Zydus was on his way back to Kellen. He had enough of travelling for the time being and was ready to get to the his home, left to him by his old friend and mentor. He walked along slowly, taking his time for it was a glorious day out -- about 10am as he far as he could tell. He had left early, as he was anxious to get back to Kellen and see all the locals again. He also wanted to just relax, for he had not relaxed peacefully in his home for a long time.

Zydus decided to stop on the way, so he could lie on the grass and let the sun beam down on him. He also wanted to rest. He knew that he should've gotten a horse a long time ago and regretted it many times, for he liked to travel a lot. Tiredly, he lay on the grass and gazed into the sky, falling asleep after a few minutes. He began to dream of the moment when he would meet his mother, or hopefully any other unknown family that Zydus never knew he had.

Brynn had been told that a man in Kellen was selling longbows for half the cost of those in the cities. After thinking about it for a couple of days, Brynn decided it would be worth the walk and money - she was beginning to get sick of having to have physical contact with her work. A bow would be perfect for her.

She set out early with her few possessions and didn't stop all morning. By near ten, she was starting to feel like a small rest. As this thought sprung to mind, she was on the Debon Plains and it started to seem like a very good idea.

Suddenly, she stopped and turned to look in the grass. A man was lying, asleep, looking quite peaceful. Brynn recognised him as Zydus Kelsin - Sir Zydus Kelsin. She smiled slightly and went over to where he lay, crouching down beside him in the grass, her shadow falling over his face. She was about to say something to wake him when a thought flitted across her mind: he looks almost too peaceful. I wonder if he is still alive?

She was almost afraid he was, though she wasn't sure why. Perhaps because he was of the few nice humans she knew. Gently, she reached out to touch his face, just to check ...

Zydus dreamt quietly. He never was the type to call out or speak in his sleep -- even in the most frantic of dreams. He dreamt that he had found out where his mother was, but he didn't know where. The dream, slowly began to become clearer in his mind;

He was wondering through some myst. It was very dark out, and in his dream he began to think about where he might be. Unsure in his mind, Zydus kept going forward. His dream led him to a small, fenced off area. He walked through the gate, but the myst was too think to see through. Suddenly, Zydus tripped over a large object, and to his horror it was a gravestone. He let out a small, deep shout in fear at where he might be. For in this dream, he was in a graveyard -- the place he hated most. He looked at the gravestone which had tripped him, and he cleared some sand particles off the writing. It said 'Here lies Geraldine Kelsin -- found murdered outside Taras...' He began to scream in his dream...

Suddenly, Zydus awoke with a frightful scream. His eyes quickly opening, nearly in tears...

Brynn jumped when Zydus awoke, screaming, but from the look in eyes, she knew he wasn't properly awake yet. She did the only thing she thought of - she put her left hand on his forehead and took his right hand with her own and gripped it firmly but gently. She remembered that that's what her mother used to do when Brynn awoke from a nightmare.

"Zydus," she said softly to him, trying to make eye-contact. "It's Brynn Ryder. You're okay - are you awake now?" She transferred her left hand to the hand she was holding. Her heart slowly began to calm itself, after the initial terror of him screaming.

Zydus' eyes were basically crying, as they were full of tears. His eyes looked about confused, and then quickly it came back to him that he was in the Debon Plains. His heart began to slow down, and then he realised that there was someone with him. He could feel their hand switch to his right hand. It was a soft, and reassuring touch that whoever this was gave him. He suddenly heard a recognisable voice and heard the words Brynn Ryder. His eyes began to clear, and he sat up slowly.

Zydus was quite embarassed at having been seen by someone when he was screaming -- even though he couldn't help it. Reliefed, he said looking at Brynn. "Oh...Brynn. It's great to see you again." He still had a shaking feeling in him. He was afraid that the dream was true -- that his mother was dead! He looked about him, and was even made even more relaxed by the warm Sun beaming down on them.

