Practice Makes Perfect (Gil'dae Cheb| Open)

[Katerynn Gil'dae]

TS-Late Aperitus

ooc: This is open to anyone would be on the grounds of the cheb during this time stamp. The goal of the thread is just archery/horse riding practice. If you would like to get in an interactive practice thread for your pc feel free to join in. I'm hoping this would be fun. Other weapons are allowed. Katerynn also owns a sword and would be up for sparring. Let's just say this thread is an excuse for socialization/practice and any random mayhem we can conjure up! If your pc wouldn't normally be the Cheb but you'd like to join in pm me and we'll see if we can wiggle you in IC.

IC:

The brightening was relatively beautiful like so many in Silrosia were. Though it had been dotted with short showers but they only added to the beauty of the day for a slightly damp Katerynn whom was training in the lush expanses of her family garden. For the past two eras she had rarely been at home. Most of her training had taken place within the confines of the eleventh legions' facilities. Now she tried to get back in touch with her family and what better way to do so than to remain at the cheb as much as possible? There were a plethora of servants and quicksilver guardsmen to get to know. Katerynn wasn't the typical snotty noble who didn't care about those who worked within her House. They helped it run and they held real value in Katerynn's opinion. She had no qualms over getting to know any of the guards or staff or even developing friendships with them. Though, she supposed their staff were lucky. She had never seen any member of her family mistreat any of them. It was just one more thing about her family that she liked.

The tea and cookies that sat on a small table beside her were just one more thing about her family she liked or rather a privilege to being a Gil'dae that she enjoyed. Katerynn couldn't practice and enjoy these wonderful cookies at the same time at the barracks. As she bit into one her eyes closed as their sweetness tickled her taste buds. A definite perk indeed!

The delicious cookie now completely consumed, Katerynn notched an arrow and went through her mental checklist. Her stance was correct, she held the bow correctly, her elbow was straight, her aim was correct and she held the arrow correctly. She held her breath, took final aim, and loosed the arrow that sailed forty feet before it implanted itself with a loud thud into the old hollow tree Katerynn loved to use as a practice target. The sound of the arrow imbedding itself in the tree echoed a bit through the beautiful gardens of her home. Birds squawked in protest as the tranquility of the garden was momentarily shattered.

But it would be again, and again, and again as three more arrows created a neat cluster in the tree. Katerynn was proficient now at a distance of forty feet but wished to increase that distance to sixty eventually. Her plans for her day off were simple. She would practice and lounge around in the garden and then maybe take a ride through the Tawnleaf. Argo, her favorite horse that was in her care grazed near by and flicked her tail at the stray insect that ventured too close.

It would have been lovely for Katerynn to practice mounted archery here where all she had to do was call out and her cookies and tea would be replenished. But, it wasn't safe. One stray arrow could down any of the unsuspecting house staff or gods forbid one of her family members. Though, the thought of shooting an arrow in her fathers’ backside wasn't completely displeasing.

It was enough to make her chuckle as she loosed another arrow that imbedded itself a good bit above her cluster of arrows in the tree.

"Feth..." Katerynn muttered. Her musings had completely disrupted her shot. Her displeasure was quickly remedied by another cookie before she notched another arrow and continued her practice.

[Aarkon]

Contemplating that which he had recently been taught about Long-bowmanship, Aarkon walked along the stone Path of Contemplation which cuts through the lush, colorful garden he, and so many others, love to observe and rest within.

Slowly walking along the path, listening to the garden's many sounds. Hearing a curious smacking-sucking type sound somewhere nearby, he slightly quickened his pace and cautiously observed his surroundings, wondering what it was that caused the sound. Coming upon the old hollow tree Katerynn is usually seen around, he noticed multiple arrows inbedded in the tree's remains, and proceeded to search for Katerynn, wherever she might be. Logically, for her to fire the arrows straight ahead and hit the hollow tree at such an angle, she must be straight ahead of the hollow tree itself. Walking towards the hollow tree, Aarkon spotted a small table in the foliage and soon after spotten Katerynn with bow and arrow in hand. Announcing his position, he walked over to Katerynn's position cautiously, incase Katerynn had not heard him. He did not feel like being impaled by an arrow at that moment...

"Vedui, Kat!"

