[Golden Petal Okiya] "In the Chillest Land and On the Strangest Sea"

[Satsumaiha]

(TBD, Winter, PF XV)

"Go with Torek!"
A click and snap of flint as sparks danced at the heels of the departing Keme'Dral. They led away a small group that had clustered about to watch. A young Keme'Dral peered after them, with a flint in her hand and a wish in her hazel eyes.

An elder Keme'Dral hovered over the apprentice Dyma. She held out her hand for the flint and extended a staff towards the girl in the other.

Beneath her plain green Kimono, the girl was standing like a crane, one leg tucked beneath her. She took the staff and leaned on it. It's tip pierced the snow, causing her to stumble, but the girl recovered with as much grace as she could.

When she first awoke after her dreadfully long slumber, her cracked head had rung and ached so much it was hard to face the day. Time and monks healed much, as did prayer to Torek. Satsumaiha could now look into the morning. The only pain she experienced wound about her leg, a poison in her ligaments.

"Everyday you are a little stronger, Satsumaiha," spoke the elder Keme'Dral. "You will learn to dance soon enough and join the others. Now you must learn to live with adversity, a grander lesson." Satoharu smiled in the direction of her charge, her pale sightless eyes looking towards her as best they could, "Don't you think?"

Satsumaiha nodded softly. Instead of causing her to be cast out from the prestigious Okiya, the young Kemite's injuries had endeared her to the Maikami, and hence to the Okami who trusted Satoharu's wisdom above all others. The older women recognized the importance of Keme'Dral's of character and history. A flower was a joy to behold but made for dull conversation.

Since autumn, Satsumaiha felt more a pet then a student Keme'Dral, but at least she was limping through the Okiya, not the forgotten alleys of Zinn'Sunn.

Satsumaiha stared after the elder Arima floating above the white earth, their parasols shielding their dark hair from the gently drifting snow.
"They are roses in winter, pink pearls far from the sea, Maikami Satoharu. They are too lovely to inhabit a cold winter street."

A motherly laugh, all kindness, "Have you been reading poets in your leisure, Satsumaiha?"
The silence and shuffling of snow told Satoharu that the girl had turned shy at the inquiry. As she rested her hand on the girl's unbound hair. Satoharu considered the young girl, longing for the chance and yet restrained by her own body: a vessel without sails wanting the sea.

"I do not blame you. I like to hear poetry too, it reminds me of what I once knew." She then spoke of the same thing and another entirely, "It is difficult when the spirit is willing but the flesh is flawed."
The hand was drawn away and slipped inside her wide kimono sleeve again, "Come to my room this darkening and read some to me."
"Yes, Maikami."
Satsumaiha spoke to Satoharu's back in that voice that was too lovely for her merely pleasant features, "Thank you, Maikami."
Satoharu paused in the snow and bowed her head, and then she was within the Okiya's secret garden.

There were few people in the street, unlike the other seasons, when the curious would linger in packs around the Okiya for a glance at its spellbinding Keme'Dral.

The simple bench beside the Okiya's gates was empty and loosely powdered in snow. With some effort, Satsumaiha rocked her delicate body onto it. Her injured leg swung gently above the ground, giddy with the ability to move so freely. Here she could watch the world go by and pretend she was still a part of it.

Maybe someday she would see her brother pass in the crowd, or a letter would come from Jaedaxia with friendly tidings. In three months, neither had transpired during her little vigils, but hope needed little meat to survive.

[Veleraen]

It had been a deeply saddening departure when Veleraen had left Zinn'Sunn that brightening in Autumn. He had left the young Kemedral a letter at the Golden Petal to tell her of his plans and the Knight would indeed return one brightening to see her again.

Well...That brightening had come.

The snow had been falling gently for most of the early morning and Veleraen had been sitting on the edge of his cot during that time, thinking of what he was to say to her when he saw Satsumaiha again. It had seemed like an eternity since he had seen the Kemedral's innocent face. She filled him with balance and counter balanced him in other ways, keeping him on kilter; on course. Despite the bounds of trouble she had wound up in, Veleraen had enjoyed the friendly bond shared between them and could not deny that she made him smile more often than naught.

Fiddling with the box in front of him with his large hands, he snapped it shut and put it inside his pocket as he stepped outside in the courtyard and out into the streets of Zinn'Sunn. The Knight was wearing a white shirt that matched the ivory falling from the sky and dark pants with a thick dark green cloak residing around his enormous frame. No armour and no weapons were required with this visit, or at least he hoped not, as he knew the Satsumaiha's tendency to draw trouble to herself.

Flipping the large hood of his cloak over his head he took off with weighted steps, each crunch in the snow loud and brisk. The city had seemed to be a lingering silence that brightening, everyone taking the time to watch the cascading flakes from inside their homes. But the familiar girl sitting upon the bench took no such precautions.

