A Letter Sent {Closed}

[Selena Ile Andra]

Late Evening, Seventh Brightening in the Month of Kalendryas in the Season of Winter

Selena walked through the dark streets of Vortex, she looked worse for ware simply because she had been surviving in the harsh city since the second cycle of Autumn, since she had escaped the brutal Taulkis. She had never expected that she would even be able to live in such a dark place, being that she was a druid and the sun was rarely seen where she hid. She found random places to stay all through the fall, each day trying to find a new way into Dimitri's lair, but each attempt failed. It was amazing she was able to evade capture, perhaps the time spent in Vortex taught Selena things she never thought she would have to learn, such as stealing and other things to survive, she hadn't killed anyone, but she had knocked out a few people that had sought to caught trouble for her.

Being pregnant was the worst part of the entire ordeal, she had begun to show a lot more and the dress she wore was beginning to get too tight on her and she figured soon enough she would have to find or steal a new dress. Today she went forward with purpose, she had amazingly brought her stationary kit with her, thus she could write a decent letter, though who she would send it to was the question. She wouldn't send it to Vis because she didn't want to bring her all this way and get caught, she didn't want to send it to Keldon and she couldn't because she didn't know where he even was. She decided rather quickly that she would send the letter to Hsin, a friend she had met before traveling to Vortex. She didn't know him too well, but she thought perhaps he could help her somehow and it was worth taking a chance.

She slowly lowered herself to the ground, she had to be careful with her rather large stomach as she rested her back against the cool dirty brick wall, she was in the alleyway near the building she had been using as a sleeping quarter, at her side was a large packet of letters she had been given from others she had encountered, asking her to send their letters. She only agreed so she could send her letter inconspiculously. Her invisibility cloak was draped around her carefully, making her invisible to the naked eye. She set the paper down on the cold hard ground, the snow had not fallen in this area yet and for that she was thankful. She began to write, trying to write as neat as possible though on occasion her hand trembled, it was cold and she was going to get ill if she stayed out there much longer.

Dear Hsin,
I don't know if you remember me, we haven't spoken since I last saw you in the Lingers Tavern in the first cycle of fall, I wish I could ask the pleasentries, but my current situation doesn't allow it. I left for Vortex after I left the Tavern and have been here ever since, I am in hiding for fear of my life yet I am unable to leave without somehow saving my brother who is a prisoner here. I don't know if this letter will reach you and if it does, if you would be able to help me, but I have no one else to turn to right now. If you do decide to help me, please tell no one of my dilemna and if possible come alone. I will most likely be somewhere in the center of Vortex.
Sent with speed, your friend Selena Ile Andra.

[Hsin]

With a delicate and deliberate motion, Hsin Zhou kissed the very edge of Selena’s hastily written letter with the tip of a candle. Blue flames instantly gained a foothold on the dry parchment and began to consume pulp and ink alike. The entire message was reduce to ashes and dust within minutes. Black eyes mirrored the flickering crimson flames roaring in the fireplace as the mystic’s keen instincts began transmuting simple sentences into thoughts and motivations. Paranoid cynicism provided an easy explanation: the innocent expectant mother was the first of a long-anticipated string of assassination attempts undertaken by his former peers in Alleria Prime. Certainly, if this were the case, Hsin felt obliged to provide credit for an obscenely imaginative scheme. Reason, however, quickly suppressed his darker musings. Milo was a reasonable man with a family of his own and, furthermore, the mystic had already delved deep into Selena’s mind. The very act of concealment produced a wide footprint visible to even the most inexperienced of mystics. Which left a far more troubling possibility. The Kemite had long ascribed to the gospel of anonymity, but Selena’s letter asked him to trade his comfortable, detached retirement for the uncertain chaos of Vortex. All in the name of a friendship balanced precariously upon a candlemark’s conversation.

Preparations took a full cycle. Agents of the Dark Chrysanthemum trickled through the gates and disappeared into the underworld of Vortex. Information in sealed and ciphered missives traveled between the eastern fringes of the Great Mountains into Hsin’s study in Nexus Prime. He familiarized himself with every pertinent face: from the politics of the city government to the quickest route out of the city. If all went well, the greatest risks would pass after a mere candlemark.