With a smile, Aarkon greeted Katerynn and took a position near her flank so as to be able to have a conversation and still be able to watch, and not interrupt, Katerynn's training. With a mischevious grin on his face, Aarkon snuck a delicious cookie into his mouth and inconspicuously chewed on it before washing it down with some warm tea. Observing as Katerynn trained with her bow, Aarkon wished he had a bow to call his own, so that he may practice that which he recently learned from Tarien.

Slightly frowning, Aarkon simply stood there and waiting to see what Katerynn would do next, and if she would notice the missing cookie.

[Katerynn Gil'dae]

Katerynn had been in the process of knocking another arrow and took her time as she took aim at her target. She had seen Aarkon approach before he had made himself known and nab a cookie. Katerynns hearing wasn't always that great or it was and she just didn't pay attention. Whichever, it caused her eyesight to notably be her superior sense. She loosed the arrow and it flew in a swift quick like and implanted itself in the tree with a loud thud next to the other arrows that were there. Her accuracy and perscion were to be admired. It took practice and she did almost every brightening. It helped that she loved it. There was something in that moment when she'd let the arrow fly and she knew that she was imparting her will on that arrow but something could happen to overcome it and make it go astray and it was just that moment before the arrow would hit that target that would give her a rush. Until the arrow hit the mark she wouldn't know where it would go and that excited her. It excited her that through her own skill she could overcome all other uncertainities and put that arrow exactly where she wanted it.

"You know," She stated nonchalantly and skipped the normal pleasentry of returning a vedui. "I never said you could have my cookies nor did I say you could drink my tea from my very own cup." She turned to Aarkon then and held her bow in her left hand while her right picked up a cookie. She took a bite of it and swallowed it while she let him squirm. Then a smile broke out on her face. "As long as you aren't dieased I don't mind at all." She finished her cookie then before she asked. "So what is your weapon of choice?"

[Aarkon]

"You know," She stated nonchalantly and skipped the normal pleasentry of returning a vedui. "I never said you could have my cookies nor did I say you could drink my tea from my very own cup." She turned to Aarkon then and held her bow in her left hand while her right picked up a cookie. She took a bite of it and swallowed it while she let him squirm. Then a smile broke out on her face. "As long as you aren't dieased I don't mind at all." She finished her cookie then before she asked. "So what is your weapon of choice?"

Grinning, Aarkon responded Katerynn's comment with one of his own.

"You never said I couldn't.."

Slightly giggling, he watched as yet another arrow hit the hollow tree with a loud, echoing thunk. Nabbing another cookie, Aarkon answered her next comment, this time, with a hint of maliciousness in it.

"Only a few.. Nothing fatal, though."

Laughing clearly, he took another bite of the cookie and savoured it slowly, so as to prolong its taste within his mouth for as long as possible, so that more time passes until he is forced to nab another cookie and possibly feel the wrath of Katerynn.

"I am only beginning my weapon training, so I don't have much of a choice when dealing with my weapon of choice. I have just learned how to wield a bow, and plan on training a bit before attempting to progress to a higher skill level, so to speak. Eventually I'll training in the use of Longswords, but that'll come later.. My priority is with the bow. Tarien taught me the basics of how to string, wield, and shoot with a bow, but its just that, the basics. I need someone who can help me train and highlight my problems and help me perfect my bowmanship, in all possible ways.

I want to make sure I am prepared and comfortable with a bow before I even plan on progressing to the next level by learning more complex ways of using and perfecting my skill with a bow... On top of all that, I have no bow, and don't know where to get one, or pretty much how to identify wether it is of good quality and the specifications are correct for me.. Speaking of items of good quality.. Mmm.. These cookies are tremendously tasty.. So, I'm taking another one, haha. Oh, err.. Hmm, it seems I, as usual, spoke way too much..."

Slightly frowning and trying to catch his breath, Kat watched as Aarkon's frown dissipated and was instantly replaced by a grin and a sarcastic eye-roll.

"Point is, no I don't have any diseases, I can only wield a bow, and badly, on top of that, and these cookies are so tastyyyy..."

And with the previous conversation summarized into a tiny phrase, Aarkon contemplated wether it would be wise to nab the final cookie in sight and instead left it on the plate for Katerynn to take.
Drinking some tea, Aarkon remembered that it didn't mean that he couldn't touch the tea, laughed, and nearly choked on the tea.

