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(( I don't mind anyone joining in, but be sure that your character would actually escort Elian to the harbor, until he leaves Gobaith! Of course, all of the Silver Sword are encouraged to join in the roleplay, and of course, Nayeli. ))

Elian slued the lid of the golden chest, appraising about the little commodities he had gathered.. no... garnered. Garnered was the word, for during the few months spent on Gobaith, founding the Silver Sword, he had quite well earned the goods that rested there. A sigh eluded his lips, taking nothing but a few coins, the arduous armor on his shoulders, and a randomly drawn sword onto the side of his belt, into a scabbard.

He gave a brief, farewell nod to Borgate, and with a deadening, nearly loath gait, digressed towards the southern gate. He leant his head as an Adieu to Nebar, and pressed the threshold's wooden door to a close, curtailing the acceding of the frosty breeze. He foiled both arms onto his metal chest, inclining his head as his hair fell down to veil his beauteous chestnut eyes, shielding them from the whip-like wind jostling flakes of snow onto his face.

A warm murk bilked from his mouth, at each breath, forcing his vision to evanesce gradually. His sight fleeted tardily, yet fresh vivid mental images came along his troubled mind. Images of his father.. of the dauntless men who sacrificed their own lives, to salvage his from execution, images his own men, the warriors that fought besides him, united under the brand of Silver Sword, and most dominantly... images of her.

But on the spur of the moment, the envisions overcrowded his mentations, cluttering his thoughts with dark cerebrations of what would come next. Or better, what could come next.

He advanced blindly, making his way onto the cobble-stoned path, dragging his cloggy armour with him, but he halted. Deluged by fatigue, he crumbled to the floor, seating onto the frigid snow, his respiration accentuating, as more mist rushed out of his mouth.

He closed his eyes momentarily, thinking onto the only person that had truly caught his heart. Would he go back, and stay with her? But what about HIM? He couldn't leave him in Salkamar.. What if it was all prevarications? What if he .. took her with him? No.. too hazardous. He cared for her life more than his own, this would simply make no sense..
He sighed again, this time deeply, as a single tear of an unbelievable scarcity trickled its way down his cheek, to land, nearly frozen, onto the snowy ground. He had just broken the promise he had swore to keep by his men.. 'A mercenary shall show no fear, no pain and no weaknesses.'
Then perhaps.. he wasn't mean to be a mercenary..

How could feelings be so smothering?

It was cold. Colder than it has ever been in the planes of Serin and Nayeli despised it deeply. Yet she stood there in the middle of the forest, dressed in her usual leather clothes for the hunt and stretched her bow. The last days she had spent in bed, since that cold weather had made her fallen ill, but now where the fever has lowered, nothing could have kept her in the hospital.

The young ama-shoon closed her hazel eyes and felt how her arms began slightly to ache due to the strain. She wrinkled her forehead even as she noticed how small that bow has become for her and in the same moment she had to ask herself how much time had passed by since she was hunting through forests with her sister. How long it was ago that she had spent time with her tribe at the fireplace. Singing songs of praising to Findari. Beating the drums. The scent of different herbs in the fire. The dancing. Her mother telling stories. Oh, how much she missed the Ama-shoons. How much she missed her family. Her old life.

Opening her glassy eyes again, Nayeli lowered the bow. She wasn't able to meditate, nor to have any clear thought. Not one single day passed by where she did not think back of her tribe and her small heart was growing bitter of the solitude she felt day for day. There were just a few person she felt comfortable around... and just one person who was able to make her laugh and forget her situation at least for some moments.
The sound of steps behind her, made Nayeli wince and quickly she turned around, eyeing the distance carefully like a young deer would and in the next moment she shook her head. She forgot that she was still close the borders of the forest and through the trees one could see the path that led down to the harbour. Someone was walking there and the heavy shoes were quite loud upon the cobble stone.
Nayeli narrowed her hazel eyes. That frame was familiar.
Quietly and agile Nayeli approached to the street, only to find Elian walking on it. She chuckled inaudible and just wanted to raise her voice, as she noticed his thoughtful gaze and that he had quite alot packed things with him. Nayeli frowned. The thought Elian being on his way to harbour made her heart cramp. Could he be leaving...?

"Elian!", Nayeli yelled and began to ran the last few meters after him. "Elian, wait!"

All the welter abruptly drained away of his thoughts as the familiar voice shattered the silence of his warm breathing. His regard was claimed towards Nayeli. He narrowed his eyes, halting his respiration, as to make out the small frame throughout the distance. He pressed off the floor slowly, the arousing sun plunging into the dawn sky, deluging it with its ablaze rays of crimson blood, suffocating every bit of darkness loitering behind shadows of trees.

"Nayeli?" Uttered Elian with a slightly unbelieving tone of voice, he blinked a few times, pressing himself off the ground, strapping the bag to his shoulders.

"What are you doing here?" He interrogated, his brows constricting a little bit a the thought of explaining to her the upcoming events..

"That's...", Nayeli paused and came to stop as she finally stood infront of him. Her slightly nervous flickering eyes searching for his. "... that's what I wanted to ask you. Where are you going?"

She tilted her head and grabbed slightly onto her bow, holding it close to her.

How unlucky can one be? He pondered to himself.. What would he do? Lie? No.. Perhaps he could tell her, he'd be back soon? No.. he wouldn't lie to her.. Even he didn't know what waited for him beyond, on the mainland.. He sighed yet again, lowering his gaze to the ground briefly, trying to avoid eye-contact with her.