Veleraen stood behind a tree on the corner of the street around from the Golden Petal and hid out of sight momentarily as he reached into his pocket and fiddled with the gift he'd purchased Satsu in Jaedaxia. It was a quaint gift and he hoped she would like it. The Giant had felt so guilty leaving so quickly with only but a letter to inform her that she might not have seen him ever again. For that, Veleraen felt there were things still needed to be resolved and mended; good and bad.

Stepping out from behind the tree and around the corner, he paused in the street a fair distance away and looked at her as he flipped open his his hood. It was quite difficult not to see the hulking frame of the Giant, even from one's periphery vision. The Giant let out a large smile as he walked closer to the girl. He noticed she was holding onto some sort of staff and that Satsu's leg looked to be injured somehow. Not letting some bad news get to him, Veleraen continued his large strides as he made his way up to Satsumaiha, his smile fading into a look of relief.

Kneeling down into the snow, the Knight looked at Satsumaiha with guilt and shame that had been weighing him down, now pushing him into the white layer that was upon the ground.

"Serale Satsumaiha..." A small smile escaped his lips as he was still quite happy to see her. His eyes dipped to the ground momentarily and then back at her. "I'm sorry I left so quickly without speaking with you first...but I have returned and I am glad to see you once more." The Giant glanced at her leg but said nothing, only wrinkling his nose as a few snow flakes fell upon his scarred face, tickling his skin to no end.

"Will you forgive me?" It wasn't as sincere as it could have been but Satsu was young and she might not have understood why he had to leave quite yet. Patience and wisdom came with age and time and Veleraen hadn't expected her to understand. Abandonment was not a word the Knight uttered upon the tip of his tongue.

[Satsumaiha]

Veleraen was rarely missed in a crowd, even less so in a quiet street. But Satsumaiha had slipped into a daydream. She was still young enough to be given over fully to a realm of make believe. Perhaps not so openly as a few years before, but a private world of varying possibility was before her eyes. It was like so many mirrors, reflecting and shifting what could be, or creating some variance, a flourished reflection just beyond what was feasible. She drew from simple hopes and the dreams and visions that had brooded on her heart in those cycles of sleep

Her dreams of late had been a stunning phantasmagoria, removing sense and inserting beauty or feeling. Like her mother's, her mad, brilliant, beautiful mother. It was a realization Satsumaiha felt some discomfort under, but then they were all in Torek's great hands. He would make glory from ashes and trade mourning for joy. And she was not as lovely as her mother, nor as creative. Her father's blood had mellowed that rapid pulse, laying stone over fire.

The girl's eyes seem spelled as she looked into the panorama of the hibernating city. A grand figure moved. She blinked in the snow. One of Govay's family, or the other rare clans that inhabited the city? Anything further did creep into her thoughts until Veleraen was within twenty steps. Satsumaiha's heart laughed aloud, but her mouth just smiled. Her adopted brother had found her again. Torek had made her fortunate!

Stabbing the staff into the snow, the young Keme'Dral used it to propel her from the bench. A slight hitch made her walk stutter and slow. She looked a lamed little bird hopping toward him, like a bird she gave the injury little notice.
Veleraen of course closed the space and knelt, now only a few feet above her head instead of ten.

Tossing aside her lessons on demure behavior, Satsumaiha threw her arms sloppily about the giant's neck in a childish fit of enthusiasm. He had been missed.

"Sir Veleraen! You have come back!"

With a quick blush, she retreated and gave a neat bow. A good Kemite girl did not impose on others with such suddenness.
His question made the girl tilt her head, thoroughly baffled at the idea. He could have said he was a flounder and received a look just as bemused.

"For what?" Satsumaiha laughed behind her hand that did not clutch the staff, "That is an odd question, Sir Veleraen."

Clear eyes looked at him without guile. The gold in them was pure as vessels used for ritual.
"You have done only good for me."
If she was not such a well trained girl, she would have taken his hand and led him around. Instead she stood politely still leaning against her staff.
"Please tell me of your travels. I am eager for the grand stories only a knight could tell!"

[Veleraen]

As soon as Satsumaiha recognized the Giant, Veleraen had quickly taken a few paces but realized that as soon as she saw him, the young girl was quickly off her bench as well. Hobbling and limping like a bird with an injured wing, Veleraen felt a rush of concern for her personal safety just as he had so many months ago.

The Knight had been through so much with the young girl it was astonishing how strong of a bond he felt with the Kemedral. It did indeed feel like he was her adopted brother.

"Whoa, slow down you will hurt yourself!" Veleraen exclaimed as he bent down while small arms wrapped around his neck. Two enormous hands came up and gently embraced Satsumaiha as his hands and fingers both curled around onto her back, almost lifting her up off the snow in the process.