[Katerynn Gil'dae]

Katerynn liked how her bravado was lost on him. He wasn't intimidated and that meant he wasn't overly sensitive. It was, refreshing to know that she wouldn't easily offend and that relaxed her. His first reply to her question made her snort as the obscurity of it tickled her funny bone and she let out a short burst of a laugh before she gave him a ridiculous look but let him continue.

Silvery eyes watched him attentively as he spoke and spoke he did. His tendency to be verbose caused her to smile. How anyone could have so much to say about pretty much everything amazed her. Sure she had her moments but Aarkon could talk more than a dwarf could drink. It gave her an excuse not to speak and it was welcome. There were very few subjects she could talk about with as much passion as he. They had however, stumbled upon one such subject.

"The cookies are very good." That wasn't the subject but Katerynn felt it was paramount to secure the last cookie even if it seemed like it had been left to her. One could never be so sure and this was a very succulent bounty. She reached back to the quiver that was strapped to her back and removed an arrow that she quickly implanted into the last cookie in a dagger like fashion. With a wicked grin she brought the cookie up to her lips.

"Very good indeed." White teeth plucked the cookie from the tip of the arrow and she quickly consumed it before she spoke again. "Well, no one is very good when they first start any skill and the bow in particular is not an easy art form to learn." An art form it very much was to the young Gil'dae who had first learned to shoot once she was tall enough to hold the bow. “I agree with you. Practice is the only way you'll perfect your shot. You can have a teacher talk to you until their blue in the face but it all comes down to making what they tell you second nature."

The arrow she had used to viciously secure and eat the last cookie now found it self knocked in position as Katerynn prepared to fire. Her movements were fluid and her bodily naturally took the proper stance. Her arm pulled back the bowstring and just as the string would go no further, she loosed her arrow and it sailed through the air to land next to the others that were clustered in the old dead tree trunk.

Katerynn lowered her bow but continued to stay in her stance and stare at the tree. "Taking your shot should feel as easy as walking. No." She paused. "Like breathing. Inert. It just. It should just happen despite yourself and without a thought. That's when you know you're mastering it but to fully master the perfect shot takes all of you. It's not just aiming and making sure you go through the motions correctly. You have to feel the shot and make it an extension of your will."

She turned to him then and took a sip of tea before she continued. "Picking your bow isn't too difficult. I don't really have a preference. Some of my horse archers say they have a sort of relationship with their bow but I think to do that you make it easier to blame the bow for your own mistakes. I think one should be able to make a good shot with any bow but now I digress." She put down the cup then and continued. "Really, if you're going to pay for one you just have to like how it feels in your hand. Some archers will tell you all sorts of things about the dynamics of the bow but in the end the shot is yours to make no matter what bow you are wielding."

Katerynn poured them some more tea then. "As far as finding someone to train with, I train daily but mostly with my squad men on brightenings that I work. When I'm off I come here. I'm off the ninth and tenth brightenings of every cycle and practice rain or shine. You're welcome to join me."

[Aarkon]

Listening as Katerynn suprisingly spoke a mouthfull and a half, Aarkon allowed a moment for all that he had heard to sink in, then spoke.

"..And join you I shall. I need the company and the training, anyway."

Smiling, he took a sip of the tea and proceeded to ask a few questions, for his curiosity is endless and no question can remain unanswered in his mind.

"I heard you mentioning your 'men' and I've noticed you have an at least slight millitaristic style to your ways, but I don't know facts and details. What exactly are you? Rank, job, what you do, do you enjoy it, know any interesting people, do they have cookies too, and if not, how can you live each waking moment without these great cookies, what are your hobbies, your plans for the next few cycles, and just about anything else you feel comfortable with telling me, if anything at all..."

Grinning at Kat about his vast collection of questions, he wondered if she would feel offended by his questions or feel awkward or generally have an unwanted reaction, and immidiately wished he hadn't asked so many questions. Only time will tell what happens next..

[Katerynn Gil'dae]

Katerynns' eyebrows nearly shot to her hair line as she was assaulted with questions. She took another sip of tea. She needed it.

"First, I will address your most important question of them all. These wonderful cookies will only be found in our kitchens. When you want them just go get some. If any of the servants question you say you are there with my permission. Just don't take them all or feel the wrath of the whole Gil'dae family!" She winked before she leaned on her bow and thought about the other questions.

