Knots can be Undone and Remade

[Winters-Feather]

She decided when she woke up that her name for the day would be Coca, named after the chocolate she had forgotten the taste of. Actually, she thought as she stroked the cheek of her 1000 year old preserved prince, I've forgotten the taste of all food.
"Good morning," the woman sang as she kissed his cold face.
Coca looked around the tomb with a frown as she sat next to his body.
There wasn't much to clean; she had made sure it was clean yesterday. No use going over that again  today. She yawned and shuddered; it was kind of cold in their Tomb and she was naked. With a sigh, Coca put on her robes, thankful it had sleeves.

Next, she started to comb out the kinks in her hair. Many, many years have passed, and many times had she brushed it, yet it still had tangles. As she  worked, she  day dreamed. Coca imagined that a traveler, tall, dark , and handsome (though no one was as handsome as her prince)  would come and take her away. They would go and...What would they do?

Coca frowned. Last time they had fought underwater dragons and she had won the affections of the Merpeople Queen, her Master's mother. The day before they had fought the Giant Monstrous Snakes of the jungle....

Her fantasies were the only thing that kept her going. Eternal life was quite a drag in a tomb lit only with the light of the hot sun from a window in the roof. Oh, the tomb door was always open, and she enjoyed taking walks outside, but Coca had found within her first year that she couldn't travel past a certain distance away. Didn't mean she didn't try- often she would try, hoping the spell would wane over the years, but it was no use. Still, Coca wasn't discouraged, so she braved the tangles and the loneliness and the pestering pixies in her new, far away dream.

[Lion]

It seemed like the sun and heat and sand was endless.  How could anything survive out here? He wondered as he viewed the expanse of dunes.  It had been miles between the last settlement he'd come across.  They had offered water and food, and he took what they gave him, though it was very little.  He'd sleep, or try to, and time and again sleep would not come.  He longed for the mountains, for the trees and the smell of dragonfire, of blackened soil and streams that he could leap across with a single bound.  But he could not go back.  His home was gone and all that embraced him were the desert sands.

Hysaeda would stop and stay for no more than a night before he had to venture off yet again.  He was restless, no matter what he tried to do and though his heart ached for home, he could not return.  Not when there was nothing for him to return to.  Hysaeda clasped his half-empty waterskin and wondered through sweat-drenched eyes if he could make it across the sands to that distant, flickering mirage beyond the dunes ahead.  His sandal-boots provided no support as he tread along, and they were worn from years of use.  The sun was almost more than he could bear, but he was an Umbraeon and he was built to endure, to survive in any condition.  He drank sparingly and kept his eyes on the sand, endless sand that threatened each long, dire day, to serve him on a platter as a feast for the buzzards.

He did not wear the cloth coverings of the desert-dwellers here.  His hide-shirt, sleeveless for ease of movement, was soaked through with sweat, and his leather pants did not help stave off the heat either, but they were simple clothes and did not hinder his movement any.  Most of his gear had been left behind, he brought nothing but his curved sword, and carried the supply belt given to him by those that had been generous.

Then something else caught his eye.  The building he was more than sure was a mirage seemed to come closer into view and he saw the slit of darkness of a door beyond.  Something in him pressed forward and he broke out into a run when he reached the crest of a dune.  He leapt over the sands, tripping slightly here and there until he reached the bottom of it.  There was a place to rest, there was sanctuary at least for a moment.  He could wait until night, wait until darkness and travel on then.

He reached the building and stopped a hundred yards just abreast the place.  It looked so peculiar, so desolate amidst the dunes, and he wondered then if his enthusiasm had been misplaced.  The door had been open. This place, it had the very semblance of a tomb and why should the door of a tomb be open?  There could be all sorts of dangers in there, there was no telling what lurked in that darkness.  But Hysaeda was not unaccustomed to facing the unknown, and it called out to his curious nature.  He might not have been armed, but he was sure he could handle whatever might come his way.  Taking careful steps he approached the door and soon stood at the threshold, a darkened silhouette and he looked inside with great caution.  "Hel-," he was hesitant, "Hello?  Is there someone in here?"

[Winters-Feather]

Coca dropped her comb at the sound of the voice, frozen cold at the sound of a voice.  It was...It was a man's voice, right? Their voices were lower, it had to be a man's voice. So, so long...The woman opened her mouth to speak, but found herself too overwhelmed to speak. Her eyes were blurring and her head was whirling. In her fantasies she knew exactly what to do but suddenly she felt lost.