A deep, joyous chuckle emanated from the belly of the Giant as he could not have imagined the reunion of such a friendship going so smoothly. He had somehow imagined she would be resentful and hurt, but it seemed not only time but innocence as well had healed most wounds. Satsumaiha's use of his title however irked him slightly as he felt it was truly unnecessary. Lowering her slowly and letting Satsumaiha get a better grip upon her crutch, Veleraen bent down a little further came down to eye level.

"You need not call me Sir Veleraen anymore. Veleraen will do just fine. I know you are set in your ways and for being so young, you are more formal than I am." He grinned as he tried to break her of the habit right then and there but as the Knight suspected, it was probably going to be a little more difficult than that.

Satsumaiha's reaction to Veleraen's plead of forgiveness made a wave of relief pass through his body, his heart slowing down ever so slightly. He kept a hand balanced in mid air beside her, hoping she was still stable upon the snowy surface of the ground beneath her feet.

"You have done only good for me..." Somehow it surely didn't feel that way. Despite how well they seemingly got along and their tendency to get into trouble together, Veleraen felt responsible for the young girl. She was alone in a troubled world and he could feel something still brewing within the city. Shirika still loomed in the shadows and Satsu was right the path of destruction he sought to lay upon this holy place. Veleraen could not help but feel that he was responsible for putting her in so much danger. The reapers, the pond...It was too much like he was living in a nightmare but with a few bright lights to guide him and one of those wells of innocence was Satsumaiha.

She stood before him with only the glimmer a child could offer and it made Veleraen feel wanted again, something he hadn't felt in a long time.

"No, you have only done good for me...That's why I got you something on my travels." Veleraen grinned and ushered her back to the bench, lending a hand if she wanted it, and motioned for her to sit as he kept kneeling. "I will tell you all the stories you wish to hear...but first...I must give you this." A small gleam entered his eye as he felt she was going to like her gift.

Reaching into his pocket, Veleraen withdrew a small blue box that looked like some sort of jewelery case for a necklace. He handed it to Satsumaiha and smiled gently and looked on as she opened it.

Inside she would find a silver chain necklace with a silver butterfly pendant figurine. On each wing near the centre was one sapphire each, each stone shining clearly in the albedo of the snow around them. Near the middle of the belly of the butterfly was a small purple amethyst stone that glimmered as well. However, the necklace was not the only gift inside the box. Along with it was a matching hair clip, two silver clips pressed together with a small spring and at the end was a small amethyst as well. They had cost Veleraen a small amount of crowns compared to what he owned and he felt Satsumaiha deserved the gift after all the trouble they'd been through.

"I got them in Jaedaxia. I thought you might like them." He hoped she did, as he wasn't about to turn around and return them, that was for sure. Veleraen's concern was still upon her leg as he was curious as to what had happened while he'd been gone.

"What happened to your leg? Did you hurt yourself while I was away? Are you okay?"

[Satsumaiha]

Satsumaiha had been taught how to graciously receive presents. Keme'Dral expected them from their fans and admirers. But Satsumaiha had fallen out of practice. She blinked her hazel eyes, not understanding what Veleraen had said until the box was produced. Then she looked the part of a girl her age, though a bit more restrained. She smiled and took the box like it was wrought of thin glass. Before opening the box, she looked briefly to Veleraen for permission,

"Oh!" she looked at the jewelry in surprise. It struck her as a rather grown-up gift. Her home had dissipated before she reached the age for such things.
"They are beautiful, Sir Veleraen!" in her delight she forgot his request regarding his name.
"My own butterflies to keep when winter takes them away."
The box was balanced on her lap as she drew out the necklace and with a little difficulty, fastened it. She thought her hair to unkempt for the other adornment, so she merely traced its wings with her fingers.
"My mother and I used to wait for them in spring and she would paint them over everything for a cycle. Her kimonos from the butterfly season were greatly desired."
She tore her eyes from the box, and rested her fingertips on the necklace. A warm smile charmed her expression.
"Thank you, Sir Veleraen," her hands pressed together and she softly dipped her head over them, "You are very kind to think of me."


When questioned about her limp, the Keme'Dral colored and looked down at her feet.
"After I hurt myself in Govay's house," a rather kind paraphrase for that darkening, "I was more delicate than I thought."
She looked away, a rare thing. Satsumaiha consistently tried to face towards whomever she spoke to, even if she didn't have the courage to keep their eyes.
"I tumbled down quite a few stone steps and made a bigger mess of a smaller one."

The girl was a poor liar, so it aided her cause to tell half-truths. How would she begin to explain the breadth of the matter? I tried to visit my "touched" mother for her birth-brightening and she threw me down the temple stairs? No, that was not called for.

"I forgot how icy winter could make the stones."
Yes, seasons could change familiar things into something cold and perilous. Satsumaiha trilled a girlish laugh, looking up at Veleraen again.
"I think I am the clumsiest Keme'Dral that ever was. I am blessed to be allowed to stay in the city's finest Okiya, despite."