Cold winter wind whipped around Hsin’s thin form as the Kemite walked through the dreary streets at the center of Vortex. Thin tendrils of manifested psionic Essence snaked through the chaotic maelstrom of the Material Plane searching for the exact location of Selena Ile Andre. It was not a difficult process given the porous minds and the slippery fingers of the city’s mail clerks. The mystic had taken further precautions against interlopers by weaving a modified Invisibility spell around his person. It was a difficult thing to convince a perspective individual of one’s lack of existence. Thus, the spell merely ensured his presence became lost amongst the swirling crowds and the rainbow winds of the Astral Plane. Another spell, Attunement, provided an edge over any overly curious mages whom insisted on probing deeper into the illusion. Mièmèngmèi sat snugly around his right ring finger whist anchoring his mind in the duality between the Astral and the Material. Garments sewn in the classical Kemite form from black silk and warm wool provided ample disguise for the elvish mesh armor and the concealed sheathes. A black kimono and shined black boots completed the outfit. The only visible weapons or armor were black bracers cocooning his forearms and a pair of katana fastened to his waist by a tight crimson sash.

The house in which Selena was hiding was difficult to find amongst the tangle of alleys and ill-maintained streets. Hsin approached the door before focusing his emotionless mind in the flowing, shifting tides of the Psionic Plane. He channeled the boundless Essence into the Astral Plane until it crystallized into colorless mana. Upon the unity of Essence and ara the Kemite imbued a imitation of his whispered voice as a conduit for his thoughts. Unspoken Words whispered the shortest of messages into Selena’s mind: This is Hsin. I’m standing outside your door.

His hands, encased in black leather gloves, rested lightly on the hilts of his katana. It was still Vortex; a city of unexpected and irritating surprises.

[Selena Ile Andra]

It had been a while since Selena had sent the letter to Hsin and she was beginning to wonder if she had put too much faith in a man she had met once. She wasn't even sure if he had gotten the letter and even if he did, that didn't mean he would come to help her. Perhaps this was why Selena got into so much trouble, she was too trusting of other people. The house Selena had chosen to hide in had been a stroke of luck, she had to keep moving so Taulkis wasn't able to find her and get revenge on her for the stab wound she inflicted on him, she had a feeling he hadn't died from it, thus why she kept moving. The building she resided in now had no other residents other then herself and a few rats that enjoyed keeping her up at night, she had been there for the last three brightenings and figured she would move to a new place when morning came.

She lay huddled in the corner of the building, for no bed or cot was available. Her cloak was around her, keeping her a bit warm through the winter darkenings she stayed in Vortex. Never had she been in such a cold heartless city and never had she been so desperate to leave a city. She had just laid for in the corner to get some rest when she felt something in the back of her mind. It was like someone to talking to her through her mind and perhaps they were, she sat up slowly as she listened carefully to the message, so Hsin had come. She got to her feet carefully being that she had begun to show a lot more and walked to the door to let Hsin in. She was a bit nervous, what if this was some sort of trap? She pushed that thought away, no way Dimitri could have known she had sent a letter to Hsin, at least she hoped not. She hesistated for a moment, her hand on the handle before she turned it and opened the door, it squeaked rather loudly.

When she saw that it really was Hsin standing there, she was so happy she could have hugged him, though she didn't know him well enough such displays of affection. She noticed his hand on the hilt of his katana and was glad he had come prepared. She moved out of the way so he could come on, once he did enter, she would quickly close the door and lean against the wall. She spoke quietly, yet there was real excitement in her voice, the light back in her jade eyes for the moment. "I wasn't sure if you got my letter, feth I wasn't even sure if you would come." Her voice held a certain weariness that came from being scared for so long. "But I am glad you came, I know it was a lot to ask." She wondered if he could get her out of there, she hoped he could not only for her sake but for her children as well. She took the moment to sit back on the floor, her back up against the wall since it was too tiring to stand, she had not gotten any sleep the last few nights because of terrible nightmares, she wished there was a way to rid herself of such horrible things.

[Hsin]

Unlike his peers in the Rainbow Towers, Hsin Zhou fancied himself a connoisseur of minds. The classical Mystic avoided capricious meddling like the Feeble Pox. They ventured into the stormy waters of the psych with the finesse (and, arguably, the success) of a Provost Imperatis. His compatriots either tiptoed through the peripheral thoughts like frightened schoolchildren or invaded the mind with the power and finesse of a drunken giant. Their entire livelihood and reputation rested upon centuries of accumulated knowledge concerning the workings of the mind. Was it unreasonable to request a small contribution to the Discipline in return? Even during his era and a half of serving the Empire as the Imperial Exchequer, Hsin still managed to compose a thesis detailing the subtle mechanisms available for influencing the ebb and flow of thoughts. Research was truly an interesting and laudable pursuit, but it utterly paled in comparison to the Kemite’s true interests. Each and every mind exhibited a unique pallet of sensations when subjected to a properly formulated Divination. No matter the situation or emotions, the psionic ‘taste’ remained amongst the dissonant variations. The very weakest strain of Reveal skimmed the most easily accessible of Selena’s emotions whist simultaneously drawing the lightest sample of her scent.