"W-who is he that dares enter the thresh hold of the Guardian's Tomb?" she replied, as majestically as she possibly could.
Yes, that's how it should be done.
She stood up slowly. Her long hair, which had been over her shoulder, was now rippling down her back as she slowly sashayed towards the door. Coca had been practicing for a long while, and was quite pleased with the result- mysterious, yet luring.  (Actually, it probably was over done but she didn't know that.)

Her eyes were used to seeing in the dim tomb, but Coca could not make out all the details of the man that stood by the door.
Be brave, be brave, be brave,  she thought, over and over.
Why was she so bashful at a time like this?
Was it just her imagination, or were his ears pointed?
Coca took in a deep breath and reached out for the figure.
"Come!" she demanded sharply, and pulled him towards  where the sun's light could reach him better.


Unless Hyssaeda knew the language of the ancient desert people, her language would have been hard to understand, just random babbling, though it was one of the origins of the modern Essyrn tongue.

As the light bathed over their figures, giving them both a rustic golden glow, the queer woman gave a gasp of awe. Casting away her 'mystery', manners, and shyness,  she began to touch things, starting with his ears.
"Master has pointed ears!" she exclaimed as she gently touched the edges of them, her brown eyes widening. Next, they traveled to his hair, his snow-white hair.  Only old people had white hair.
"But you're not old," she continued, "You look so young."
His eyes...were red?
"Are you cursed?" Coca said, her voice stern as she stared at the elf deep into the eyes, trying to look for signs of any devils.
"You're not possessed,  are you? You shan't touch the prince!"
To emphasize her point, the woman outstretched her arms, as if to protect the corpse behind her, when she got distracted by his chest.

Coca had never met an elf before in her kingdom- perhaps humans had changed so much since the time of her enslavement.   Her awed expression turned one to one mixed of disgust and amusement. His chest was so hairy! Like a monkeys! She preferred the chest of her prince, the tomb guardian thought as she reached out for it. It took the woman a while to figure out that it was a shirt.
"But that's silly," she thought out loud as her eyes and fingers were gently tracing some of the tattoos on his body.
"What are these pictures," she muttered, captivated.
As if in a trance, this calmed her a little, some how.

[Lion]

Hysaeda was silent and shocked by this strange creature that dared to be so bold.  Fear set in him, but he was too surprised to panic as he might have at any other time.  This strangest of women—was it a woman—inspected him like he was some kind of prized cattle to be sold at the market and the words she spoke, he didn't understand them at first.  Hysaeda wasn't used to being manhandled...or woman-handled and the very thought of being touched made him freeze in defense.  He said nothing, could do nothing.

He yelped when she yanked him in and stumbled on tired, hot, sticky legs that did their best to hold him up when she pulled him into the light.  So spoke so fast, so strangely and of all the languages that he'd learned over the course of his seemingly short life, hers registered in the barest of ways.  "Wait....wait a moment!" he said in Common.  Hysaeda pulled away when he through her inspection was done and he curled up in a corner at the base of the light.  "What are you doing!?  Why did you call me 'Master'?"

He put a hand on his chest and stared at her with his amber red eyes, his hair matted with sweat and dirt and his braids tangled and unkempt.  "Who are you?" he asked lightly, unsure if he should feel threatened just yet.  His right hand fingered the hilt of his sword, in case she was so bold again, but he did not unsheathe it.  He understood the words of prince, of tomb, but only vaguely and most of what she said had not registered.  If only it occurred to him at that moment that if he didn't understand what she said, what made him think she would understand him.

[Winters-Feather]

The nameless tomb guardian watched as the man retaliated a bit, stumbling in the corner. She was a little amused and sad by his shock, but also in awe of his tongue. He spoke a different language!
A rush of energy flowing through her.  A stranger from a distant land, here to free her from the tomb! Oh, but it sounded romantic...Only, she never imagined that he'd have had red eyes and pointed ears.  
The man brought up a word she did know , and spoke- Master.
She nodded eagerly at this and was about to say something when he posed a new question in a gentle voice.

Coca watched as a hand moved to his side- the guards of the palace ages ago used to do that when they felt a little threatened. Did he feel threatened by her? The woman bowed her head.
She didn't like swords, much. A vague memory, like a dream was in the back of her mind, of a time when the guards dragged her into the tomb, doomed for what seemed eternity.
"Does being called 'master' displease you?," she humbily asked, taking her right hand and pushed down on air a little, gesturing for him to loosen his grip.