The girl made a holy gesture, referencing her god. "Torek is good to me," the phrase she felt truest in spite of everything.
"And my wise Maikami says that these little trials test our patience, and with patience comes a more perfect understanding."
Cheered by this reminder, the girl's voice took on a fresh brightness.
"You have many scars, Si-," her mouth pressed momentarily together, capturing the word, "…Veleraen. Have they taught you many things?" She wanted the question answered, but could not help but add another thought or two in her excitement. It was rare to be heard, to speak aloud of what moved her.
"The Keme'Dral take scars of a kind, but they are to be beautiful, like everything a Keme'Dral does. Each time we return some of what we owe to the Okiya, or have a great transition, we are to receive a tattoo. I have a mentor Keme'Dral, when she recognizes me, I think I will get a nightingale."
A wistful little look, she recalled a scene of sublimity and a lullaby soothing.
"For that is what she reminds me of."

Satsumaiha was small for her age, 14 patterns maybe 15. But her size and features could make one wince at the thought of her being under the a tattooists needle for hours on end. Even if it made her cheerful. The bloom on her neck was a surprising testimony to a dose of resilience. Pain and beauty were common bedfellows.

[Veleraen]

He could not help but enjoy the sight of Satsumaiha being happy, her eyes lit up like a child receiving a present for the very first time in their life. The Giant watched patiently as she opened the box and admired the jewelery he'd given her. It was a bit of a grown up gift but the Knight could not think of a more suitable gift for such a serious young girl. She had been so dedicated to her duties at the Okiya that she almost was an adult by his standards.

"I'm glad you like them." A gentle smile still presided over his face as he watched a large snowflake land on Satsumaiha's face and reached up with his scarred hand and lightly brushed it away. It was so nice to see such happiness in such desolate times. Veleraen had seen much in Jaedaxia and even on the way there...The stories in the Arium mountains too gruesome to even mention to such innocent ears. After glancing back past Satsumaiha into the garden and back at her, Veleraen shifted slightly in his cloak as he listened to Satsu tell him of her injury.

"Ah yes...Govay's home." He re-iterated, however something was..off. Satsumaiha always looked at him when she spoke but she looked away. The Giant could see auras all around him with his Rhasa Shing, something he hadn't mentioned to Satsumaiha before. A strong mixture of pink, white, blues, oranges and yellows hovered around her figure with small smatterings of green as well. He could see the slight shift of her pink turn a little darker and muddier as she told her half lie. It was somewhat subtle but noticable enough that Veleraen could tell something was wrong. Focusing on her a little more, Veleraen didn't say anything to her about it...But if she had been abused, the Giant would find out about it eventually.

"I see...Well, that is a shame. Have you seen a healer? If you cannot afford to see one, I can take you myself." The giant had suspected for some time the methods used in the Okiya were harsh and brutalizing for some of the young girls. The Kemites were definitely a spiritual people, but they could be horrifically stern and strict. However, Veleraen was in no position to truly suspect that she wasn't telling the truth, otherwise he would have called her on it.

"Yes, Torek has brought you to me. He has reasons, hidden or for all to see. They will be revealed." Veleraen examined her leg once more and then looked back up at the mention of his scars.

The Knight had too many scars, mentally and physically to count. The question kind of took him off kilter somewhat, not expecting such a thing to arise in such a meeting, but it had. He did like however that she was trying hard not to call him 'Sir'. It wasn't like they were both in the military after all.

"Yes...I have many scars." Veleraen nodded solemnly and spoke after Satsumaiha finished her small speech of the Kemedral and their own form of scars as tattoos.

"I have too many to count and I have learned much from them, numerous things...I do also have tattoos..." He hadn't told Satsumaiha about his tattoos either. He had four altogether, none of which she'd seen. She was unconscious when he fought the Etos as that was the only time she could have witnessed such things. "But they are hidden, on my back, my arm...my chest." Veleraen methodically tapped his chest with a closed fist. "Each representing an important event in my life." He grinned as he bent his head around and looked at Satsumaiha's tattoo on her neck. "It is very beautiful. You are indeed a beautiful flower amongst the shadows." He offered another smile as he continued to kneel in the snow, his pant leg getting rather damp but it was well worth the slight discomfort.

"I actually learned how to do draw and do tattoos...Very very basic ones...But tattoos nevertheless. I learned how to when I got mine done here; in Zinn'Sunn. I couldn't teach you though...I am just a beginner but I am going to get better." His eyes dipped down a little to the snow and then to her injured leg again. All this kneeling was giving him a cramp in his back and an idea came to mind.