Hsin winced as the door opened accompanied by the screeching of metal against rust. Hands encased in black leather gloves gripped the hilt of both katana tighter as the young human steeled himself against the unknown. Whist he ran the fool’s errand to Vortex, Hana waited peacefully in Nexus Prime for his return. A moment’s laxity merely cost him his life. She would pay a much higher price for his ineptitude and sloth. Thankfully, no black-swathed assassins waited inside the home. There was only a tired and very pregnant elf standing inside the door frame. He stepped quickly into the home and pushed the door shut with another loud squeal. The dull red gem mounted on his Ring of Arcana swirled with sickening intensity as the Kemite invoked its powers and flung his mind outwards into the Astral Plane to once again work his magic. From the colorless crystallized mana, Hsin wove a lattice wide enough to cover the street outside. Onto this canvas the mage imprinted a fragment of his awareness attuned to the coming and goings of the Material World. It would be a nearly superhuman feat to trail the mystic to their current location, but the Empire was full of the inhuman. The Sentinel spell manifested with the smallest nudge from his conscious mind.

”It was,” replied Hsin with a cold smile as he surveyed the sparse interior. She knew nothing of the risks the Kemite endured to plumb the dark streets of Vortex. His colleagues in Alleria Prime might seize upon his proximity to work their own schemes. Or a disastrous turn of events could leave Hana adrift in an utterly alien world. It was, however, quite unfair to blame Selena. No one blackmailed the Kemite into taking his current course of action, or even coerced him with promises of money, power, or rewards. He exhaled slowly as he allowed his body to lean against the nearest wall. When he spoke again, his voice was somewhat more mellow and curious. ”What are you doing in Vortex, Selena? It’s far from Nexus and you’re carrying twins.” There was little point in disguising the truth now. ”And what happened to your brother?”

[Selena Ile Andra]

Selena wasn't sure why Hsin seemed so paranoid, perhaps he had people after him as well and she had placed him in danger in coming to Vortex, perhaps she had been selfish in writing to him. She began to regret writing him but being that he was there now, there was little that could done about it now. She was too tired to really say anything as she leaned against the wall, her head thrumming from all the thoughts in her head, what help could he really be, would he take her out of Vortex? She ignored his cold smile as she rubbed her temples, did being pregnant mean your head hurt almost everyday or was that something else, perhaps she had caught a virus, very possible considering the living conditions she had endured while being in Vortex. She wondered why Hsin had come if he hadn't wanted to and by the cold smile he gave her, he didn't want to be here. She wanted to ask him this, but she didn't want to seem ungrateful, because she was glad he was here, a familiar face at last.

She watched him with half open eyes as she rested, if he wanted to cut her down he would have done so already being that she was unable to defend herself. She doubted he wanted to hurt her, though how he found her was a mystery to her. She rubbed her arms to warm herself and lifted her head as he asked his question, he was rather direct that she was having twins and by the way she felt, she believed him. His questions were straight forward which meant he would be looking for a straight forward answer. She sighed and fully opened her eyes to look at Hsin. "I am in Vortex because I attempted to help Kaiser, I was caught by..." She almost said Dimitri's name, but was able to stop herself, she didn't want to endager Dimitri just yet, not until Kaiser was safe. "I was caught by a slaver and was almost taken to where Kaiser would be, but I got away because I figured the slaver would kill me and my babies." She wouldn't snap at him though her voice carried her fear and exhaustin within it.

She felt tears well up in her eyes, it seemed being pregnant also made her emotional, hormones she guessed. "I don't know where Kaiser is, I know he is hurting where he is being enslaved right now. I have tried for cycles now to try and reach him, but I failed each attempt and each time I had to elude being captured. I am too tired to try again and you were the only person I could write to."

