things have to be so hard?" Nessa mumbled, letting the wind carry away her soft, airy voice. Maybe someone would hear it and answer...

Gentol was out hunting again. He loved hunting in full moons, and tonight was one of those nights. There was something the moonlit forest that Gentol loved. As he walked, not paying much attention to the animals, but rather to the forest itself, Gentol heard a noise like mumbling coming from a nearby clearing. Slowly, he crept over close enough to observe, but far enough that his own movements seemed like those of animals.

Gentol watched the elf from afar. He had always been interested in Moon Elf since he had met very few of them. Being a friend of wood elves, he could almost walk as silently as they could. He walked as close as he thought suitable and said, “Things are only as hard as you make them.” He hoped the elf would not be startled by his sudden appearance, or he hoped it was a sudden appearance. “Hello, I’m Gentol,” he said, introducing himself, “I was out hunting when I heard you. I was curious as to who else would be out this late.”

When Gentol had spoken she had jumped up, grabbing her staff and holding it tightly. Seeing that it was only a person, and a seemingly nice one, she relaxed a bit but did not lower her weapon. "I was watching the moon." She said quietly, looking the man over carefully before pulling her staff to her side. Now she let her eyes travel across the man slowly, looking him up and down so she would remember him if ever they met again. He seemed safe enough.

"My name is Nessa Nénmacil, Moon Elf." She knew she didn't really need to give her race seeing as her skin, hair, and stature gave it away immediately to those that knew all of the races in Imythess.

“Oh, I see, you are a moon elf, after all,” Gentol said. “I’ve never really met a moon elf, though I’ve lived in the forest all my life. Usually when I blink, they disappear,” Gentol continued. He sheathed the sword he had held in his left hand. It was clear that this elf had no intentions of fighting.

Gentol found himself looking at the moon with Nessa. He sat on a nearby rock and placed his backpack on the ground in front of him. In it, there were many different plants from the forest. He had learned much from elven friends of what certain plants could do. He also had with him a large cloth used sleeping in the woods. He pulled it out of his backpack, taking care not to damage the plants’ containers. Gentol had been tracking animals all night, and his eyelids began to get heavier. He found himself yawning more often.

Gentol obviously thought Nessa no threat as he pulled out his large cloth and began to yawn. At first Nessa had been weary of the human man and his sword; after all, her staff was deffinately no match for a trained swordsman, not to mention she only knew limited melee attacks as her focus was to soon be towards magic and herbs. But soon her caution was replaced by confusion, but only after Gentol had replaced his sword for a blanket. The yawn had brought a smile to her face, making the silver specks in her eyes dance with the light of the moon.

"Tired? You mentioned you had been hunting all day so you must be exhausted." She returned to the position she had been in when Gentol had come upon her: lying back in the grass, staff on her right side, eyes on the moon.

It had been a long day for Gentol. He had only tracked one deer successfully, but he found it dead; killed by wolves. He had eaten various berries that he could find in the forest. His stomach was again telling him that it was empty. It growled a few times, and Gentol's face showed uneasiness.

"Yes, I am tired," Gentol replied. "Is there an elven city around here?" Gentol knew the forests by day, but he had trouble navigating at night, which is why he planned to sleep in the forest. He knew that if they were near a city, it would most likely be protected from wild animals and evil creatures, as were most elven cities.

Gentol’s hunger grew more. He looked around for some sort of berry bush to pick, but he could not see very well in the dark shadows. He did not want to complain about his hunger, but he knew that Nessa could see in the dark, being a moon elf. Gentol subconsciously put a hand on his growling stomach. He looked over at Nessa, waiting for the answer.

Suddenly a bright smile came to her face and Nessa stood, nodding a couple of times. "Yes. It is not far from here."She bent down and picked up her staff, pulling it close to her and holding it up an inch above the ground. The Moon Elf looked once more at the giant orb in the sky and closed her eyes breathing in its magic before starting off towards the Norwood Village.

Nessa was terrible with directions, but she had a pretty good feeling that she was going in the right direction. If at anytime she saw something that she didn't recognize, she would have to make an excuse. Of course the whole "I got confused by the darkness" wouldn't work because of her race, so with a sigh, Nessa spoke: "You'll have to forgive me, sir, if I get us lost. It was not intentional, I just have quite a time with directions." She looked back at Gentol for his responce.

Gentol put his blank over his back as though it were a cloak. The evening forest breeze gave him shivers up and down his back. He held his backpack in his right hand at his side. Gentol followed Nessa slowly. He was admiring the forest. He felt drowsy, partly because of elven enchantments and partly because it was late. "If we get lost, I shall sleep on the forest floor. I have slept in the forest many times before," Gentol said bluntly. It was obvious by his tone that he did not much care where he slept as long as he slept somewhere. "Where do you live? Perhaps I've heard of this village," Gentol said, trying to spark a conversation.

Gentol hoped that the village was near; the full day of hunting was becoming more obvious quickly. He walked slightly slouched rather than showing perfect posture like a knight should. They began to 'breath mist' as Gentol's mother always used to say. His brown eyes longed to hide behind their lids. Gentol suddenly realized he was lagging behind Nessa. He quickly went back near her.