"How would you like to take a walk in the snow...As if you were a Giant yourself? Yes? You can ride on my shoulder and we can talk more. Perhaps you will see some things from up high that you have never seen before." The Knight let out another smirk. He felt like a child when he was around Satsumaiha sometimes, almost becoming the polar opposite of how she behaved. It was almost as if he absorbed the very components of her personality she tried to suppress.

The flakes still fell at a slow yet constant rate in melodic grace. Only Carmelya's gentle touch could stop Aetheria from coming to Telath.

[Satsumaiha]

"More then like them," her finger touched the cool pendant resting over her clavicle. She seemed about to articulate a better description, but could not summon the words of proper degree and weight.

Satsumaiha's answering laugh over Veleraen's concerns was frail and sweet.
"Thank you, Sir Veleraen." She was momentarily distracted by the happy sounds of a passing child, turning her smiles away.
"But the Okiya has taken good care of me. The healer said it is only a matter of letting things mend now."
Her eyes returned to her friend. There was that strange candle thin brightness in them. They held an everlasting midnight vigil for hope.
"Maikami Satoharu tells me time is nature's finest balm."

When Veleraen spoke of scars, the girl was solemn as she tried to fathom a lifetime of battles. Her slim hand momentarily touched the top of his in a quiet sort of commisceration. She should have thought more before she spoke such bold questions.
As talk turned to brighter purposeful scars, the Keme'Dral smiled behind her hand.
"Firecrackers at horrible hours let me see the eagle. I like that one best, even if the light was poor."
She absently touched the feather coiled in the strands of her hair, joined by another gained from a benevolent spirit. Birds, she was always nestled in feathers and gathering bright pebbles from the drab ground. Building nests high above pain and complaints.

A white flush of interest bloomed in her when Veleraen spoke of his newest hobby.
"Oh S- Veleraen, you must do something for me. Even if it is very simple. I'm sure the Okiya can provide funds for the materials if I earn the marking."

As the subject shifted to seeing the city from new angles, an inscrutable smile touched Satsumaiha's face. She had seen Zinn'Sunn from perspectives more dizzying than a giant. Her breath had plummeted from impossible heights and white feathers spiraled into specks of nothing beneath her. But what did that matter? She beamed despite at the prospect. The company was what she liked best.

Like a much younger girl, she nodded and lifted her arms akimbo, splaying her kimono's long sleeves. The logistics of how she would be hoisted so high had not formulated fully. Her initial response was one of child-like trust, to be plucked up.
"I'd like that very much!"
With more thought, a plainer solution presented itself. Satsumaiha abandoned her staff and gingerly eased up so she stood on the bench, nearer the crouching giant's shoulder.
"But you must tell me of Jaedaxia, the people and places you have come across. My world is beautiful but small. Such stories would make it a little grander."

[Veleraen]

Spending time with Satsumaiha was almost like living another lifestyle as Veleraen had seemed to notice more and more often that he started to enjoy the more subtle side of life when he was around the young Kemedral. Satsumaiha's prominent smile and her sweet laugh made Veleraen's cheeks grow a little warmer in the cold that surrounded them as he couldn't help but smile along with her.

"You are welcome." Veleraen stated quite simply with a hint of pride that he'd manage to make someone happy for once, as all it seemed that he brought along sadness and destruction with him wherever he went. Veleraen paused momentarily as he realized she had called him "Sir" again and was about to say something about it but was halted by young girl's explanation of the Okiya and the healer giving their treatments to her. Instead of continuing on with his train of thought, Veleraen let the future words erase themselves and float away with the flakes that descended upon them.

As Satsu's hand briefly touched the scarred hand of the Giant, Veleraen didn't pull back. He wasn't afraid to show her the wounds of his past. The only thing he was afraid of was that his stories of such wounds would frighten the young girl. Such young and innocent minds did not deserve to be exposed to such things. Veleraen took great pride in trying to prevent the innocent from suffering, there was no such reason for him to do so now, unless she asked him to tell her of such things.

Pausing in a solemn moment, it was broken by happier times as Satsu recalled her first encounter with the Giant and the firecrackers. Veleraen gave a good chuckle as she seemingly enjoyed the fact that a scar could bring such joy. Perhaps if he was in the same shoes as she was, Veleraen would have clearly taken a scar to have seen Hakan's majestic figure that brightening.

Now that he realized it...Did he not have a scar upon his body to see good things occur around him? Surely the arrows, scratches and burns he took were for the betterment of the Empire and the people that he sought to help. Not all was lost after all.

"The feather suits you, golden to the tip." Letting out a faint smile, Veleraen reached up and ever so lightly flicked the tip of it, letting the feather rattle instead her done up hair. The tattoo that Veleraen had upon his back had many feathers making up the bulk of the drawing and each one was finely detailed with the brightest of golden hues. The feather that was stuck inside her finely combed hair was a living representation of perfection in his mind and Satsu wore it with much grace.