As Zydus sat up, Brynn put one hand on his shoulder, to steady him, but her right hand remained with his. She saw the tears in his eyes - that must have been one heck of a nightmare, she thought. "It's good to see you, too," she said honestly. "Though perhaps under better circumstances ... are you alright?" It may have been a stupid question, but one could never be too sure. "Do you need a drink or something to eat?" She wanted to help him, but it had been so long since she had helped anyone that she was trying anything that might help.

Zydus looked at the grass in front of him. He was still quite embarassed at what had just happened, though he was happy it was someone he knew who seen him, rather than a stranger. He tried to quickly forget about what had just happened, even though the dream raced through his mind. "Not really a good way to meet...only for the second time, as well."

Zydus gazed at the clean blue sky, and looked at Brynn when she asked him would he like something. Waving his left hand slowly, he did not need any food or drink. "No, I'm fine...but thanks, anyway." The dream made him think even harder about what he would do, concerning his mother -- was it a dream, or a clue as to where his mother could be? He liked Brynn's reassuring touch. "Thank you. I'm fine now...just a bad nightmare, that's all."

Reassured that he was okay, she sat down next to him, still holding his hand, though she hadn't noticed. She too looked at the sky then back at her companion. "It must have been a bad one, if you don't mind me saying so." She didn't mention his tears - he looked embarassed enough as it was. She hesitated, then continued. "Do you want to talk about it? Sometimes it helps." Brynn repeated her mother's words, though it caused her slight pain to think of her.

Zydus didn't really want to talk about the dream. Though, because it was Brynn, he decided that he should. He trusted her, and it was better to get things out in the open rather than let it eat you from the inside. He was unsure of how to tell her what had happened in the dream, but he started anyway. "...well...it was about...my mother." He paused for a second and then decided to let her know why he probably had it, and what it was about.

He started off again. "I've been searching for my mother...for quite a long time." He smirked slightly. " -- if you can call a year, a long time. You see, my mother abandoned me when I was a young child. She left me outside an orphanage....and well, I was there until a became a Page with an Old Knight -- that's how I arrived in Kellen. From there, you I lived normally as a Page, then an Apprentice and so on."

Zydus paused for a small while again. "...the dream, though...was not a happy dream as you mustve seen from the way I acted. I dreamt I was in a graveyard...and there, I found a gravestone with my mother's name written on it." The dream began to race through Zydus' mind once more, and he closed his eyes for a few seconds...

Brynn listened to his story, her face hardening. She missed her mother terribly, so she knew the pain must be so much worse for him - not knowing anything about his must be harder to handle then the knowing of her death.

"That's awful," she said, quite unhelpfully, but made up for it by squeezing his hand gently. "You've been searching for a year now? Have you found anything yet? Do you have a clue as to her whereabouts?"

An idea was beginning to come to her, but she wanted to find out as much as possible before she said anything to him. She needed to decide before she asked him.

Zydus felt Brynn squeeze harder on his hand, but this didn't bother him. He listened to Brynn's questions, and then opened his eyes. "I have found...nothing about my mother. I have searched everywhere I thought she might be at -- but I have dared not go near graveyards." He looked carefully around the plains. He had nothing else much to say to Brynn about his mother, for the only thing that he knew about her, was her name. "Remember when we were in Taras? Well...I was checking out my old orphanage for information, but they turned out as helpful as talking to an Orc." He smirked.

She barely had time to feel sad about his lack of findings, when he made her laugh. It was a sweet sound, one she herself had not heard in a long time. She stopped quickly, as though the sound would burn her, and bit her lip. She knew she could help (after all, she did find her sister after three years), but was she willing to? Brynn looked sideways at Zydus. She didn't have any ties in Taras, or any other place for that matter. Would it matter if she left there?

"You know what?" she said suddenly, surprising herself. "I like you, Zydus. And you better take that personally, because I don't like many people. Actually, I don't know many people. But that doesn't matter." She looked across at him. "We don't know each other all that well, so there are many things about me you're not aware of. One of which I will divulge right now: for three years I tracked my sister. And I found her. Yes, it took a while, but I did find her. I've tracked many people since. And many other things, too.

"What I'm saying is - if you like - I could help you find your mother. If you want."

