Thread: A Radiant Slither and the False God. (Clearsight, SomethingEsoteric)

Being an elf... Sometimes it just sucked. Valashya Sylvani had been born an elf several hundred years ago, though she had never bothered to keep track of just exactly how old she was, events marked her kinds life more than the short span of a year. Usually Valashya was appreciative of her heritage, even if her clan had been taken from her at an even younger age than her mere centuries of living, she had always loved her people. They were above other races, elegant and yet still strong, intelligent without sacrificing their leisure or enjoyment, they had simply learned how to live over the thousands of years their kind had roamed the planet. Yet it wasn't always pleasant, the same aspects that elevated Elves above the other races also made them carry a burden that at times seemed like a crushing weight. Such as never forgetting, remembering every last detail of every one of the millions of images that crossed their eyes, every sound and every emotion to the point of being able to relive something with a simple closing of their eyes. It was haunting at times. It was why Val tried not to think about her clan and ran away from her past by busying herself in every way possible. It was also why she would never forget the look on Avice's face as she died before her eyes. Of course numbness to such events and their emotions came along with the lifespan, a certain ability to separate themselves from an emotion, however that skill had never been mastered by Val. In fact she lacked a good deal of the refinement most Elves would pride themselves on, and while her abilities were still remarkably sharp even when compared to those of her kind, she lacked some rather basic traditions. None of that had helped her save Avice, she had watched the girl get cut down and then barely made it out alive herself. She wasn't exactly torn up about it, there had been no love, not from Val at least because she didn't believe in such notions. However she had come to think of the woman as a friend, and she was decent in bed, those two aspects caused a sadness to course through Val, that she couldn't save her, that the girl had sacrificed herself not because she was brave or proud but because she had followed Valashya to a place she shouldn't have been. Avice had been no fighter, she had been an amateur at best, and just because she wanted to be near Val... Yet silence had allowed for some calming on Val's part, there had been a silence since the ambush, she had not spoken to Hilde the entire trip back and it had been soothing. Of course part of that had been Val's personal way of dealing with whatever slipped past her tough outer shell, her overactive imagination. She had been eying Hilde constantly, not enough to be obvious but even from afar she had peered at the paladin with eyes full of desire, pushing her feelings of guilt aside for a strong more primal urge that had been around since the first time she met Hilde. The woman was gorgeous, absolutely incredible and for her to think that or a human made it all the more impressive. Yet she hadn't made a move, she had simply watched, using the woman as a distraction of sorts, even listening in on her little song from afar, a revealing little tune. Especially the part concerning never feeling the kiss of love. Val had amused herself over the course of their journey back on that one little line, using it as ample distraction, taking long lustful glances whenever Hilde was otherwise occupied. Yet nothing in the chaotic world they resided in stayed perfect forever, soon Hilde's rather annoying nature decided to make its appearance. They had been so close, the city was practically within reach, and yet the silence was broken and in the most annoying of ways. It brought an instantaneous sneer to Val's face. Curiously she had a knack for being quite majestic, even for an elf, where her sour or angry faces gave their intended impression but also had this almost unnatural beauty to them. It was just a natural phenomena that seemed to coincide with just about every aspect of the Elf. She stopped in her tracks and turned to face Hilde, her eyes expressing her fury more than anything else. I think you need to understand something Hilde... I don't want your damn apologies. I don't want to hear that this fucking shard was worth or not worth Avice's life. In fact I don't even want mention of that shard again until it's time for me to discuss my payment, and trust me I'll be getting my reward temple or not. She reached out, her rather delicate hand grabbing Hilde and pulling her forward with strength unfitting of her features. Her eyes glared into Hilde's and her sneer turned into a rather aggressive grin. Besides, while Avice was a friend we were not Arranged in fact there were no mutual feelings of affection beyond those I felt for her as one of the few people who I could count on. The sex was merely a nice stress relieving bonus... One I'll now have to satisfy elsewhere... There was no connotation in her tone, she wasn't expressing her desires towards Hilde, that would be too much even for her, but she was sure she would have to find someone else once they arrived, someone worthy of her rather skilled efforts. Besides... It's my fault she was there, she was no warrior and yet I strung her along on dangerous missions. My arrogance simply caught up to me and you happened to be around, that does not make it your fault, it makes it mine alone. Val snarled again and pushed Hilde back, averting her eyes and turning about to head in the direction of Freelton, a growling Let's just hurry up so I can get what's mine and get this fucking shit over with. Emotions, they were a pain in the ass and Val had less control over hers than most, always releasing her anger directly, going directly for what she wanted, and overreacting to the slightest provocation. However her current mood, traveling back to that damn friar and his promised reward, it was no the time, she would have plenty of time do get herself in order afterwards, at that moment she was curious just how much they were going to give her, just how much Avice's life was, just what they had planned after sending three people on a mission of obvious excessive danger where they could be ambushed by so many Ur-Priests. They had to have known, that shard had to be something special, and if she wasn't satisfied with their reward and explanation she wouldn't be so cordial.