At the mention of Veleraen having learned how to do tattoos, Satsu almost jumped at him, certainly verbally, as she was eager for the Giant to mark her somehow. Hesitant at first, the Giant offered up a bit of a warning.

"Well, while I have no doubt that you are brave enough to be my very first customer...Are you sure?" Veleraen gave a chuckle as he still had notes on parchment and in his mind as to the tattooing lessons he had gotten while getting his own done. "I could do a bird for you, it might be fitting..." Veleraen smiled as he knew she loved Hakan and his majestic form. Perhaps a bird would be good, but he'd let her decide what she wanted. It was her body after all.

Reaching down and picking up Satsumaiha almost like a child, Veleraen gently grabbed hold of her underneath her arms and lifted her up with great ease. As Satsu was lifted higher, she could tell in some way that the Titan had grown, not only a bit in size but she could see just by the way he handled himself now compared to when she first met him, that he was different, if even she only realized it on a very basic or subconscious level. A lot of things had changed in the Knight's life since he'd left Zinn'Sunn and Satsumaiha would have to listen for candlemarks just to take in the full extent of Veleraen's journey.

Roughly positioning Satsu on his shoulder without using a lot of force to do so, he made sure not to harm her leg in any way as he placed her on his large frame. "There we go." The Giant tilted his head slightly and looked at her with a smile. "You wish to hear about Jaedaxia....Well..." The Giant started to walk through the street, his figure bobbing up and down ever so slightly as he walked with Satsu on his shoulder. Veleraen was so used to wearing armour, Satsu literally felt weightless upon him as he took step after step in the snow.

"It was a long journey there. It took my many cycles to cross the plains and mountains of Lauryl, Centripax and Carmelyn. When I arrived in Jaedaxia, they were scared and withdrawn, frightened by the mere presence of the vampires that were striking at the heart of their fair city. No one was able to determine why they were feeding on people in the city, but I got to the bottom of it quite quickly." Veleraen smirked as he kept walking, taking a slight right turn, down towards one of the many parks that littered the city landscape.

"I contacted the 'Protectorat' within the city and we headed out to a place called La Chateau Noir or what I have learned, means 'The black house'. It is an old castle-like mansion on the outskirts of Jaedaxia and the vampires had made their home there. They had been repelling the attacks from the city guard for brightenings on end and there had seemed to be no end in sight for the people of Jaedaxia. I helped take back some of the wounded back to the city, but on the way back..." Veleraen entered a bit of a dramatic pause for effect. "I was confronted by two vampires who had told me that they would grant the wounded and the others safe passage if I were to follow them back to their mansion. I did so with hesitance but I realized that my sacrifice would come to save many lives if it were to happen, but it did not. Instead, I returned to the mansion with the vampires, where I met the Lord and Mother of the house, 'The Father' and 'The Queen'. I did not find out their names, but they had two sons, Joseph and Gioseffo...I believe...Yes. The 'Father' was a beastly figure, almost standing as high as me, with black wings and a scruffy mane that stuck out around his neck. He was unlike anything I had ever seen before. He also wore a large blue gem upon a necklace. It looked priceless and magical..." Veleraen nodded as he continued his story. It was a rather long one at that but it had been an exciting venture and exciting ventures usually were long winded.

"They showed me many things; how they came to be in this world, how they had been offered the power of Arcana by a Lich and how they were doing her dirty work, collecting people to feed their souls to her in exchange for the power given to them." He looked at Satsumaiha as the grizzly facts had been revealed. "I could sense their guilt. I could sense it in their auras and after I left the mansion, the Lich followed me through the outskirts and met me in the Hinterlands with the intent....to kill me. Now that Veleraen could look upon what happened, it was kind of odd that he was telling the story in such a way to portray it in a less serious light. The Knight gave a chuckle, almost appearing as if he was laughing at the fact that he had almost died.

"The Lich was a nasty old hag. She had the stench of death and looked like a warped and ghastly figure of death itself. She summoned a horde of undead beings that lusted for my blood but with my mighty weapon and steadfast courage, I fought them until they all were disabled, all dead at my feet, but the Lich kept summoning them back, again and again. It was a never-ending flow of the diseased and dying. Suddenly I was hit by a cold chill, something foreign and terrorizing. It paralyzed me and brought me to my knees as the Lich was using her magics on me. I tried to fight back, but my weapon would not harm her, as she was a ghostly figure, unaffected by anything solid or of this plane and I watched my weapon pass right through her without her missing a step. She had me in her grip, she cackled and breathed down my throat, ready to take my life and she reached back.." Veleraen animated his story as he reached back with his own arm and came around and gently pretended to grasp at Satsumaiha's heart with his hand as he clenched his teeth. "...and sunk her hand right through my armour, right through my chest and she took hold of my heart, my soul." Veleraen paused again, the real reason only to tease Satsumaiha a little before she found out the result of his escapade.

