Newsgroups: alt.pub.dragons-inn From: ae771@Freenet.carleton.ca (Bronwyn Boltwood) Subject: [JOI] At the Inn Message-ID: Date: Mon, 25 Oct 1993 11:09:23 GMT We had reached the inn and had all had a hot, good meal (made better by the fact that we did not have to cook it) and after an evening of tale-telling and such, had all taken the wonderful luxury of a hot bath (which after so long was indeed a luxury worth paying for) and were sitting around downstairs in the lounge, clean and thirsty, drinking good warm ale. I felt that now was the time to speak. "Alarond, it is alright. I understand. Any fool could see that there was something special between Elanon and the others. And as for the fighting and so forth, I saw what was there, and if I had been in your position, I probably would have done the same thing, or something equivalent. There's some kind of tie between you two, and it was stretched to the limit if not past. I hope that the song managed to ease the tension on it. Because otherwise it's going to cause trouble." I pause for a few moments to catch my breath. I continue. "It would not annoy you or disturb you to let me look? It's the only way I can be sure that it won't be damaged. I find what I'm looking for, look at it, and leave. I don't touch a thing unless I'm asked. Probably because I don't know if I could fix it if I did something wrong." I laugh ruefully. "It won't hurt." He nods, ever so slightly -- I think he knows that I wouldn't hurt him. I gently place my fingertips on the skin of his shoulder, and let them rest there. Slowly I reach out probing, and once I'm in, I look around. There's what I want, and the tension on it has eased. I pull out and take my hand off his shoulder. "Per, what did you do?" "I went in, found what I wanted, checked to see it was alright, and left. If you want, I can show you, I think you may be able to follow me. Though my just looking leaves few traces and it is hard to sense. I'll do it again, and call a bit of attention to myself." Again I put my hand on his shoulder, and this time once I'm in I go to the mind. My abilities are more the heart's area, so this is a bit of a strain. His thoughts are a bit nervous, his back is to me. I mentally say his name, and he picks that up and turns around. "There you are. I did not think you could do this." "I am best with the emotions and so I am not usually up here. You wanted to see what I was doing last time. So follow me and we'll go take a look." I travel downwards into his heart. I locate the part I was looking at before and point it out to him. "I was just checking to see if the strain on this had truly eased, because a strained soul bond can cause a lot of trouble and pain. And I'm glad to find that you'll probably be alright." I hesitate for a moment and go on before he starts to speak. "You do always have friends, Alarond, Elanon was not the only one. We care, all of us. You have someone to listen to you and someone to help you. I have been alone with only Jsy and my staff for far too long and so I greatly value companionship. Solitude is good too, but I do not want it all the time." After I have finished, I put my arms around Alarond and hug him, this strange, beautiful, mysterious, regal and fascinating creature. This creature for whom I think I am beginning to care about deeply. Peregrine -- >:> O:) >:> O:) >:> O:) >:> O:) >:> O:) >:> O:) >:> O:) >:> O:) >:> O:) >:> > Bronwyn Boltwood, ae771@freenet.carleton.ca, near Ottawa Ontario Canada < > Black meets white, light meets dark, hard meets soft, thus is the world < >:> O:) >:> O:) >:> O:) >:> O:) >:> O:) >:> O:) >:> O:) >:> O:) >:> O:) >:>