From: alden@coos.dartmouth.edu (Laurie F. Alden)
Newsgroups: alt.pub.dragons-inn
Subject: [L] Luthor and Serene, Part 1
Date: 8 Oct 92 16:49:44 GMT
Organization: Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH


 ADMIN: Luthor and Serene are about to take the day off and tour the city.
         Luthor has just given her a blue rose, the flower of his family's clan.

  >  She accepted the blossom with a faint blush and a graceful hand.  "I
  >thank you, Maker of Shadows."  Not many minutes later, the rose was plaited
  >into her free-falling hair as the Fog Dancer appeared wrapped in a soft
  >grey cloak at Luthor's side.  Her voice softer than her usual barmaid's
  >brass, she asked, "Are you ready?  The sights of the city beckon."

     Luthor, try as he might, could not wipe the smile off of his face.
  Since the death of his wife, he had not been this happy or this optimistic
  about the future.  Now with Queen Shana dead, Rachel's spirit could go to the
  feasting of the Elven Spirit Islands.  There, she would dance in a
  shower of blossoms to wild elven music until they met again.

     Now was the time of Lathander, the God of New Beginnings. With his blessing,
  Luthor would find a fresh start here in Generica.  Here in Generica, Lathander
  seemed to be especially strong, not because of his presence or a temple.  It
  just seemed that here, everyone gets a second chance.  'Perhaps I shall build
  an altar to Lathander here in Generica so that many others can show their
  thanks,' Luthor thought, 'for now I have more pressing matters.'

     Serene and Luthor left the inn arm in arm.  Some of the partons
were shocked by this, not because Serene was with Luthor, but because
she was leaving the inn.  How would they order their drinks?  Who would
salt the potato bits?  Was the world coming to an end?  Did this herald
the closing of the Dragons Inn?  Some of the dark-corner types shivered
at these thoughts, others just shrugged and got wasted.

     The couple walked slowly from the inn.  The day was bright, but despite
  this, Luthor's clock was still just as BLACK as always.  Serene had expected
  to see it shine in the sunlight like silk, but it gave no reflection.  She
  touched the material and found that she couldn't really tell where it
  started.  When she did feel something, it reminded her of The Mists...cool,
  soft, and pleasant.  She looked up to see that Luthor had been watching
  her,  "Your cloak, it is so..."

     "No Serene, my cloak IS NOT.  It's like what people call 'Shadow Magic'.
  It doesn't have a real existance, but it slips between possibilities.  For
  example, do you remember when I cracked that plate?" He asked.

     Serene could not forget.  Littlefair had grumbled about it all day.  The
  strange thing about it was that it cracked into four exact quarters.

     "That plate had a chance of cracking in that manner.  I just helped it
  happen."  He paused to let this sink in.  "What every ShadowMaker must face
  is the fact that all of their 'magic' may have just been coincidence.  Without
  their interference, the event had a chance of happening anyway, and if the
  universe is infinite, it MUST happen somewhere..."  Luthor broke out into
  a broad grin, "Here is the first chance that I've had to be out with a lady
  in...well, too long, and I spend the time talking about ShadowMagic.  I am
  such a fool.  Why don't you tell me about your Mist?"

     Serene's smile spread to light her eyes.  "I am a Fog Dancer.
Everyone's interpretation of the Fog is a little bit different, but I
and others like me Dance with it.  In the cool mist, a Dancer can be
lifted, spun, gifted with vision, joy - it is for many an expression of
solitary wildness.  From time to time we share the Dance - for example,
to witness the first Dance of a new initiate, or to celebrate the
passing of seasons and weather.  When we dance together, it is fellowship.
When we dance apart, it is prayer.  these are the times when I have seen
mysteries - a dragon-jewel on the breast of my dear friend - or found
myself as the fog cleared many miles from where I began.  The early
morning mist is my favorite.  that is why I am called Uhtsong.  I have
a friend who prefers the fog which lifts from the snow.  We respond to
the joy of Dancing in the Fog, and the Fog responds to our needs with
protection or silence or joy."

     Luthor reached inside his cloak and pulled out a waterskin.  "As I promised,
  I have to make you drink some water and eat something."  At this point, Luthor
  took a careful look around this part of the city.  They were North of the inn
  in a rather rich looking section of the city.  Buildings of all shaped and
  sizes lined the streets.  Some were painted with forest scenery, others had
  complex and abstrace patterns of colors adorning their outside.  A few yards
  away, Luthor saw an open kitchen with a Halfling working furiously to keep up
  with the orders from the noon crowd.  Luthor could see that the poor fellow
  was being swamped by the orders...

     "Excuse me for a moment Serene, but I see a possibility," Luthor
said with a deep bow.  He ran over to the kitchen, lept over the
counter, and started cooking.  After a few moments, they started
preparing the food as if they were a trained team of circus jugglers
(ever see the movie "Cocktail"?  You get the picture).  They
anticipated the needs of the other and within ten minutes, they had
taken care of all the customers.  Serene jumped into the fray to serve
drinks and carry food.

     After the Halfling thanked him a few thousand times, Luthor jogged back
  over to Serene covered in a light dusting of flour.  He held some strange
  looking food which he offered to her.

     "This is a shrimp egg roll.  Don't ask me where he got the recipe, but I
  had one and they are marvelous.  The one that looks like it it a roll of paper
  is a chicken burrito.  That is Chamdest, a Halfling vegetable caserole.
  And this one I made myself, it is called di-oka-kran.  It's an Elven pastry,
  I'm sure that you'll like it," Luthor said with a small amount of pride.

     The light pastry fairly melts in Serene's mouth.  The spices and fruit
burst full-flavored and fill her face with a smile.

     "I didn't know if you were on any kind of diet...for your baby, so I
  brought a little of everything," explained Luthor.

    "Your cooking is wonderful.  We need lots of water and I am
enjoying just about any food I have run across - all the more from an
increased appetite.  Tell me where you learned to cook thus;  I haven't
tasted the like since we had a replacement cook at the Snickled Parrot!"

     "Thanks.  I travelled for a little over ten years with a Halfling, so I
  picked up his cooking skill."

The day stretches before them...

--
Ecclesiastes 3:8.5:  There is a time to fish and a time to cut bait.
lfa@dartmouth.edu
Newsgroups: alt.pub.dragons-inn