From where she stood, Coca knelt in order to see him eye to eye, again.
Her eyes, filled with a thousand questions, boldly stared.
Now that she thought about it, he knew one word...Did he know any others?
A feeling of dread swept over her body.
How am I going to speak to him? she wondered, her worries getting worse.
In all of her fantasies, she had imagined some language barriers, but some how they'd find a way to communicate.This, too seemed easier.  His language was so strange...Yet some of it seemed familiar. And there was something about his voice that let her know that he was very knowledgeable.

Determined to please her guest, her eyes fell upon his hair. The woman smiled, suddenly getting an idea. She held up a finger before turning around and stumbling to her feet, her skirts twirling around gracefully as she ran the short distance towards the bed.  
"Where is it, where is it?" Coca hissed to herself as she examined the floor.
She found the comb, picked it up, and rubbed it against her robe. Satisfied, she eagerly approached Hysaeda and stopped to kneel a couple of feet away from him. The woman made note to be out of reach of his blade, if he dared to pull it out. Humbly, she held the thing in her hands, her palms face up. Coca pointed to his dirtied hair, and mimicked brushing her own.
"I can fix it up again for you," she offered, "And get you water."
At this she gestured drinking from  a cup.

Water wasn't too far away. There was a small spring not too far from the tomb, which she was grateful for; it was a small change of scenery from the stony room, but one she welcomed on occasion.

[Lion]

What was she?  A corpse?  A mummy?  A ghost?  Hysaeda was convinced he was seeing things again, convinced that all this heat was finally getting to his head.  His training as an apprentice required that he keep his mind open to things beyond this world, to other places and things that might hold danger.  There were no weapons that he saw on her person, and so he loosened the grip he had on his sword and just listened to the beating of his heart, that thu-thumped with anxiety of the situation.

He couldn't see through her, so she couldn't be a spirit.  She touched him, felt him with such a gentility that he felt no need in him to be aggressive.  Hysaeda sat up against the wall and just watched her approach with the brush, looking at her with wonderment, eyes wide and curious.  He furrowed his brows when she knelt beside him.  "Brush?  My hair?" he asked, gesturing to his head.  "Fix, right?  Clean?  Um...Yes."  How to tell her, how to tell her.  Hysaeda instead nodded his head fiercely and visibly relaxed his position.

Since the time he'd first entered into the desert, his hair hadn't been properly cleaned or cared for in several weeks.  He blushed hotly, feeling ashamed for having been so neglectful, but the blame didn't last long.  Slowly he took his hands away from his body and reached up to undo the braids in his hair, only four of them, and held the bands in his hand.  "Klatch'u," he said in Sevic and pointed to the comb.  "Comb."  He knew it was a far-fetched idea for no one outside the tribelands could possibly speak Sevic, but it was worth a shot.  Sevic was such an ancient language, close-knit amongst those that spoke it and sacred, far too sacred to be spoken to strangers.

But Hysaeda did not see her as an enemy, nor even as an outsider.  He was the outsider here and she seemed to live here in this tomb.  He should have been honored to be dragged into a perfect stranger's home, shouldn't he?  "Um..." he began softly.  "Live....live here, how long have you lived here?" he tried to gesture to the tomb and show some way of letting her know what he meant.

[Winters-Feather]

OOC: I just realized this should have been made in the Moraki Desert...Whoops. >< Oh, and his last sentence is in Sevic, too?

IC:

     The woman watched patiently as the stranger undid the braids in his white, white hair. It still fascinated her as to why one so young had such fair hair. Maybe he dyed it as a way to respect his elders? She was about to phase out into a daydream when he spoke again, this time in an odd tongue. Luckily, the woman understood his intentions and gladly handed over the comb, perhaps with too much zest.

"Klat-e-who?" she repeated with a giggle. What sort of word was that?

 She watched as he gestured towards the place. Was he asking her if this was where she lived?
"I live here!" she exclaimed as she rose to her feet again.
This time, she approached a shelf, and delicately pulled out a scroll before heading over to Hysaeda. This time, she sat next to him, and gently opened the document on the floor. Even if he couldn't read the ancient letters, no doubt he could tell it was very old. It was actually part of a diary that the prince had written, keeping tabs on his adventures, dealings, and every day life. Unfortunately, she couldn't read it. The woman didn't know how to read in the language of the court, only in the more common language of the people. Never the less, that didn't stop her from  making up the stories as she went in a desperate attempt to read the documents.

"For a thousand years," she replied in a quiet, almost sorrowful voice, "Maybe longer."