[Hsin]

Long before assuming the mantle of the Lord Imperial Exchequer, a younger Hsin Zhou sought refuge in the dank streets of Vortex from an uncertain future and an alien past. Mere cycles earlier, in a dark bedroom in Demios, Hana’s fragile, ethereal fingers had supplanted seventeen eras of his existence with sixteen eras of her memories. His experience with mysticism lead the Kemite to accept that personality stemmed from the sum of an individual’s experience. What, then, happened when the perception of the past changed so drastically? Simple events as mundane as the scent of tea or the taste of rice elicited memories of another time, another place, and another body. For a naïve youngster, the experience was profoundly distressing. Hsin responded by subjecting his emotions to the cruel tyranny of reason. Emotion became little more than an unfortunate slip of the mind; to be expunged with all due haste. It took the waters of Umblat and the gentle caress of the Nightmare to exorcise his mistaken beliefs. Only in the utter ruin of his carefully crafted world could the Kemite find the will and courage to challenge the simplest assumptions about his own existence. He’d found the revelation mirrored from the burning streets of Imperia to the cold halls of Alleria Prime. And now in a frightened, pregnant woman trapped in the black walls of Vortex.

The sheer exhaustion in Selena’s voice elicited a curious cocktail of pity and contempt from the dour mystic. She arrived in Vortex meaning to free her brother, and yet found herself ensnared and powerless whist carrying children. The sheer foolishness and thoughtlessness of her actions raised a storm of indignation and condemnation from the portion of Hsin’s mind responsible for reason and logic. Judgment, of course, was a far easier medicine to prescribe than to consume. His scarred eyes remained as an eternal reminder to the hubris of arrogance and mindless will. No amount of mental discipline could overcome the harsh truth of reality. Even if she trained, even if she planned, even if she spent an era in preparation the demands of carrying children elicited a heavy price on both the body and the mind. Contrary to the teachings of Torek-Aslan, there was no shame in admitting inadequacy in the face of opposition. He noticed, however, amongst her confession the nearly-spoken word of a supposed captor. A wan smile flickered briefly across his porcelain face. Kaimelea demanded her due.

”I’ll help you escape from Vortex,” spoke Hsin after a moment’s pause. ”If you wish, I’ll even provide a home and a refuge in Nexus Prime.” The master stepped away from the wall as the black silk kimono swirled around his form. He seemed to pause for a moment as he considered Selena’s worn face. His voice, when he spoke next, was as cold as the winter wind. ”But it’s a demon’s bargain with a high payment from you and yours. Your brother, Kaiser, is still enchained in Vortex. What of him?”

Hana had passed through death to see the salvation of her beloved younger brother. What of Selena?

[Selena Ile Andra]

The fact that Selena wished to do nothing but sleep surely did not escape the Kemite as she slumped her head forward a bit. She didn't know what she had expected when she had summoned Hsin for help, maybe it had only been a mistake made by a desperate pregnant woman that wished to be out of a dangerous situation. She didn't want to be stuck in Vortex just waiting for Dimitri to come out of the shadows and take her back into slavery, she had promised herself that she wouldn't be caught again, but she needed a way to find her brother. She let out a small cry of discomfort as she felt one of her babies move inside her, it was so odd that she finally accepted she was pregnant and with twins no less. Dimitri would most likely be pleased with that development, but she couldn't allow that monster to have her children, the fact that he fathered them means nothing to her in the least. She looked up at Hsin as her mind had gone into a tangent, she wondered what he thought of the pathetic sight before him, her hair was raggy and she needed a bath badly, plus her mood wasn't the best at the moment so snapping would most likely occur.

She was unable to read his face as she looked up at him, even his eyes were a mystery to her, she felt cold looking up at him and settled back against the wall. She didn't have many options at this point and being that he had come all this way to help her, she might as well listen to all he had to say before speaking, she could be in anymore trouble as it was unless Hsin gave her over to Dimitri. She hoped she wasn't getting sick, but it was a possibility since she was so tired and worn out, her body wouldn't be able to fight off any sort of infection and that made it dangerous for her babies as well. She closed her eyes for a moment and only opened them when he began speaking again, his voice giving her no hint of his current feelings on the situation. She perked up a bit knowing he would help her escape from the feth hole Vortex and he would even shelter her in Nexus Prime, that was incredibly kind but there certainly had to be a catch, he didn't seem to be the kind to be so generous without wanting something in return.

She paused a moment in between what he said and looked down at her, she felt like he was judging her and perhaps in his own way he was. She shivered visibly when he spoke again, his voice as cold as the winter wind that surrounded her and as sharp as ice, she wondered how someone's voice could go so cold all of a sudden, though the words themselves made her shiver. A demon's bargain, so she had been correct in assuming that he wished for something in return, but he did not name his price. she placed a hesitant hand on her stomach as she thought of what the high payment could be, surely he wouldn't....