Walking into the park, Veleraen ducked underneath a low tree that was covering the snow-covered path and dodged another branch that might have hit Satsumaiha off his shoulder.

"She thought she had the upper hand, and the Lich...she surely did. However...." The Knight raised a finger pointedly into the air. "What happened next, she did not expect and neither did I..." Veleraen grinned as he extended his explanation of the story further and further. "As she held my soul in her hands, I could feel the chill of death inside me but as soon as she tried to remove my very soul, something brilliant and amazing happened....A holy fire exploded from within my chest and erupted forth into the surrounding area." He gave a slight grin to Satsumaiha, as he too was still amazed at the facts of the story. This was something he could not make up. "The fire was a pure red but it had a very magical quality to it...I cannot explain the sensation, as it still escapes me for I can remember little of that very moment. All I heard were the screams of the dead being incinerated and then....darkness encompassed me as I passed out from...whatever happened to me. The next morning I awoke to a voice, speaking the words of my Father from when I was young, but it was not his voice..." Veleraen's walk had taken him and Satsumaiha to the side of a calm palm that had been frozen over by the chilling touch of winter. He paused and looked at it with an observing and curious look.

"When I awoke, I tried to stand but I was too weak to even do that as I fell back to the ground again. Have you ever felt so tired that you could not walk? Not even move? That is how I felt except it felt a thousand times worse...The Jaedaxians came to my side and told me they had seen a great fire from afar and that the entire landscape around me had been scorched...some said it was hundreds of feet around me, some say farther. I could not tell as very soon after that, I fell unconscious. I slept, for two cycles. Yes, it seems impossible does it not?" Veleraen chuckled and then continued with his story.

"I woke up in a stable propped up in a pile of hay and when I had woken up, I was refreshed, healed...Everything back to normal except that I somehow felt, stronger, more alive and there was something special about my armour. I will have to show it to you later. It is magnificent to look at." Continuing with his walk, he walked around the pond and continued through the park into a small open snow fallen field was quietly resting, undisturbed by any other visitors.

"I had met a Captain in the Jaedaxian Protectorat, a Captain Moran. He was a brave soldier and led the forces against the vampires...He told me that they had reforged my weapon and had instilled magic into it and even after all that I had gone through, that they were going to create an Opera about my deeds and dedicate it in my name. Can you believe that Satsumaiha? My name will live on in a story told in the great city of Jaedaxia for ages to come...It is quite something." Veleraen took in a breath and let out an equally large enough sigh, as he was sure that was the longest time he had talked on for since...well...He couldn't remember when he had talked that long before.

"And as for the vampires...Once they discovered their beloved Lich was dead...They vanished into the shadows, never to be seen again." Veleraen gave a sly smile to Satsumaiha. It was many of his wondrous stories that he had stored away. Veleraen was too humble to go on forever with such high tales. Perhaps one brightening if she ever wanted to hear more, she could write a book upon his adventures. The Knight had already begun a tale on his own life but not specifically on his activities. Satsumaiha was a great listener and the Giant felt as though he could talk for ages with the young Kemedral.

[Satsumaiha]

While Satsumaiha was gradually getting nearer adulthood, her laugh was unspoiled by the eras. The youthful sound glimmered and sparkled like a handful of gems tossed in the air, as she was perched on the giant's shoulder.

"I must seem so small from here!"

She waved serale to her abandoned staff leaning against the wall of the ochiya. On this brief outing she would forget she had need of it.

The girl had no more weight than a finch and dare not fidget. Sparse onlookers gave the unique pair an occasional glance, some looked to ascertain if the girl was toted willingly. Luckily for the observers, her pleased expression and the delicate motion of her arms assuaged any fears. None of them would have stood more than a rumor of a chance against Veleraen.

Satsumaiha balanced her hands flat on the giant's shoulders and surveyed the streets and alleys from this perspective.

When Veleraen's story began, Satsumaiha 's gold eyes were kindled. The little Kemite was a delightful audience, absorbing every word and phrase. When the story mentioned vampires, she paled and held her breath. The idea of harvesting souls conjured a shallow gasp from her and she shook her head in sympathy for the victims on all ends of the crime.

Her lightness in sound and manner abruptly ceased when Veleraen mentioned that the Lich intended to kill him. Little fingers tightened on his shoulder, making sure he was still whole and among the living. The wisp of a Kemite was distressed on his account.

Satsumaiha's head was then filled with the frightening image of her friend's heart being clutched in the poisoned claws of a monstrous hag. One of her hands released its tight grip to cover her mouth.
"Oh no!" It was quietly spoken but deeply felt.

Corresponding to each portion of the tale, she nodded or widened her eyes, stunned by the mysterious inferno he seemed to have conjured.