[Lion]

[You can ask an admin to move it for you if you want.  But I don't mind though.  It's not that big of a deal.  And his last sentence was not in Sevic.]

Hysaeda burned with some shame at having the word questioned for it was not a language many would have understood in the first place.  It was forbidden to share such a sacred thing with someone from the Outland, the lands that existed beyond the mountains of the Thunderblacks.  He ran a hand through his dirty, unkempt hair and tried to register what she was saying.  It sounded like Essyrnian, for he'd traveled to Essyrn sometime in the past, but the words she used were not like the one's he'd used to barter with stubborn merchants.  They resembled some things, but not all things, but a small thought creeped into mind.

Perhaps she might understand some words if he tried to speak them.  He understood live, vaguely but related it back to the modern day version of the word as it bore a similarity.  Hysaeda peered with more than just curiosity and there was a fleeting fascination that came when she returned with the scroll.  He sat cross-legged like a small child receiving a tutoring lesson.

She spoke again and he tried to get a catch on what she said and he blinked at her.  Something about years.  And the word long, or something like longer.  With the way she spoke, perhaps she'd been talking about being here in this tomb.  Certainly if he was here for such a long time, he too would speak in the same tone about being in such a dismal place.

Hysaeda looked at the contents of the scroll though most of it made absolutely no sense to him.  "If you were here for so long," he began in the scant Essyrnian that he knew.  "Why...er..don't you go...leave?  Do you want.....to leave....to go?"

[Winters-Feather]

OOC: btw, the whole 'knots' theme in this post is coincidental (see title). XD
IC:

Coca raised eyebrows as the man, who was now sitting cross legged, spoke again. The language he was talking in was starting to sound a little more familiar, but almost as if it was a butchered version of the tongue she spoke in.
Of course, she realized, Languages change over time...Could this be the modern version of my own? How queer.
Amused by this obvious fact, the woman let out a giggle, shaking her head.

But she was struck with a ray of hope at his question. To leave! The woman pointed towards the preserved corpse of the prince.
"Master," she said, "I'm bound to him until I get a new one. Ah..."
She frowned  as her eyes searched the stranger's. Perhaps it would be better if she demonstrated?  The woman touched the elf lightly on the arm.
"I'll show you," she said, gesturing for him to follow her.

Coca walked to the side of the prince.
Cloth...or rope,she thought until finally she found one of her small veils.
On two opposing ends, she made slip knots, and slid one of the prince's hands into it, and one of hers in the other.
"I can't," she said as she slowly stepped away from the corpse until she could walk no further because of the  knots on their hands. The veil, a faded purple with sliver linings, glittered in the sun light.
What was that word the stranger had used before?

"To leave," she repeated, this time in modern Essyrn.
She pointed to him, and then to the corpse, and gestured for him to remove the knot from the corpse.
"I need a new master....to leave," she said, slowly, repeating the last two words in modern Essyrn.

[Lion]

The words, they were so broken and Hysaeda would fear that he would be at a loss with her.  Miscommunication was often the cause of problems between parties that led to things that could have easily been solved if only each party took the time to listen.  Hysaeda kept this in mind and did his best to comprehend what she was saying.  He was not a man of many complex words, but he could understand what she meant through her body language for his eyes had looked her over for signs of weapons, aggression, or anything that would give him reason to judge her negatively.

Then there was that word again: Master.  He frowned.  He wasn't sure why she was calling him that and he wasn't entirely sure he was comfortable with the title.  It made him seem as if he were more powerful than he felt.  He didn't want to be anyone's master, for he was not worthy to hold such power over anyone.  Slavery was a common practice back home, for Umbraeons were harsh with their slaves and the business was lucrative.  He thought nothing of it then for it was so common, it was a part of life.  But here he was not home, he was alone with a strange woman that called him Master, though he did not know why.

He was just about to find out.  Hysaeda looked at her like a child and stood when she commanded, and watched when she knotted the rope with her hands to that of the corpse and exemplifying that she was apparently bound to this body, through he could not tell why.  Hysaeda understood then when she meant and his mouth hung open, unsure what to make of this.  She needed a new master to leave, she had said and he stepped back a little.  "You don't mean for me to be your master, certainly!" he exclaimed in Essyrn.  His eyes became wide and he shut his jaw, a little alarmed at all of this.  "You do!"