The Moon Elf listened carefully to the noises the forest made, intrigued by some of the owl calls. Her eyes searched around and eventually found what she was looking for. There in the sky was an owl, gracefully hunting for food; she admired the creature for a moment before looking back at Gentol again, saying:

"I don't exactly live in the village. I've been staying there for a couple of nights, resting before I begin traveling again. I'm not sure if the village has a name. I'm sure it does, but my mother always called it Norwood Village. The Elven residences there must certainly have a different name for it, though. Perhaps you should ask one of them when we arive. It really shouldn't be too far. Just tell me if you begin to fall asleep standing." Nessa said the last bit sarcastically, almost making fun of the human. But then, absentmindedly she added: "I had a friend who use to do that... Fall asleep standing, I mean. It was always a hassell..."

When he saw Nessa look up, Gentol did the same. He saw the owl that been calling out. He noticed it dived down, probably after a mouse. When Nessa started talking, he looked at her then looked towards where he was going again. Gentol allowed the elf's vanity; he was like that with weaker fighters. He actually had laughed quietly when she told of her friend's habit.

"Tell me about this friend," Gentol said, pausing, wondering whether to say she or he. Deciding to use neither, he said: "It sounds like there may be an interesting story involved." Thick storm clouds blew in front of the bright moon, diverting Gentol's attention. The path was suddenly darker. The darkness hid even Nessa who walked next to him, or he hoped she was there. Gentol stopped saying: "Wait, I can't see in the dark like you can." The sound of a sword being unsheathed was heard, and after, a bright light appeared. Gentol had made his sword burn with a fire that only hurt those he wanted it to hurt. He looked at Nessa, wondering how she would react.

Nessa had opened her mouth to respond right away but Gentol had stopped her. For a moment she was confused as she heard the sound of his sword being unsheathed but then there was a bright light which momentarily blinded her. Once her pupils had adjusted, Nessa admired the sword, watching the flames carefully.

"My friend was named Cairion. He was very interesting to watch. He was very free spirited and said whatever came to his mind at the moment, even if it had nothing to do with the conversation at all. Sometimes he was a pain, but mostly he made me laugh." Nessa paused to begin walking again. She waited a few moments, gathering her barrings and checking around to see if she didn't recognize anything before continuing:

"Sometimes when Cairion was tired he would fall asleep where he stood. Once we were walking around in the Taras Library and suddenly I heard a thump behind me. When I looked back, Cairion was already snoring. It was very hard to explain to the librarian why I was dragging this boy around with me as I picked out books." Nessa laughed. "She probably thought I had poisoned him or something."

Gentol smiled as Nessa told her story. He longed for a companion. His only friends were the few he made with the elves. He never visited any of the elves he had met after his father died. He had tried to find the village on his own a few times, but he had failed. Gentol was finding he was disappointed that Nessa was not a real citizen of Norwood Village.

"I wish I had such a friend," Gentol said, accidentally mixing his thoughts with his words. "I haven't had one since my father died. I didn't know how to find the elves that I used to visit with him," he added after he realized he had said his thoughts aloud. He wondered if she would want to know about his father's death. If Nessa asked, Gentol would not be able to say no; she had told her story to Gentol.

Nessa stopped and looked to Gentol, her eyes becoming sad. "Your father died?" She whispered these words slowly and carefully as if it was painful for her to say. Thoughts began to pass through her mind before she could stop them and before she knew it she had spoken, curiosity pushing forward and taking over: "How?"

((easy post :P I copied the story from a different role play))

Gentol stopped, looking at the pale elf when she said: 'Your father died?' Her quick change in outlook surprised Gentol slightly. "Yes, he died," Gentol said after pausing. He no longer talked like a proud warrior. His voice carried feelings of sorrow, anger, and distress.

"When I was younger, my father, Sethel, took me with him when he would go hunting. Hunting, fishing, and smithing were my father’s ways of bringing money for my family. On one of those days, a pack of wolves decided that they would like to eat the deer that we were preparing to take home. As we were running, one of the wolves tore off my father’s feet off. I was able to scare off the few wolves that had followed us, three maybe, without any worse injuries than a few cuts, which are now scars. I then rushed my father home, but the wound was too bad, and he died three days later on the eighteenth of August,” He paused, “my fourteenth birthday." Gentol's voice fell silent. The sound of flames eating the air, wanting to grow was heard loudest. The watchful eyes of night owls, foxes, and other creatures were seen on the edges of the paths, occasionally catching light from the flames and shining eerily. The fire in Gentol's hand perhaps attracted the glowing eyes, or quite possibly, the intelligent animals were listening to the story. Gentol knew that most elves talked with animals, using them as spies to keep the forest safe.

Pain flickered in Nessa's eyes giving away her inner feelings as she turned away from Gentol and slowly began to walk again. Her mind was working around the situation, trying to grasp how Gentol must have felt while pushing away memories of her own father's death. Nessa touched the pouch she carried around her waist and felt through the thin cloth to the book within. In this small act she seemed to be comforted greatly and no longer did she feel so lost.