"Well I'm a Knight-Sergeant of the 11th Imperial Legion Horse Archers division. I'm also officially pursuing the path of a Phedos Angel but have much more training to accomplish before I'm ready to be tested. Um, well my squad yes, um, I have eight men and women under my command. They are all excellent soldiers and I spend the majority of my cycle with them on long ranged patrols around the city. We pretty much follow whatever path we were assigned and make sure the peace is kept." She took another sip of tea before she continued.

"My squad consists of Silrosias’ finest. Our patrols can last up to several brightenings at a time so we spend a lot of time together. I've been with them for several eras now and consider them to be my brothers and sisters and like siblings oft can be equally annoying." Her voice took on a sardonic edge as she finished her last sentence but she laughed briefly before she continued. "I wouldn't have them be any other way though. Now, well, I enjoy it immensely but my true desire is to be an Angel. It's all I've ever wanted for myself."

She shrugged her shoulders then and straightened her stance from leaning on her bow to a casual position. She slipped her hands into her pockets after she slipped her bow around her body. "I don't really have any hobbies unless you count archery and horse riding but they are just as much my job as they are my pleasure. Um, well I'm going to the horse races in prime next cycle and will be gone for three cycles. It takes forever to get there. I'll be spending more time traveling then at the races but I'm awfully excited you see I've been all over the countryside on patrols but never in another city or out of the province let alone across the empire itself. I cannot wait to see all that Alleria Prime has to offer!" Katerynn took yet another sip of tea then. It was very good tea and she had pretty much just uttered more words in this conversation than she normally did in a brightening so it was also needed. She refilled the cup then and asked.

"So what about you? I want to know all the answers to your own questions minus the parts about cookies of coarse."

[Aarkon]

Listening intently, Aarkon absorbed the information he had been told. He said to himself, with a slight grin and a smile..

"Beatiful, intelligent, dedicated, skilled, funny, respected, AND tough.. Perfect..."

Proceeding to think about what he would say, he quickly came up with a few answers which he knew would cause an internal conflict and end up making him, as usual, talk way too much.

"I'm a Quicksilver Guard in training, as you already know. No rank, as I'm currently unassigned, and if was, I'd be the lowest possible rank, anyway. I'm not sure if Calariel has ever spoken to you about my situation, but, long story sort, I woke up in the forest, lost, barely clothed, drained of my thoughts, memories, physical strengh and mental capacity to think and think logically, as if I had been attacked by some force with such powers, which I highly doubt. Later I found my backback with its contents strewn about and the backpack itself stuck on a branch. It seems I had been running from.. Something..

In the end, Calariel found me in a puddle, laying on the ground, and helped me get back to the Cheb, helped me calm down, fed me, spoke to me, and in the end, I chose to join the Guard to pay her back for what she did for me, as well as potentially pay her back for saving my life, in the unfortunate instance where her life is in danger. I know she can defend herself very well, but I would gladly give my life to save that of someone I love, or respect, even if they are a complete stranger. Yes, I know, somewhat foolish way of going about, but that's how I am. Too kind for my own good..

As for my plans.. For now, I simply wish to finish my training and become a Guard.. I have no plans yet, as I'm still learning my way around. I haven't been able to regain any important memories, so I've basicly abandoned the thought of one day returning to my home, if it still exists, and where ever that is. If I have a family, I know not. All I know is that I am now in the company of great and kind people, the Gil'Daes, and I will do anything in my power to assist and to protect them.

Erm.. Okay, I said too much again.. haha! Anyway, this.. Horse race, you mentioned earlier. Where shall it be held? I've been wanting to do something, explore Syl'Rosya and elsewhere, but I am afraid to do it alone, for my knowledge of the surrounding land is little and my skill with the bow and longsword is miniscule or inexistant, and I could not properly defend myself if I did happen to get lost or make a wrong turn, right into a bad situation.. Umm.. I don't know how to say thing, but..

Can I come with you? Sorry about being so... Blunt.. I don't know any other way to ask this of you. I am generally doing nothing but training and sitting around the garden, and you're going to do something that I've been wanting to do ever since I can remember, so I simply took the chance to ask. If you refuse or get mad, it is okay, I appologize. If it is a personal thing that you wish to do alone, then I completely understand, and wish you good luck.