She stopped herself from thinking, she didn't know him very well, so what he was capable of was unknown to her, perhaps she had made a mistake writing to him. She had wanted her brother rescued and had been willing to give her own life in exchange for his freedom, but her children's lives were not hers to give over and that would have been what she would have done had she been caught. She thought about Kaiser and a tear came to her eye. "I don't know where Kaiser is being held nor do I know of his current condition, I am almost positive that the slaver would keep him alive to get to me." Resignation laced her words as she leaned her head back against the wall. "I would do almost anything to save him because it was my fault he was there in the first place. I will not deny that the thought of a demon's bargain does not scare me, but I will take it." She sighed as she felt another move inside her and she looked back up at Hsin. "So can you take me out of here as soon as possible?"

[Hsin]

Immediately following the material manifestation of Hana’s ethereal presence, Hsin Zhou discovered the beautiful delusion of paranoia. Every face, every neighbor seemed to study his face and form with renewed suspicion, as if they could peer through his skull and uncover the recently imparted memories of a long-dead girl. His imagination wove scenarios of death and dishonor; of priests and soldiers putting the entirety of Demios to sword and flame. Twisted logic prescribed an elegant solution to these troubles: transmuting his features into an impassive mask of flesh. Three eras and thousands of miles had passed Hsin by since this revelation. The Kemite mystic practiced his gambler’s face from the pink granite expanse of Ethgan’tor to the white marble halls of Alleria Prime. As Selena considered her options, her potential savior’s expression slowly softened into an utterly impassive façade. His eyes, however illusory, by contrast seemed to provide the briefest glimmer of the nightmare masquerading as the mystic’s mind. Gone was the feigned sight of the soft, tired eye; replaced entirely by a cold, merciless intelligence that considered humanity little more than a curious phenomenon to be studied and employed for a greater purpose. It was a facet of his persona even Hsin seemed disinclined to discuss or even acknowledge. In the Astral Plane, tendrils of mana danced and swirled around Selena’s mind as they skimmed and probed thoughts beneath her conscious notice.

Her final question hung in the air for a long, quiet moment. The hustle and bustle of the city still infringed upon Hsin’s senses, but utterly paled in comparison to the storm swirling through his mind and soul. Kaimelea demanded neither professed allegiance nor material sacrifice. She merely asked for hopes and dreams; for fears and nightmares. Upon this framework Hsin constructed a system of morals and principles alien to his upbringing and his peers. It justified the kidnapping of an innocent girl just as easily as the salvation of the pregnant half-elf. His profession see-sawed from the Minister’s mandate to the utter ruin of the Empire. A thousand objections and a thousand questions sprung from every corner of his mind, reminding the mystic of everything from his obligation to Hana to the pragmatic dictates of self-perseveration. And, in a flash, they seemed to coalesce into a single purpose as Hsin extended his will and quieted his tempestuous mind. The answer was simple and accompanied by the slightest thawing of tone and a most unsettling smile. ”Yes.”

Mièmèngmèi provided the catalyst for the instant manifestation of Hsin’s mind among the chaotic swirls of the Astral Plane. He immersed his mind in the familiar essence of the Psionic Plane before crystallizing enough malleable mana to suit his purpose. Hsin first wove an Invisibility spell around her form very much like her own; the unnaturally accelerated processes of his mind weaving an aura of utter anonymity around her lithe form. The lion’s share of his effort, however, focused upon an Illusion enwrapping the pregnant half elf’s form. Hsin Altered a skein of mana around her form before Divining the seeming of an entirely different individual over her own features. Instead of a pregnant half-elf, even the attentive would perceive a plain Kemite woman perhaps an inch or two shorter than her natural height. More importantly, she was most assuredly not pregnant. The illusion extended to far more than mere sight. When she spoke, her voice would seem most assuredly altered, as if speaking with an unknown accent. ”I’ve called upon spirits to mask your form. It will disguise your form from any watchers.” Even now, Hsin was disinclined to reveal his allegiance to a particular sphere. ”Gather your belongings.”

Once Selena was prepared, the Kemite would yank open the door and lead her out into the dank streets of Vortex.