When the nervous thrill of the narrative faded, Satsumaiha began to clap, brimming with childish enjoyment.
"You rid Jaedaxia of the vampires!" Pride warmed her cheeks, "I knew you would."

Her hands balanced across his shoulder again, as she looked into the distance. Perhaps towards where she imagined the resplendent city of Jaedaxia spread its satin skirts.
"We must see that opera someday, Veleraen. What a fine gift." Her hands pressed together, "All who see it will know what a brave hero you are."

The glow in her looks showed that she meant every word of her praise.

An unexpected effect of the story was that it turned the Kemite shy. She had suspicions of what her friend could and had accomplished but it was never articulated with such dramatic strokes. Now, she found herself in a state of awe. A countryside was scorched because he was a conduit for holy flames and a terror that had lingered for generations had been broken by his hands. The experience had altered him as well, she found, adding wisdom and calm to the way he carried himself. The change was almost imperceptible, as she felt he already had such attributes in spades. But they both were stil growing as the cycles passed.

"That is a grand story, Sir Veleraen," it seemed his title would re-appear whenever she felt bashful. While it may be vexing, it was an easy tell as to her disposition.
"Thank you for telling it to me, even though it was quite harrowing."
A laugh mingled with her phrase, "If I had known you were doing such dangerous things, I would have prayed more."
Her hand slipped into a fold of her robe, the other steadying herself.
"I made them to remind me to pray to Torek." In her hand were three small rectangles of wood, made smoother by frequent touch.
"Before they were paper cards, but I ruined too many holding them in my hands as I prayed."

Satsumaiha gave Veleraen a better look at the dark chips of wood. Roughly etched then painted were three names: Rai, Hitomi and Veleraen.
A peach blush kissed her cheeks and was gone as she put the little prayer tiles back into her pocket.
"Torek has kept you safe and brought you back. It makes me glad that he saw fit to allow his will to align with my prayers."

A quieter question, "But are you well, Veleraen? Did the Lich's touch work any longer harm?"

[Veleraen]

Veleraen received a great amount of joy to see Satsumaiha smiling despite her ailments of the past and of the present. She still seemed to have that innocence despite her being closer to that threshold of where imagination started to dwindle and reality was on the doorstep. In every sense of the notion, Satsumaiha was one of those missing pieces to a puzzle that every person deserved to have in their life and Veleraen was lucky to find such friendship in such a creative and innocent young girl.

Her reactions to his story were priceless in his eyes as the Giant became more captivated by the subtle nuances she subconsciously emitted during her attentive listening. There was very little the Giant could do but try to hold back a mighty chuckle as he almost jostled the young woman off her perch and reached up gently to make sure she didn't fall.

Such a suspenseful and terrifying story as it was, Veleraen knew Satsumaiha would take such a tale in stride as such things, as they were, may not have been in her world but knew Veleraen dealt with such things in his life. Perhaps it was just sheer stupidity or pure luck, but Veleraen had enough skill and wits about him to survive these encounters over and over again.

There also was the definite possibility that he would not see Satsumaiha ever again because of such a dangerous lifestyle. Such a brightening was one he dreaded immensely, not just because of the saddening thought of death capturing him and leaving the young Satsumaiha in this world, but somehow Veleraen felt responsible for her well being and her general safety. Leaving an angel in such hallowed grace made his insides rot and his mind twist and when that brightening came, sorrow's wings would spread much wider to encompass more than just the victims of the past.

"Yes, well, I...Indirectly made them leave in a sense. They wanted more power from their Lich Queen and when they saw her destroyed before their very eyes, they knew that their lofty dreams were all for nothing." Veleraen tried to downplay his role in such an event but he knew the truth as they walked, the Giant not able to suppress a small grin that was starting to form on his face.

"You are right, we should go see that Opera...I told the Captain where I was to be staying. When I hear word from Jaedaxia that it is to be playing, we shall go together. How does that sound, Satsumaiha? Are you up for traveling across a Kingdom to see a play, many, many cycles of travel from here?" Veleraen teasingly questioned her steely resolve, but could have guessed her reaction almost instantly, but he did it anyways to see if she would surprise him. She always did.

The sudden arrival of his title again, made Veleraen turn his head at her and then he raised a finger, threatening to tickle her as he slowly approached her sides with his trusty index finger. "You call me Sir again, and I'll tickle you so hard, you will fall of my shoulder into a snowbank." Veleraen chuckled again, his whole lower body moving along with his arm, which was slowly retreating from its threatening position to his side. "And you're welcome." Veleraen grinned and kept walking further and eventually found himself going through the snowy field and approaching an enormous log that was blocking the path. "Hold on!" Veleraen abruptly as he half jumped over the log which, at closer inspection was a fallen tree that came up on a steep angle and had been leaning on another one of its kind.

Veleraen slowed down and steadied himself and made sure Satsumaiha was okay and then