I will speak to you no further about the topic at hand, if you wish, because I could just as easily try to pressure you into taking me, but I respect you enough to respect your decision to go alone, and besides, I doubt you'd give in to the pressure or be swayed by my words, no matter how sweet or well placed they might be..

Anyway, before I say the wrong thing and piss you off, think about all I've said and tell me what you think. I know you're not really much of a talker, so you don't have to go into such depth and detail like I did, simply tell me what you think.."

Aarkon said all of this while constantly changing. It was strange, actualy. In a normal conversation, his face remained masked with a stoic expression, only pierced with a grin, a smile, a smirk, or a frown once in a while, depending on what happened at the time. When Aarkon says something that he considers to be profound, in the sense of it coming from deep within his mind and heart, he expresses himself fully, with hand gestures, facial expression, and a constantly changing tone of voice, all co-related to the topic at hand which he currently speaks of.

Yes, Aarkon really would have made a great speaker, if only he couldn't only speak in such a way when he was completely calm and at ease, and with a good friend or a loved one, or someone else he trusts very well. Sometimes he has spontanious bursts of insight which cause him to adress the matter at hand with a different perspective, which is usually listened to and respected, but nothing as large or serious as what he finished saying just moments before.

Allowing a few moments for the massive amount of information that he could just as easily have triplicated with more detail and more emotion to sink in to Katerynn's mind, he wondered what she thought of him.. Probably not too good, as he spoke way too much.

Nothing he can do about it though, that's what happens when he speaks of such an important, if not profound matter with someone he likes and respects. Crossing him arms, he simply stood in a casual position and awaited her opinion and answers to his questions.

[Katerynn Gil'dae]

He had muttered something but she couldn't make it out. Katerynn continued to enjoy her tea as she listened to him. She expected that he would say a lot but it was welcome. She needed a break from talking. His story intrigued her though. It seemed as if he had been a victim of a mystic and a rather powerful one at that since there had been no direct trauma to his head. She grew angry because he was so nice that it physically hurt to think of something so horrible happening to him. Good people didn't deserve such things. Her thoughts turned dark suddenly then when she thought that maybe he could be playing them for fools with a fake attack so that he may live off the family or worse yet, have some other malicious intent. There really was no way to prove for sure that what he said was the truth. She had heard stories from other horse archers of bandits who would break their own arms to lure in unsuspecting travelers into an ambush. His overabundance of kindness could be a ruse but there was nothing she could do. There was no proof that he was anything but what he said he was. That comforted her.

She put down her tea and chastised herself mentally for thinking such things. Why couldn't she just accept him at face value? She knew why. At the end of the brightening, she was a soldier and her mind searched out every angle from which another could strike. It was inert and there was nothing she could do but push her thoughts to the back of her mind. She did so, only to have equally dark ones emerge. What if his kindness was a product of his attack? What if who he was before his memory was lost was nothing like the elf who stood before her now? The thought of someone else suddenly emerging from Aarkon if his memory returned was unnerving. She had grown fond of him and didn't want him to have any hidden agendas or dark personalities. Katerynn wanted him to be just like this for as long as she knew him. He had a way of relaxing her and besides maybe her aunt, she had not met anyone with such good intentions. No that wasn't true. Inwe of her squad was similar to him. A smile tickled her lips as she thought of Inwe who she had felt a great affection for, for over an era now. But that would remain forever in her mind and heart. The expression of such intimate emotions was not her forte' and was often treated like the plague. The sudden tightness in her chest caused by a fear of such emotions gripped her as she realized how dangerously similar Aarkon and Inwe were. More chances to fail at extending herself to another and the pain that ensued from her constant failure at it was the last thing she needed right now. Though it seemed to be something that happened despite herself for there were others who churned such emotions inside of her. She had literally, just reemerged from herself though and didn't need something or someone to cause her to retreat back into herself.

Change. It was something she could never handle well. Especially, when it was of a negative nature. There was no need to set herself up for more negative changes in her life. Despite her resolve in battle, determination of will and diligence in her work, emotionally, Katerynn was as fragile as glass. However, not nearly as translucent. The young Gil’dae often offset this fault with prowess in battle and a stoic resolve that was prone to frightening ire if penetrated.

Despite her thoughts, her silvery eyes remained fixed on Aarkons’ and she gave the appropriate nod when it was needed as he spoke. It seemed he was a little confused over the horse races and that drew her away from her thoughts and forced her to focus on the conversation at hand. It was a welcomed shift of thought.