Brynn fell silent. She hadn't said so much in an awfully long time; it felt slightly strange. But everything she said was true. If Zydus did want her help, she'd go with him and help him. If he didn't, she'd return to Taras and go back to her life as a rogue. The first option was much more appealing, but it was his decision. She bit her lip again and waited.

Zydus liked to see people laugh, and liked to make people laugh even more. It cheered him up greatly. He continued to listen to Brynn, and his opened happily into an embarassed smile. "Sure, if it's all the same I like you too...you're one of the few people outside Kellen who I have actually gotten on with." Zydus listened to the rest of what Brynn said, and greatly acknowledged her offer of helping him find his mother.

He stayed quiet for a while, thinking about if he should let Brynn help him. It wasn't that he disliked her or anything -- he would love her to help him, if she wanted to. It was just the dream that kept him thinking. What if his mother was dead, and Brynn had wasted a couple of years of her own life trying to find his mother? He decided that he would let Brynn help him, though he would tell her what could happen.

He started to talk again. "Brynn...of course I'd love you to help me, but it must be your own choice. You do know that...that my mother could be...dead, and I wouldn't want you to waste your time helping me, if that was the case. It's your choice, you may think about it, if you wish." Zydus stared at the grass, awaiting her reply.

Brynn was quiet for a few minutes, her face serious, as she listened to Zydus' words. She was watching the grass just beyond her feet. Silence fell between them, and she realised it was her turn to speak. She turned and looked at Zydus, tipping her head to one side slightly. She knew what she was going to say; she'd thought about it in those silent moments.

"Finding someone is never a waste of time," she said seriously. "Even if the conclusion is death. And I have thought about it - otherwise I wouldn't have said anything. Is that why you're going to Kellen? To try and find some information? Zydus, I said I'd help you and if you want me, I will." She smiled at him, then said seriously, "Besides - I'm not afraid of graveyards."

Zydus smiled at Brynn. He believed that she truly wanted to help him, and so he would let her without any interference. Zydus looked back at the grass, and then lay on his back on the grass. He had his arms beneath his head. "Great!" He was happy Brynn had decided, on her own, that she would help him, rather than Zydus haviong to ask her. He lay staring at the clear blue sky, squinting his eyes sometimes when the sun came into view. "As I said, I'd love you to help, but I wasn't going to Kellen to look for information - well, not information that I know of getting from there."

He paused for a few seconds, trying to think of what he will do after he leaves Kellen and goes on his travels again. "...well, at the moment, I was actually heading to Kellen to stay there for a few days. I have a house there. Well, a house that was left to me...so you know."

Brynn nodded - she'd heard about inheritance a while back, and she'd always wished she'd had some rich relative to leave her things. No use in dreaming, though, she'd told herself. "I'm heading there to look for a bow - I heard someone was selling them cheap ..."

Brynn pulled her water from her belt and pulled the lid off the skin. She took a sip of the sweet water and looked out across the plains. She felt relaxed, and this fact alone made her wary of her surroundings. She did up her water skin again, then glanced at Zydus. "Are you sure you don't want any?" she asked him.

Zydus was still staring at the sky. He was comfortable, and still didn't need any food or drink. Calmly, he said. "No...I'm fine. You just keep that for yourself." Zydus prefered not to take anything that didn't belong to him, unless he needed. This time, though, he wasn't too thirsty or hungry. Anyway, he was planning to go to the local Inn once he arrived in Kellen. There he would eat and drink what he needed to.

Zydus finally sat up, and looked around. He had planned on getting to Kellen before noon at least, he hoped. "Well, since we're both going to Kellen. Would you like to be my companion for the rest of the walk?" He smiled sincerely. "Do you want to leave now...or in a small while?"

Brynn smiled at the offer and nodded. "I'd like that," she said simply. "As for when we leave - it does not matter to me, my business can wait for days." She smiled again, though she didn't know whether this was strictly true or not.