Hysaeda walked around and stared at the corpse for several speechless minutes.  But his eyes softened and he looked at her with understanding at her plight.  It wasn't right or fair that she should be stuck here when there was so much out there.  In some convoluted way she seemed a slave to this tomb.  He might have asked her just why she wouldn't be able to leave, but he couldn't find the words he wanted to say.  Perhaps it was wrong to feel a little bit of pity for her, for it was so unlike him to do so, but he did not like to see others suffer when there was no reason for them to do so. So Hysaeda stepped back to where she was bound and slipped the knot from the corpse' hand.  He fingered the knotted veil for a second before he slipped his own wrist into it and pulled the knot a little snugly.  "Leave," he said in modern Essyrnian.  "You can leave with me.  But I am no 'Master.'"  He paused and considered best how to say it.  "Name...my name," he pointed to his chest, "is Hysaeda."

[Winters-Feather]

The tomb guardian gave a weak smile as the man became alarmed by her statements. She was a bit relieved. She had feared that her metaphor would be lost unto him, that he wouldn't understand his plight. Of course, some of the words that he had exclaimed had been lost to her, but his expression of disbelief and realization and the repetition of the word 'master' was enough for her to understand that he knew.

This is it.
The woman felt weak and heavy as she unconsciously held her breath and listened to the pounding of her heart beat. She watched anxiously as the man slowly approached the corpse, deep in thought. For a moment, she feared that he would somehow damage the corpse; she was the prince's guardian, after all.
If I leave, I'll probably never see him again, she realized. Coca didn't know how to feel about this. She wanted to move on and find her name, maybe. But he was all she ever knew the past thousand years. She felt scared and vulnerable.

And this stranger. What if he decides to leave her? After all, he was just a traveler; perhaps he wasn't her new prince at all and would leave her here for who knows how long...
He's removing the knot, she thought.
Her eyes widened as she watched his every movement.  
All was still when he adjusted it onto his wrist and proclaimed his name.  
Hysaeda. Her new master's name was...No, wait.
She had to break her previous bond with the prince before it could be official.  

Her head bowed, the woman  slowly walked past Hysaeda and leaned over the face of the corpse prince, giving it one last loving kiss.
"Undo these bonds that tie us both. No longer are we master and servant," she whispered into the dead man's ear. Yes, she remembered those ancient words. Those and the rules of her curse. The priest years and years ago had surely driven them into her mind, the only true memories she had.

The woman gave a gasp as she could feel the bonds undo them self; suddenly, she knew that she could run anywhere she wanted, without any pain or possession to bring her back. However, she knew this feeling of utopia were short lived; in agony she would be if she didn't redo the spell quickly.
"Farewell," she lamented as she ran her hand through the prince's hair. She realized she wasn't going to miss him, much; yes, she had loved him, but he had been long dead and she had been bored.

Coca- though she quickly disregarded the name as it didn't seem suiting, anymore- turned around to face Hysaeda and grasped his larger hands with her trembling smaller ones.
"It is done, Hysaeda," she solemnly declared, sealing their bond.
Now there was a name, she couldn't help but to think, that was suited for her new benefactor! Hysaeda...It sounded mysterious and foreign and good. The woman liked that. The ex-tomb guardian could feel the spell redoing itself, could feel Hysaeda's presence.  For now, it seemed unnecessary, but she knew that no matter if she could see him or not, she'd always be able to find him.

The lady let out a sigh of relief; the ritual was over. Her breath and heart beat returned to normal, and she felt weightless.
"Thank you!" she exclaimed with excitement, smiling brightly him as she undid the veil that tied them together and wrapped it around herself. This wasn't how she imagined for her meeting with her savior ever went, but those fantasies were trifle, now.

"Mmm," she muttered as she surveyed the tomb. Without stopping to give an explanation, the woman quickly gathered her things. She grabbed her jewelry box and shoved it into a satchel along with a gourd for water and her comb. The woman then  put on her straw sandals with  haste. She packed nothing else, for these were her sole possessions; the rest belonged to the prince, and it was bad to steal from the dead.

The nameless woman laughed as she practically ran to the entrance of the tomb, the satchel slung over her shoulder.
"Water!" she exclaimed, mimicking drinking, "Let's go find water for you!"

[Lion]

[From now on, any Essyrnian he's speaking will be italicized, just to make it easier to know when he is and isn't]

This was all happening so fast that it seemed hard to take in all at once.  Hysaeda, at this moment, did not quite realize exactly what he'd done now that he'd done it. It was so rare to welcome another in his presence that did not involve but a few seconds of interaction before they parted ways.  Hysaeda was not always comfortable to stick around another for longer than necessary, but there was a slow creeping feeling that this woman, whoever she was, was going to be around him for a while.  He felt strange after she'd murmured her parting words to her prince.  He felt heavier somehow, but this sensation was quickly overshadowed by another feeling.