"Aarkon, the races are in Alleria Prime clear across the empire and why would you think that such a simple question would piss me off? You have yet to say or do anything wrong." Thank Phedos. She thought to herself. The prospect of him being some sort of infiltrator was not alluring in the least. "Of coarse you can come. You'll just need permission from your superiors in the guard or from my aunt to go but you can just say I asked you to accompany me for protection. I wasn't hoping to travel across the empire alone at all. I'm hoping that others in the family will join me as well." Katerynn took a sip of tea then and extended the cup to him since she had been hogging the tea before she continued.

Her expression turned serious before she spoke. "Aarkon, I'm sorry about the circumstances that lead you to us. I cannot imagine what it would be like to lose my memory and my identity. Though, I have to say I am not entirely sorry because your presence here so far has been a..." She paused as she thought of the right word. Eloquence was something that alluded her at times and it did now. "It has been like a cool breeze on a humid brightening." She shook her head then and laughed a little. "I am no poet. What I'm trying to say is that you've had a positive impact here. That brightening in the garden in particular, when we had the picnic. I haven't seen so many elves in one place just completely relax in well, an era."

Memories of Larien, Tyav, Motito, Eri and others filled her mind as she thought of the time before she had just left them all. She hadn't left physically per say but mentally. All of her time was spent at the barracks. When they extended themselves to her she had withdrawn and only came to the cheb for official occasions. Some of them had left to pursue opportunities elsewhere. Others had betrayed intimate relationships between them and that tore them away from each other. Witnessing what had once seemed like how her family was going to be for the rest of her life wilt and die was just too much. Just when she had started to really get to know and love them the dynamics of all their relationships changed while they all died as well. She missed them all and she missed back then. To linger was not a good thing and she forced her mind into the present for here she was doing it all over again but this time she would have to learn to love and accept that, those she loved would always change and she would just have to change with them. That's what did it. That's what brought her back from endless candlemarks of practice and riding and back to a point in her life where it wasn't a completely a safe and secure routine.

Her emotions were in turmoil but there wasn't so much as a quiver to her voice or a wrinkle in her brow to let on to it. "I'm glad that you are here and I would not mind traveling across the empire with you or even spending some time per cycle helping you train or just enjoying some cookies in the kitchen. So don't think that something so simple could anger me please. It will take more than a mere question but we’ll go down that road when it comes and if it does but I hope it doesn’t."

Her arms crossed over her chest as she continued to express her thoughts, well some of them, about him and what he had said. "There is one thing in particular about your story that unnerves me. I do not know how you are able to be so positive when in a sense you have been robbed of something so important. It is impressive. Aarkon, if you ever figure out what happened to you and if there is someone to blame I would like to help you bring them to justice." Or seek revenge. She thought to herself. She was not one who could say they had never killed. If his story was true, she would not hesitate to put an arrow in the perpetrators skull. It showed in her gaze that suddenly went stone cold. She was literally, dead serious.

[Aarkon]

"Its just.. I always get the feeling that people hate it when I speak a lot.."

Aarkon pushed both of his hands through his long, blonde hair as he listened to Katerynn speak.

"Ah, yes. I hope Cala will agree to allow me to go with you. I'll probably be commited to a strict schedule once I officially become a Quicksilver Guard, so its good for me to travel, train, and get to know everything before I officialy begin guarding this place."

With a grin, Aarkon accepted the cup of tea and took a long sip to relieve his throat, now feeling dry because of all the speaking he had done.

Grinning at Katerynn's expression, he smiled and complimented her on her little poem.

"I.. That is good to know. I mean.. That you feel this way. Besides, you're not that bad.. You only need some inspiration."

Listening, Aarkon took another sip of the tea, then offered it to Katerynn. "I'm also glad that I have the priviledge of being friends with such a great family.. Hehe, especially enjoying cookies in the kitchen! And I also hope we must never walk down such a path, only filled with sorrow and disappointment..."

"There is one thing in particular about your story that unnerves me. I do not know how you are able to be so positive when in a sense you have been robbed of something so important. It is impressive. Aarkon, if you ever figure out what happened to you and if there is someone to blame I would like to help you bring them to justice."