Zydus smiled, a lowered his head in acknowledgement. "Ok, lets wait here for a while longer then?" He also didn't want to leave straight away, as he liked to stay out in the sun, especially in the mornings. He gazed around the plains. The sun had made them look a lot more attractive to look at. He lay back again, since they would be staying for a while longer, and stared into the sky. "If you want to move on, then just tell me." He smiled.

"Okay," agreed Brynn, and she lay back next to Zydus; she was wearing leather pants and a white shirt and thick boots - she had her cloak on, though, so it covered her a bit and added to the warmth of the sun. After a minute or two of staring at the sky, she shifted uncomfortably and sat up. Something was pressing rather painfully into her back. She reached back and unhooked her dagger from its small scabbard. She sat staring at it for a few minutes, frowning. She loved this dagger, but it had caused so much hurt and pain for people ... she hated it.

Zydus glanced over at Brynn as she sat up. He noticed her pull out a dagger, and look at it. He lay on his back, staring at the dagger. He wondered what sort of things she has done with it. Zydus still didn't even know what class or profession Brynn actually was. He lay there staring into the sky, glancing at the dagger every now and then. Everytime he looked at it, he wondered what that dagger has done. He didn't suspect anything bad, but he still thought about it. "Anything wrong?"

Brynn turned to look at Zydus when he asked her the question that had so many answers. She didn't know what to tell him. In a way, everything was fine; but everything was also terribly wrong and had been for years. She couldn't tell him the truth - it wasn't that she didn't trust him as a person; Brynn was afraid that he'd run off if she told him what it was. They didn't know each other that well yet, even if it did sometimes feel like it.

"No, everything's fine," she said, looking down at the dagger in her hands and turning it slowly. She marvelled at the perfect silver blade. "I just - nothing's -" she faltered. How could she put it into words? She ran her fingers through her hair, which was down today. "Was this how you thought your life would turn out?" she asked him finally. "I mean, did you know that this was what you were going to be doing?" Her eyes shone with tears held back.

Zydus sat up slowly. He didn't know how to answer. "Brynn?" He wasn't sure what was wrong with Brynn. Sure, he didn't know a lot about Brynn's past or anything but he wasn't sure what brought this on. He looked at her, and then answered her question. "I hate having to do this...I hate having to search for my mother." He paused for a few seconds, and looked at the dagger while beginning to talk again. "I thought as a young child, whether to search for my mother. Only last year did I begin, because I have no other family..." He wasn't too sure about what he was saying, but he said it anyway.

A tear spilled onto her cheek, and Brynn wiped it away angrily, hoping Zydus hadn't seen it. "But you thought about doing it, then - looking for her, I mean." She suddenly felt guilty then - he had no other family, yet she had deserted hers. "It's really brave, looking for her," she said, wiping her face. She took a deep breath and looked out across the plains, away from Zydus. "I'm sorry," she said quietly. "I don't know why, I just ... felt really bad for a few seconds. I'm ok now," she lied, but it sounded convincing enough. She looked back over her shoulder at him and smiled faintly. "My sister was dead. When I found her. Shot by people who wanted money." She laughed bitterly. "They picked the wrong family for that."

She ran her sleeve over her face, wiping it. "I'm sorry," she said, sighing. "I don't know what's wrong with me."

Zydus' face saddened. He looked at Brynn, and noticed her wiping her face. He put his hand of her shoulder, as a way of comforting her. "There is no need to apologise. You have done nothing." He looked at her dagger, and thought of what she said about her sister, and of the people who killed her sister. It suddenly came to him...the dagger...the people who killed her sister -- her sadness that seemed to have come suddenly because of the dagger.

Zydus began to think. Had she killed the people who murdered her sister, out of revenge? He didn't know what to think. His mind was completely muddled up. Finally, he cleared his mind. Whatever she did to her sister's murderers, they must've deserved it. He still didn't even know if what he thought she may have done, was true. He became confused again.

Brynn didn't say anything; how could she when what he said wasn't true at all - still, she didn't feel as guilty as she could have; she was convinced that she was doing the right thing and had been for months. But a very small part of her questioned this.

She turned around to ask whether he'd like to be moving on, when she saw his confused expression. Her heart sank. "What is it?" she asked slowly. "What's wrong?"