The way she said her good bye, it made him feel solemn and his homesickness came back to haunt him with a vengeance.  Hysaeda turned his head down to keep the tears from falling, and his eyes would have been misty if it weren't for the dry heat of the desert.  He saw, to some extent, a part of himself in her, the way she said goodbye, and he slowly realized that perhaps this was the only home she knew and she was going to leave it behind.  It seemed she didn't mind that much to even consider leaving, but it still made him a little regretful at having even suggested the concept.

But soon she grabbed his hands into her hers and she soon sealed the bond between them.  He held his breath for a moment and waited for something epic to happen.  The earth to shake, the sun to fall, the sands to shift into oasis....yet nothing.  But suddenly he did find himself much more aware of her than before and he looked at her with wider, speculative eyes.  The way her hands felt in his was so strange and he furrowed his brows when his eyes glanced on them.

Before he knew it, they were ready to go and he dusted off his hands before he followed her like a dog, though in a much less degrading manner.  "Water sounds like a very good idea right now," he murmured in Essyrnian, though stepped outside with some reluctance.  "Um...where," he motioned out towards the vast expanse, "is this water?  Lead..." he nudged for her to walk.  "Lead the way. I will follow."

[Winters-Feather]

OOC: Ok. I'll do the same too. I suppose I'll bold  her Old-Essyrn speech, too XD  

IC:

     The nameless woman nodded at Hysaeda's instructions and secured the veil so that it covered her mouth, nose, and hair properly before starting the short journey.
The spring was south-westward. It used to be a large lake years and years ago, but now it was reduced to a  spring, seven feet wide and thirty feet long. The walk normally took the lady anywhere between fifteen minutes to half an hour, but today she walked with a faster pace. She was so ecstatic that the woman didn't even want to talk. She couldn't feel the prince's presence, anymore. In a way, it felt empty and strange, not being able to  feel his direction, but she welcomed the presence of her stranger and the prospect of finally being able to live.

     When they finally reached the shore of the spring, she plopped herself down at the shore and began to wash her face. The water was fresh and cool, a pleasant contrast to the scorching heat of the desert.  She idly splashed water up her arms before rummaging in her satchel for the gourd and placed it under the water. The woman didn't really need it though  she liked drinking and eating. However, the extra water was going to be necessary for Hysaeda.

    The woman turned to the man to see how he was doing. She bit her bottom lip, a little impatient. She had so many things to ask him!
"How is it?" she shyly asked.

[Lion]

Hysaeda was not happy with being back in the heat, but with the secure promise of water in mind, he had no choice and followed the woman, whose name he remembered he didn't even bother to ask for!  He'd have to ask as soon as he could...  If she had a name at all.  What if she didn't?  Would that make communication even harder than it was before?  The language barrier was enough and though they barely understood what the other meant, the issue of names was something he didn't consider before.  He did not explain the meaning behind his name, nor it's origin, but that couldn't possibly be interesting to her could it?  No, that was absolutely absurd.

Before he knew it they reached the water and he stared at it as if it were nothing more than a figment of his dreams.  It was not the running, cold, clear streams of the mountains of the Thunderblacks, but it was water.  And he sweated underneath the sun and looked at it longingly.  Hysaeda then grinned widely, like a young boy that gained his father's approval for the first time.  He almost didn't hear her question, but he didn't have time to answer it before he plucked off his shirt and dashed toward the spring.

He dove for the water, though he was sure it wasn't very deep and he landed on his belly with a small splash.  This was a dream!  Oh, it was the most beautiful dream he'd had in weeks!  He cooled off tremendously from the heat.  His stomach hurt from the landing, but the sensation of actual moisture other than sweat did wonders to pale away the pain.  "Amazing!" he exclaimed and rolled around on the other side of the spring.  When his reverie was over, he got out of the water, dripping wet and grabbed his shirt off from the ground.  He knelt beside her and dunked the hide shirt in the water to make it wet.  He threw that over his shoulder before he grabbed his nearly empty water-skin and filled it.

"I am sorry for being foolish," he apologized momentarily.  "Thank you...thank you.  But I would like to know something.  Your name, what's your name?  You do have one, don't you?"