"When you are stripped of everything you've ever had, you have nothing to look forward to, or backwards in my case, other than the future, which I myself will make, along with my friends and loved ones. I could just as easily have gone into a profound state of depression and self-pity and wasted myself away from the inside-out, but I am much stronger than that. I believe that I myself write my history, and my future, and that everything must happen for a reason. I know not what life I had before this, but it seems I was given another chance. A chance to begin again, with a new home, a new family, new friends, a completely new world.. I doubt I will ever figure out what my old world was like, and I doubt it would make a difference anyway. My place is here now.

I have developed a bond with you, Cala, and the others.. This is my home now, and I would not leave it for anything. You are my family now. Besides, who in their right mind would willingly leave these cookies?"

His smile turning into a mischievious grin, Aarkon prepared to run towards the kitchen, with empty plate in hand, to get more cookies.

"Come on, let's go get more cookies!!"

Laughing, he lightly pulled on Katerynn's arm and beckoned her to follow him to the kitchen.

[Katerynn Gil'dae]

All she did was nod before he yanked her sleeve. She laughed but followed him towards the kitchen. She walked astride him and cocked her head to one side as she looked over at him and replied. "I do not think I know an elf with a more positive outlook on life than you." It was true. His idealism was alluring and comforting. Her naturally weary state of mind was uplifted around him as if he were some sort of oasis but that was all it was. An oasis exactly. A small reprieve amidst a vast harsh expanse of reality.

Knowing so made enjoying such trivial things as conversation and cookies almost bittersweet. The young Gil'dae tried to forget this. It was better to just live in the moment. Why not partake of the oasis and forget about the rest of the desert for awhile? There was no harm in that.

It was also heart warming to hear that he wouldn't want to be anywhere else. It was easy to forget that your home truly was a home when it was in fact just your home. Sometimes you just needed to be reminded of how good you really had it and that's what Aarkon had just done for her.

With a smile she replied. "Not only can we get cookies but sweet honey buns and some more tea."

They weren't that far from the kitchen and were able to enter it from the door that lead to the kitchen from the garden. It was easier for the cooking staff to exit the cheb from the kitchen out into the garden rather than walk through the halls and out the front door. Especially while they carried trash or slop. The door served them now as they entered the kitchen. The staff who were there cooking, baking or going about their business stopped to await orders but Katerynn just held up her hand and smiled.

"Please don't mind us we just came to raid the kitchen." They either smiled, chuckled or ignored them while they went about their business.

One elven woman covered in flower leaned against the counter and glared at Katerynn. She pointed a dough covered wooden spoon at them. "You leave the rest of your family some honey buns now or I'll be here till the suns set!"

Katerynn laughed as she got a large basket and started to fill it with cookies and half a dozen honey buns. "No more than six I promise."

The baker nodded her head and stuck the spoon back into the bowel it had come from and went about her mixing. Katerynn meanwhile grabbed a bottle of wine. "I know I said tea but this is so much easier to carry." She didn't think he would mind. "We have a dozen cookies, six buns and a bottle of wine. Would you like anything else?"

[Aarkon]

"Wine is perfectly fine. It will serve its purpose just the same."

With a smile, Aarkon listened as Katerynn counted up the gathered 'supplies'. With a perfectly serious look upon his face, Aarkon corrected Katerynn.

"Umm.. Kat, I believe you miscounted.. There are a dozen cookies, one bottle of wine, and five buns, actualy."

With that said, Aarkon burst out laughing and, with lightning reflexes, stole a Honey Bun from the basket and munched on it, savouring every inch of every crumb of this delicious bun.

"Wow, just wow.. I never knew the Gil'Daes had such nice.. Buns."

Suppressing his laughter at the startled and slightly screwed up face of Kat, Aarkon allowed the awkward silence to go on for a little longer. After a second or two, Aarkon burst out laughing and, with a slight wink, corrected his bad use of the word buns, in this case....

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OOC: Ahahahahahahahahahahaha SORRY I couldn't resist! Its been SO long since I made a crappy joke, and it might even help progress the story a bit.

[Katerynn Gil'dae]

One fine and blonde eyebrow inched its' way up her brow over her left eye at his remark. The servants in the kitchen were trying not to look, laugh or both. Katerynn took several steps towards Aarkon and stood before him with a look of strict seriousness on her face as if she were evaluating a new addition to her squad. Silver eyes eyed th