Newsgroups: alt.pub.dragons-inn Subject: [L&S] Bright Lights, Big City Message-ID: <93057.093440ASG102@psuvm.psu.edu> From: The Dreamer Date: Fri, 26 Feb 1993 09:34:40 EST Luthor's spirit soared with the feelings of happiness that he could feel from his guests. With the sweet tones of the Elven Minstrels playing in his ears, he smiled and danced between groups of guests. Most of them smiled and laughed and gave him a knowing nod when they had his attention...except for a few of the dark corner types who quickly found that Elves didn't like to have any corners at all in their rooms. Indeed, the main entertaining room was rounded, its shape aiding in the acoustics of the music which seemed to come from all directions at once. All day, he had been watching the strange mage 'Raelf and his "pitza" food, not to mention a portal that he had just decided to set up in the middle of ShadeHaven. Luthor looked at the portal with his mage sight and shook his head. All that magical energy leaking all over the place unshielded and messy. He made a mental note to talk to 'Raelf about the fine are of subtlety in the near future. Serene waved to him across the room and gestured to Mista who had decided to take a nap in the midst of a party. Luthor chuckled and waved back... then moved on to the next group of guests. And so it was in ShadeHaven, the home of Serene, Mista, and Luthor. The party rolled on to dusk at which time there was a pause as everyone went outside to watch the sunset. The background orange of the sky was streaked and splashed with yellow, red, and an odd shade of purple. Together, they composed a most breathtaking display of nature's beauty. Luthor held Serene close and smiled. It was a good sign. When they returned to the main room, Serene's band played their alien music much to Luthor's delight. He found that their music, although not as precise or artistic as his minstrels, had an almost primitive attraction to it. He enjoyed it more because it was this time that Serene would stop socializing and dance. Seeing her dance made him understand why the Fog had taken her as a mate. Her motion was many things at once: uninhibited, relaxed, free, and passionate. Shortly after sunset, the evening meal was served, Generican Baked Cod and Lemon Chicken with lots of spiced rice and some crispy fried potato chuncks that Serene recommended to go with the fish. All of the guests enjoyed the meal...all except the Rabble who seemed to be suffering from indigestion caused by 'Raelf's pitza. Luthor checked on them from time to time saying things like "You are damn fools for eating so much" or "Such is the price of gluttony" in the language of Golden Elves. He made his words sound sympathetic so they would not catch their true meaning and think him a poor host. Halfway across the room, Raye heard what he was actually saying and smiled to herself. The remaining daylight vanished from the sky and was replaced by a clear and star-filled blanket of night...clear except for a low and very thick fog which rolled in just after dark. It came to the party and flowed between the guests, startling a few, but none who really knew much about Serene. The Fog was welcomed here by Luthor when he saw it. In response, it played with the ShadowStuff of his cloak and then went looking for his daughter. When time premitted, Luthor walked on to the back porch and looked at the night sky. Unconsciously, he looked for familiar constellations as he had done when he was a child. He found none. He had been born on another world with another sky, but this sky was his home now. He would just have to adapt. Luthor sighed as a moment of nostalgia came and passed...then he got an idea. He reached deep inside his cloak and pulled forth a rather large gem of a deep blue hue. It was then that Serene joined him outside. "Mista's father is here," she said with satisfaction clear in her voice. "I know. I welcomed him into the house...for some reason, I think that the sunset was his gift to us." "Perhaps. Oh, what have you got there? Another gift?" Serene asked indicating the gem. "No, this is the Gem of Chaos...or one of them anyway. It's something I picked up when I went back to Cormyr to avange my family's death. Anyway, it helps me with my abilities when I want to do something that's very improbable." A streak of light played across the facets of the gem. "And what are you planning to do Lord Luthor?" she said sensing his mischevious mood. "Well, I thought I would brighten things up a bit." With this said, Luthor sat on the porch in a lotus position and began staring deep into the heart of the gem. Forces clashed, solid and stable melted away into freeflowing liquid, streams of change formed and flowed through Luthor, into the night sky and to the North. Luthor found waht he was looking for...a remote chance, but a change nonetheless. He focused his will on a possibility the size of a grain of sand. With the gem's help, he added another grain...then another. Soon, Luthor was working with an endless beach. He contained this probability, waiting for the perfect moment. He could feel the pressure building...it wanted to be free. When the time came, he released his hold and watched the flood of maybe's surge into the night. Three held breaths later, there was a flicker of color in the sky. Then another. After a minute, bright sheets of light flickered and washed across the sky in a continuous display of dazzling patterns. "In my language, it is called 'Heaven's Light'. The humans of my world call it the Aurora Pineallus. I don't know if they have a name for it here..." Again, he fell into silence, being satisfied in watching the lights and holding Serene in his arms. Love and Peace and Aurora Boreallus, -The Dreamer- ADMIN: Offcial party time: midnight ADMIN2: Kadrys, where are you?