"I am sorry, your pain must be great. I too know how it is to lose a father..." Her voice was soft, barely above a whisper, but it seemed to somehow carry to over to Gentol in the silent night. Nessa lifted her eyes up to the sky and watched the clouds, willing them to go so she could see the moon. But the clouds did not leave, if anything they multiplied, promising to block off the heavenly bodies for the rest of the night.

"Well, I'm not going to ask you how he died, but if you'd rather tell me, I will listen," Gentol said, much more quietly that he had been talking before. He thought of his mother's death, and wondered if Nessa was motherless like he was. His curiosity forced him to say: "It was really hard after he died. My brother went to the war, and news reached us of his death. My mother couldn't take it. After that, it seemed like every time she saw me, she told me never to leave her. It ended up being the opposite."

He looked around, wondering if they were nearing the village. "We aren't lost, right?" He glanced at Nessa, and turned back to watch where he was going. He switched his sword from his left hand to his right, for it was not a light sword. Gentol looked around noticing there were no more creatures curious of the moving light; no more glowing eyes appeared just beyond the firelight.

Nessa was silent for a moment and then answered his last question, ignoring his other comments for the moment. "No, we aren't lost, though it is growing really quiet. And the clouds... I think there might be a storm..." Her eyes were once more upon the sky. She searched the clouds quietly and let her mind wander. [font=times]"I am truly sorry for your losses. So many deaths... My father... was killed. But that's it. I hope, I've lost touch with my mother and brother. Cairion is also dead." Her speach wasn't exactly poetic, it didn't even flow right, but she spoke as her mind told her to.

As Nessa watched the sky, her feet began to shuffle. Though she made no sound, her steps became sloppier and sloppier until suddenly she tripped and fell forwards. She let out a startled noise much like a scream mixed with a question so it came out something like: "Waiih!?" The elf pushed her staff forward in time to catch herself before she his the ground but her anger sparked suddenly and she turned and looked at the ground, searching for the weed or root that had tripped her. "Of all the times to be tripping... oh, now... which way was I walking... Ah, this way." Nessa spoke to herself quietly, spinning in a great circle before continuing on in the right direction, her eyes on the ground this time.[/color]

"I'm sorry that you lost your friend," Gentol said as Nessa looked at the sky. She fell as Gentol finished saying that, so he suspected she had not heard. Gentol had begun to laugh at Nessa when she tripped. He no longer felt awkward as he had from talking about his losses. "Are we close?" Gentol asked. His body was once again reminding him that he had been hunting all day. "I don't think I can walk much further without falling asleep standing," he said jokingly.

Gentol looked toward Nessa, wondering if she really did know where she was going. His eyes were only half-open. He noticed his spell was wearing out on his sword. It began to flicker more violently. "I can't hold the spell much longer," he said to Nessa, starting to feel upset from his fatigue. He knew they would not reach the village at the pace they were going, and he longed to sleep. Even though Nessa was a Moon Elf, Gentol would not be able to ask to stop. It was just another of his male quirks, pride. He did not like the thought of someone enduring more than he could...

Nessa had laughed quietly at his "falling asleep" comment, a smile coming to her face. She began to remember Cairion and felt a bit safer. The woods were making her edgy, the storm clouds making her worry, and tripping had made her angry. The Moon Elf was feeling a colliage of different emotions when she heard Gentol say, "I can't hold the spell much longer."

She sighed and looked back at the man, nodding to let him know that she had heard him. She continued walking, her ears pricked for any sounds that Cairion might have made when he fell asleep walking. For now, she didn't hear any of them. But her eyes were beginning to pick up on things that she didn't recognize: an bird's nest that she hadn't seen before, a fox den she most definately would have noticed.

Nessa suddenly felt a sinking feeling in her stomach and she stopped in her tracks. When she turned to Gentol, she looked ashamed and angry, her eyes narrow. "Forgive me sir, but when I tripped I think I was disoriented." Nessa chose her words carefully, not wanting to just come out and say: We're lost. Slowly, she looked around and then back at Gentol, expecting him to be mad or maybe even strike at her.

Gentol saw Nessa was intimidated by him and decided to be gentle with his frustration. "Don't worry, I'm not mad. I was planning to sleep under the stars tonight anyway." Gentol said, smiling. He released the spell on his sword. He knew Nessa would not be scared of what he might do because she could see him in the dark, and he trusted Nessa would not try to harm him. In the darkness, Gentol sheathed his sword, and took his backpack off. He felt around for the opening, and after opening it, pulled out his blanket. "Well, unless there's something you'd like to talk about, good night," Gentol said, wrapping himself in the blanket, protecting himself from the cold. "There's no reason to waste time searching for a place that is more sheltered by trees overhead," he said, remembering the clouds, "we'll be woken by the rain whether there's a lot of it or just the sound of it around us." Gentol lay on the ground, waiting for Nessa to say something.