"Nayeli.. I.. Well, I.." The word simply would not go, he could barely stammer his thoughts out.

"Nayeli.. I've been called to Salkamar.. I had to go right away.. I wasn't.. sure if I should have told you.. because.."

He simply halted his flow of explanation, gulping once as his hands shook a little. He brought both his eyes to a shut, falling silent for a moment.

"I'm not sure if.. I'll come back.. Nayeli..

Nayeli did a small step back. Why did these news shock her so much. Would she have to admit that he had actually grown close to her?

"You are not sure if you c... but... I mean... why?"

Calm, dressed in long brown elven robes and a hood pulled far over his face, watched from afar as Elian walked out of the tavern. He noted the 'weariness' in Elian's normally smooth walk. Watched in silence as Nayeli and the Captain of the Silver Sword spoke. Calm understood the emotion involved in their words, but couldn't help but to think to himself...What is the point of it all?

Why does he even bother to watch the humans? To watch them scurry around like tiny insects. For some strange reason inside his mind, though, he enjoyed it. Investing true emotion in the lesser races is little more than a waste of time. Throughout his life he has encountered humans that were truly noble. Worthy of remembrance, but they all die, sooner or later.

This one is no different, he thinks to himself; rather convincingly. He turns away, walking to the forest

All those memories were muscling their way through his mind, the cluttering emotions setting obstacles to his words. He simply couldn't speak out what he wanted to, but that didn't matter. He had to explain himself now.

The choice to take was atrocious. Would he choose his right, or his left arm? His right, or his left eye? Blindness, or insensitivity? Her.. or him?
The best alternative remained to drag her along, but he would be dragging her in a battlefield of blood, bones and dirt.

He couldn't do that, he simply could not. His stare elevated to the skies, glaring at the sun for a moment. He was already late.

"I don't know Nayeli... It's.. It's my father.. He might not be dead.. Explained the lad rather clumsily, his regard still not approaching hers at all. He felt like a scum. Like a scoundrel. But why?

He lowered to the ground for a moment, dousing his hand into the frail snow, compressing a handful in his palm, perhaps as an excuse to look somewhere else.

"I have .. I can't stay much longer.. Time is all that matters right now.."

Time. Time was that bastard that made him do bad decision. It was that riff rat that would cause him nothing but worries all his life.. And now, here it was again, to taunt him for a wrong choice.

Silence. She wasn't able to reply anything to this, she would not know if she felt happy for him that he might find his father, or sad about that he will be leaving her. Her gaze was hard to define as she was looking at him quietly.

After a few more seconds, seconds that felt like a whole eternity, she finally spoke.

"I see... I.. I will walk you to the harbour."

Such was the life of a Mercenary. Mercenary, as his last name, for it was way much more than he could handle.

His gaze avoided hers, looking everywhere except into her eyes. To the ground, to his sides, and finally, towards the approaching hulk.

He narrowed his eyes slowly, his eyelashes interlocking enough to ward off the blistering blizzard's assaults to his fragile oculi.

"Barz.. damn it.." He thought to himself, as he saw the orc approach with a determined gait. Great, today, truly was his day of luck.
First of all, he'd had to choose between saving his father, and perhaps be ensnared, or abide by the only somebody he had leaned to cherish and treasure. And now, he had to go onto another 'orcs-are-nice' convincing round with Nayeli.

He suspired clamorously, and conveyed his attention to the jeune fille again. His defunct, now grayed eyes were pleading. They were begging. Begging for everything and nothing.. He wanted it all to end.. He wanted to blink twice, and find himself in a warm, cozy house, Nayeli by his side, kids running around, his old father in a rocking chair outside.

But he knew that wouldn't happen. It was too easy to happen that way, nothing in life is easy. He learned that the harsh way throughout his life.

"Very well, Nayeli.. but only to the harbor..." He said very blatantly, and somewhat in a commanding tone of voice.

Boy, would he wanted to tell her; Alright, you can come with me to Salkamar, and we'll live happily ever after.. but he couldn't. He simply KNEW it wouldn't happen that way.

Nayeli nodded solely. She had yet not noticed the orc was approaching behind her. The young Ama-shoon shouldered her bow and walked past Elian, towards the harbour, waiting for Elian to catch up.

She kept her gaze lowered while walking. "I understand that you have to go...", Nayeli mumbled.

Elian nodded shortly then, yet another sigh rustling out from him. As the orc elevated his hand to salute, Elian shrugged gawkily, hastily bringing both his eyes to a shut, fighting off the flow of tears. Clenching his fist, he ascended his hand belatedly, bidding the sight of his open palm as a farewell greeting to the orc. That's what made it so hard, the fact it was a 'Farewell' salute.

Not quite knowing what to do, the lad turned around slowly, gazing over to Nayeli who had already started her walk towards the harbor, and followed silently, his regard slightly tilted to the side, as if waiting for something to sneak behind him.

He just couldn't wait anymore, or rather, make HIM wait anymore. His father had, from rememberance, sacrificed his life to save Elian's, now it was Elian's turn to pay the deed back. Would he finally know who his father is? Would he finally meet he man who bore the very blood that ran through his veins. It's been so long.. I don't even remember what he looks like..

Would he, and his begetter, at last foregather after many years? Yes.
Would it endure for long? .. No.