[Selena Ile Andra]

The fact that Hsin took so long to answer made Selena believe that perhaps he wasn't going to help her after all, though it didn't make much sense for Hsin to come all the way to Vortex to find her and not help her. She didn't understand men at the moment and although she had written to him for help, she didn't altogether trust him now. The fact that she had only met him once and spoken to him rather briefly didn't exactly make him a most trusted friend or even a friend really. She just wanted out of Vortex, she didn't care how, she just wanted out. She had been trapped and dodging Dimitri's men ever since she stabbed his dark slaver Taulkis. She was more worried about her babies then she was about herself at the moment, she had been a fool to come all this way for nothing, endangering herself and her children. She watched him carefully, waiting for his response, half expecting him to tell her tough luck and walk out, she wasn't worth the risk. His smile was rather unsettling, but his tone was less cold as he gave her his answer, a quick one word answer that gave her hope.

She was going to get out of Vortex, that was all that mattered to her. She slowly stood to her feet and steadied herself against the wall before picking up her bag and strapping it over her shoulder, she wondered how he would get her out of there without anyone recognizing her, she was pretty sure Taulkis would want revenge on her if he survived his attack. She watched Hsin grow quiet again and she began to wonder what sort of arcana he was doing, she knew it was some sort, but she hadn't figured out what. She didn't feel any different as he cast his spells and so she didn't know what all he was doing really. Regardless of her exhaustion, she was able to stand and walk. She wondered what sort of arcana involved illusions and such, she didn't know much about arcana save for druidism.

She didn't ask any questions at the moment, she merely nodded and waited for him to open the door, she walked behind him closely, unsure how she felt about walking the streets of Vortex again. She put her hand over her swollen stomach and walked as fast as her tired legs would allow her, she just wanted out of this damned city and back where she was wanted. She was a bit afraid of what Viskyia would say to her, would she be mad enough at Selena for breaking her promise that she would turn her friend away, she didn't think Vis would ever do such a thing, but her stay in Vortex had made her paranoid. She didn't hold onto Hsin's arm like she was tempted to do, she merely stuck by his side and ignored everyone else.

[Hsin]

Silence suited Hsin perfectly; its wordless embrace a welcome respite from the unyielding press of thought and emotion. Conflicting impulses clashed as the cobblestone avenues faded into muddy alleyways. Suspicion and paranoia tainted such simple impulses as kindness and pity; corrupting the objective with the cynical. Nothing in Selena’s mind or demeanor even hinted at an agenda hidden amongst more mundane thoughts. Her swollen belly and emaciated form spoke volumes concerning her physical capacity. As they walked past vendors and pedestrian, spell after spell burrowed deep within her mind to lay bare her purpose and the avenue of her will. Every suspicion proved empty; every fear unfounded. Despite her rape and humiliation, she demonstrated a nearly divine concern for her unborn twins. There were herbal and alchemical treatments for such situations, black poisons sold to desperate lovers and irate parents in the dark of the night. It took an unique sort of courage to bear the children of your most hated enemy. Quite frankly, her unyielding maternal love clashed with Hsin’s opinion of the human condition. The Kemite fully expected a mind filled with anger and hatred, or utterly stunned by her ordeal. A curiosity slowly blossomed inside the mystic’s mind; a sudden urge reinforcing his earlier resolution.

”Stop,” spoke the Kemite suddenly. The uneven walls of Vortex towered high over the human and the halfblooded elf, a final and nearly insurmountable final barrier to freedom. A full candlemark had elapsed since their departure from Selena’s refuge and prison. They had passed through dozens of alleys and roads, doubled back to confuse any invisible pursuers, and passed through all manner of illusion. Around the corner was a small postern gate guarded by a pair of Vortexian guardsman. The black jade encircling his right ring finger, once again, provided a gate through which Hsin instantly achieved a duality of presence in the Astral and the Material. Essence rushed through invisible conduits into the mortal shell as a magically-enhanced mind crafted the complex weave of the Second voice: Evanescent Theater of the Phantasmal Fugue. The spell produced complex mental constructs permeating the mind of each guard; subverting their mental processes and shunting their awareness into a faked dream. Where once stood a pair of Kemites, one illusory and one real, there now stood a well-dressed Medonian nobleman bearing the livery of one of the capitol’s foremost guild.

”Where are you going,” inquired one of the guards with insipid boredom. ”Your papers?”

The papers were duly produced and, in all relevant details, proved utterly mundane and entirely without profit. It was one thing to harass peasants. It was another thing entirely to annoy well-connected noblemen from the Capital.

”Bah,” muttered the second guard. It would be a long shift, and cold too. ”Move along.”

Another candlemark of walking brought Selena to a small hamlet outside the boundaries of the city of Vortex. Within another brightening, the pregnant elf was safely ensconced in a nondescript apartment being poked and prodded by a well-meaning midwife.

[Heartbreaker]

OOC: Mysticism +1 for Hsin!