[Winters-Feather]

Her question was answered with the animal-pelt shirt flung aside as the man dove into the water. Startled, the woman covered her face with her hands and gave a delighted squeal.  
"Hey!" she exclaimed with a laugh.
Her robes were now soaked in parts; she could feel the coolness of the water reach her skin and shuddered. It felt nice, though, and the lady welcomed it. She pulled her knees up to her chest, and watched as Hysaeda splashed around in the water, like a child. The lady felt something inside her churn as she observed his bare torso.

He's beautiful, she couldn't help but to shamelessly think. Not only that, but he was so new to her, that it was fascinating. The only other human like being she had ever seen was her prince, a corpse. Yes, she knew what men look like  but to see someone new after such a long period of time was overwhelming, as if she had never known these things before. If a woman were to pop up right then and there too, she mused, she'd be just as overwhelmed. It felt new, but oddly nostalgic, to be able to sit and play , or observe others play, like this.  The woman had forgotten how much she missed it.

The woman curled up  a little more as he knelt beside her, almost as if afraid that he knew what she was thinking about. She shyly glanced over at him as he knelt beside her when she took in a sharp breath at the sight of the scars. She hadn't noticed them before when he was in the water, but now they were clearly visible. The sight of them didn't frighten her. However, what ever could have given those to him did. It made her a little sad, too, but she was now  even more curious as to what his tale was.
He must be an explorer or a treasure hunter or a warrior or a hero of some sort, she mused, coming up with all sorts of explanations and trials as of to why he possessed such scars.

She watched attentively as he filled his own water skin and frowned at his question.
"Name?" she repeated, trying to remember those words she had learned before.
"To leave...name. I lost mine. I go by many, now."
She said this as if it was the most natural thing in the world, and perhaps it was. The woman had gotten used to being nameless, and didn't find it so peculiar after a while.
The woman paused before continuing.
The man spoke some version of the Essyrn tongue, but was he really from there? She knew that people must have changed over time, but this much?
"Is Hysaeda from Essyrn? Or are you from far away? "she asked, curiously, waving her hand as she indicated  'far away'.

[Lion]

Hysaeda tilted his head as he listened and nodded when he put her words together.  She lost her name.  To any other, they might have wondered just how or why a person could lose their own name.  But Hysaeda was not like so many others and he saw measured that she had been in that tomb for far longer than he guessed at first.  Whatever it was that kept her from leaving most likely left her in a position where she didn't need to say her name to people, didn't need to become acquainted on a regular basis.  With the excitement and strange welcome she'd given, he considered that it was possible those that came by were too few and far between.  And most likely, they didn't bother to stay for too long.

But he just smiled at her, wondering if now he'd done some good for another.  The world was a hard thing to bear enough alone; at least she wouldn't be so much anymore.  Though for how long exactly, well even he didn't have enough foresight to tell for sure.  He nodded and then thought up names of what he might call her for it wouldn't be wise to call her a crazy woman for longer than the first day.  He took a deep drink from the water skin, then dousing his entire head with the rest of it before refilling it again.  He brushed out the grime that had built up, leaving his head cool and cleansed and soft once again.

He started retying his braids once again when she asked him a question.  Far away, he got that.  And Essyrn.  Was Essyrn far away?  He didn't know from here and might have answered so if he didn't catch the words 'you' and 'from'.  She wanted to know where he was from, then.  Slowly his head sank as his thoughts immediately went back to his home and images of fire and smoke flashed before his mind's eye.  He clenched them tightly and looked at her again with a weakened smile before he shook his head.  "No, he answered.  "I am from very...very far away.  There is a place where mountains grow tall and dragonfire burns the sky.  Sometimes, clouds are black because of it.  I am from a secluded place, hidden from the world.  More people...um, others that look like me, live there.  I called it home once, but no longer.  There is no more home...for me."  He was quiet afterwards and did not want to think any more of it, but he knew that no doubt she had questions and he did not know if he had the strength to answer them.

"If you have no name now, I will give you one," he urged, trying to slowly change the subject.  "Issen.  Call you...um, that is what I'll call you.  Another language.  My language.  Issen means 'the waking dreamer'.  The way you look at me, like I am from a dream.  I think it suits you.  Er, is it a good name?  "  He cursed himself for not having spoken Essyrnian in so long; the way he spoke it was shameful, broken and battered, and he wondered if she would understand him at all.

[Winters-Feather]

The nameless one was tempted to reach out and help Hysaeda with his braids, but resisted the urge to do so as he seemed to be deep in thought. Her eyes widened as he spoke. She found if she listened very, very carefully to the modern tongue, she could understand him, more or less. Most of the words sounded funny, and the grammar was a little off, but the woman picked up most of what he said and her eyes widened at his tale. Mountains? Dragon fire? Black  clouds? Her body shivered a bit in anticipation as of to what life there would be like. It sounded great and awful, a land straight out of a fairy tale.