Zydus quickly looked at Brynn. He blinked quickly, as if to clear the confusion from his face. "Wrong? No, no...I'm fine." He smiled to try and make her believe him, even though it probably didn't look sincere. He trusted Brynn, and decided to himself, that she was not a bad or evil person. If she did what he suspected, then it was none of his business. He didn't want to fall out with Brynn, and so wouldn't mention anything to do with the subject. "Seriously, I'm alright...why anyway?"

Brynn studied Zydus' face, but he looked genuine enough. The one thing she could definitely tell was that he wasn't going to speak about it. So she shrugged mentally, deciding that if it was something really important he'd tell her. "Nothing," she said. "You just seemed really puzzled, that's all." She shrugged her small shoulders and, after a moment or two, stood up. "I should keep walking. You can stay, though, if you like, and I'll meet up with you in Kellen." She waited for a response, busying herself with putting her dagger back on her belt.

Zydus stood up. "Actually, I think I'll come with you." He wiped any grass cuttings off his clothes, and looked around. "There isn't much point of me staying around here now anyway." Zydus looked at Brynn, and watched her place the dagger back inside it's belt. He was going to try and just ignore the thought of it. "I'm ready when you are." He smiled, waiting for Brynn to begin walking.

Brynn began to walk, Zydus at her side, glad of his company, but also slightly wary. Her cloak blew out gently behind her and as they walked she watched the small puffs of dust her boots blew up wherever she stepped.

Zydus looked around as he journeyed along with Brynn. He looked at the Sky, which was still nearly cloudless. Thinking about what to say, he began to speak. "Well, Brynn. What shall we do once we reach Kellen?" He was thinking about if they should go to the local Inn, or he goes home and Brynn goes to the person who is selling bows. "...as I know you migh want to go and find the merchant when we arrive." He stared ahead as he finished talking, and continued to walk slowly.

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OOC: :) Still on holidays, but I got on the net for a while.

Brynn looked up at Zydus. "I don't mind," she replied quietly. "Perhaps if I go see the merchant and you go home, and we meet up at the inn later?" She didn't want the seller to run out of bows or something silly like that.

Zydus continued to stare forward, though still acknowledging what Brynn just said. "Yeah, I'm sure we could do that." He smirked in approvement at the idea. "As soon as we reach Kellen, we can split up and then maybe meet up later at the Inn then - just as you said of course." Zydus looked around as he walked along, checking for any sign of the gryphons that are said to be here, but to no avail.


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OOC: I'm back from my holidays now, so I'll be a lot more active.

Brynn nodded, but didn't speak. It had begun to dawn on her that nearly everything she did was associated with her work. She hadn't done anything without a sinister motive for a long time. It was a bit worrying, and Brynn bit her lip, trying to think of the last time she went anywhere without such a goal in mind.

As they walked, she managed to come up with going to the inn. She couldn't think of anything else she'd done and she frowned to herself.

Zydus walked his normal, calm pace the rest of the journey to Kellen. Looking over the road, he managed to spot a few houses which gave him the pleasant feeling of home again. Looking to Brynn, he smiled eagerly. "We're here!"He hadn't been home in quite a while and was happy to finally get here, after what turned out to be quite a dramatic journey - concerning his nightmare of course.
He led Brynn down to the village quickly, and then they stopped in front of the Inn. "Well...do we meet up here later then?" He looked around, finding the street that leads to his house.

Brynn grinned back at Zydus; his eagerness was contagious. She followed him into the village and looked around, half-watching where they were going, just in case. She'd never been to Kellen and enjoyed looking at it.

"Hmm? Oh." She realised they were at the inn already. "Yes, ok then," she said, nodding. "Good luck with your search, Zydus." She smiled at him, trying to make it look as sincere as possible.

Zydus was excited to be back home. He looked at Brynn, and quickly spoke, not realising how fast. "Yeah, thanks Brynn." Though, before he set offf he quickly corrected his error, smiling. "Sorry, so meet here in about an hour, then?"

[OOC: Have been inactive for quite a while. Sorry about that.]