However, what he said made her feel very sympathetic. He, too, was homeless, then? The woman reached her hand out and touched his shoulder.  Her hand trailed up to his ear.
So there are others with pointed ears and premature white hair?, she thought, in awe. If the woman heard right, the man had said that the place was hidden.

She blinked blankly as he named her and described it to her.
"The waking dreamer," she said with an amused smile as she removed her hand from his ear and placed both of her hands in her lap.
Yes that sounded just about right. She appreciated his talent.
"Issen," she also repeated, testing it out.
It sounded wonderful and new. It was not her real name, she knew, but it'd have to do until she found it.
Yes, she liked the name.
From now on, I'll be Issen.
Issen smiled.
"Thank you," she said.

She bit her lip before continuing to ask something that she'd been meaning to, for a while. The man looked like he had traveled long and hard but where was his destination?
"Where are we going, and why do you want to go there, Hyseada?" she asked, eagerly.

[Lion]

She was pretty odd herself with the way she dressed, spoke, and acted.  He wasn't sure what was keeping her alive if she'd really been in that tomb for as long as she claimed.  To be so isolated wasn't always a bad thing in his mind; sometimes it gave you a privacy not often found in places more civilized than the desert.  Not that Hysaeda would know anything about that.  For loners often found sanctum with the lonely.  Like drew like did it not?

She fingered his pointed ears and he stared awkwardly down at the water, his head tilted as she held on.  What the hell?  Hysaeda couldn't have been more confused and wondered why she acted that way.  Hadn't she ever seen an elf before?  What was wrong with her?  But he quickly shoved it aside and just figured it was a part of that which was yet to be explained about this strange woman who'd only recently been named.

Hysaeda paused and stared at her with incredulous eyes as he nearly understood every word she said next.  He didn't even begin to know how to answer that.  Why?  Because he didn't know where he was going, didn't know if there was a place for him.  His whole life he'd been wandering, and now that wandering had taken him into the desert.  Perhaps he'd go to Essyrn....  And for the moment that seemed like the most logical destination in mind.  "To a city in the desert.  Called Essyrn.  Have you heard of it, Issen?

[Winters-Feather]

Issen's eyes widened in delight at his question.
"City in the desert? Called Essyrn?" she repeated, excitedly.
"Yes! That's where it is, isn't it?"
The woman pointed to the general direction to where the city of her past was, in a north-eastward direction.
She frowned, hoping she was correct. Her memory was rather spotty; she had even forgotten how long of a walk it was. More than just a few miles, she knew, but that was it.
"That's where it was when I was confined in that tomb with the prince, at least," she  sheepishly added.

The woman felt ecstatic as she brushed a curl behind her ear. They were finally going back to her home city! Actually, she was a bit disappointed. Issen was hoping that they would leave the desert for she was a bit sick of seeing sand everywhere, but if that's where Hyaeda wanted to go, then she wanted to go, too. Besides, a lot of things were bound to have changed and things to learn; it would be easiest to start from where she began.

She realized that he still didn't explain why, but she didn't bug him about it. She looked down at her clothes, suddenly very self aware. The cloth of her robes were horrendously thin; she realized that she didn't care much if  the  silluete of her figure could be seen if in the right light, not anymore, but she didn't suppose people would find it appropriate.
I'm going to have to get new clothes once we get to the city, she realized.
Issen didn't mind. She had been craving for new fabric for centuries, and now here was her chance.

[Lion]

Hysaeda gave her a twisted, perplexed expression, but he found himself grinning nonetheless.  Even if he found her strange company, he at least thought she'd keep things interesting.  He looked off in the direction she pointed in and noted in his head, and remembered the familiarity of the path, though it wasn't concrete.  He could make it there.  Only a few miles more in the hot sun and he'd have a bath.  A real bath!  The spring was nice but, he needed more water than he realized to make himself feel like a man again, and not some lost desert creature practically starving in this expanse.

He'd threw his wet hide shirt back on his back and rubbed water over his face again, though it seemed the water evaporated far too quickly.  "If that's the way it is, then let's get started," he murmured and patted her on the shoulder.  He started off in the direction, slowly at first and turned behind him to make sure she was keeping up.  "When we get there, we'll go shopping for new supplies.  I have some money on me.  Not much, but it should help.  Is there anything specific that you need...or want?"