Closed Something On My Mind (Nai'a)

[Erekez]

It was unfortunate that Nai'a seemed to only dwell on what she couldn't do, as a result of her short life, rather than what she would hope accomplish with it. "If you are always worrying about the things that you can't do, you'll miss out on other opportunities. I understand your concerns, but you are depriving yourself of happiness thinking about something that is not an immediate problem. I'm not saying don't be prepared, rather enjoy what you can, when you can." Erekez hoped he said would help that smile. He considered his own question as Nai'a asked it back. He'd never really been one to make long-term plans, hence he explored different places as he heard of them. If he made plans, it was stressful when they went worse than what was originally planned. It was much easier to take things as they came, only preparing for possibilities, instead of planning how things should and shouldn't go depending on different inputs. "I usually make short-term targets." Erekez started. "They usually have very loose restrictions on them, if any. For example, when I decided to learn Familiary in Zeltiva, I had no definite date I should arrive or how long it would take me to learn. I prefer being flexible, allowing for interruptions to be possible, but not have any impact on what I was going to do." Erekez's sentence began to fade off as he finished, as if suddenly thinking about a new fact. For a moment, he'd forgotten about it, enjoying the fire, the fish and his company. Raising his hand to his mouth, Erekez realised that what he'd just said wasn't entirely true. He had plans, ones that did matter if they didn't get sorted out or not. It wasn't a question any more of 'if' he was going to do them, it was 'when' he'd be ready to take the on. "Actually Nai'a, I do have plans. At least two for the time being." He threw the stick that once held his fish into the fire. "The first is to get back at a Reimancer named Kai I had a run in with last Spring. He stole something of mine and, when he was finished with it, destroyed it." The thought still angered and upset him. Three years of information the Erekez had collected in a book, reduced to ash in the time it took him to release an arrow. The only thing that made him smile about the thought was the cursed mark Eyris had given him for destroying it. At least his secrets were safe. "The second is a little more ambitious than a simple case of revenge." It was probably impossible for him to do, even if he did train. What his second plan involved was taking down a god. "What do you know of Aquiras, god of doors and travel?" Aquiras was on the brink of death, unheard of since the Valterrian. There were very few people who knew of him know. He had fallen from the memories of mortals, even though his watchtower system was still in operation. "He was a benevolent god, who only gave gifts to mortals just to see how they would thrive with them. He never asked for anything for himself, he was just happy to let others make their own decisions with what they had." Erekez thought a little more about the god, about how, even in his current state, Aquiras may very well have been watching over him as he travelled. As Erekez had learnt of Aquiras, he felt he understood the significance of his Guardian of the Traveller pendent that he wore. "The god Sagallius, when he was once human, ripped out Aquiras' heart, allowing himself to become the god he is now at the cost of Aquiras' life. I don't think it fair that he should just be left to die after all he did for mortals." "My second plan, to try help return Aquiras' health, is for two reasons. One, as a follower of Eyris, I can't let everything that we learnt from Aquiras be lost because of the narrow ambitions of mortals. And two, as a part of my own beliefs, I don't find it fair that Aquiras has to die to further somebody else's ambitions." Sagallius, god of manipulation, stood for what Erekez had come to hate with a passion, after being a victim to it so many times, so many years ago. Whether it was amongst mortals, or amongst gods, someone always had to suffer because of somebody else. Erekez knew he was nowhere near ready to attempt taking on a god, but that didn't mean he couldn't reach such a state. After all, Sagallius was a mere human when he ripped out Aquiras' heart. He was living proof killing a god was not impossible for mortals.

[Nai'a]

Nai’a nodded her head, Erekez spoke true. Happiness could not be sought when one dwells on the inevitable negativities of life. ”You are right my dear, though it is hard not to think about it at times. I will try not to dwell on it too much.” Nai’a replied with an emotionless tone, giving him a small smile.

Nai’a waited for Erekez to answer her question of him as she stared into their little fire, crackling and popping, dancing happily. When she heard his voice, she continued to stare at the fire, but gave him her full attention of her ears. The answer he gave her wasn’t exactly what she expected. She understood short-term goals, but the long-term goals made life so much more exciting, livable even. When he paused and raised his hand to his mouth, she stayed silent waiting to see if he had anymore to say about it. She was right on being silent when he told her he did have plans.

Her bondmate wanted to get back at a Reimancer named Kai, saying he stole something and then destroyed it. She was not sure what that something was, but she did not question him on it, it was his to say not for her to question about. So she just nodded her head as he continued to the next plan he had in life. This plan involved a God she had never heard of before so she shook her head ‘no’ when he asked if she knew about him. ”I have never heard of this God before.”

She stayed silent as she learned more of the God Aquiras. Supposedly he helped mortals and was a nice God. Then another God, Sagallius ripped his heart out, to become a God at the cost of the benevolent God’s life. ”Oh that is just horrible!” Nai’a explained, turning her attention away from the fire, and looking at Erekez with a shocked expression. She did not understand how someone could be so cruel as to kill someone, who devoted their life to helping others, just to rise to power. Once again someone was abusing power, abusing others for the greed of power. That was why she never trusted authority figures, or anyone who held a high status of power. It seemed to mess with people, turning good people into evil scum.

When Erekez said he wanted to try to return Aqiras’ health her expression turned into that of an excited one. That was what she lived to do, was to heal others in anyways that she could. That was a great plan to have, at least that was Nai’a’s opinion.

She stayed silent for a moment, absorbing this new piece of information that Erekez had shared with her. After about a chime she spoke softly, but still held an excited tone, ”I will help you accomplish both of your plans in any way that I can Erekez.” Nai’a used his actual name instead of his nickname to let him know how serious she really was, ”If you will let me, I will spend the shortness of my life, helping you accomplish what you wish. It could be… a plan in my life. Something to accomplish before I die.” Nai’a gave him a wide smile, flashing her teeth, ”What do you say my bondmate, shall we work together?” Nai’a asked this, holding out her hand to her bondmate to seal the deal.

[Erekez]

Taking her hand, Erekez winked at her. "I was hoping you would." Whilst he still felt anxious for her safety, as well as his own, Erekez knew that Nai'a was capable of defending herself. It was reassuring to know that he was no longer alone when he set out to do something. Erekez now had one person who had, not only promised, shown that she was willing to stand by him through his decisions. "Pleasure to know that you're not letting em go that easily, Miss Nai'a." Of course, those plans are going to have to be put on hold for a while. There were several reasons for that. First was the lack of skill. When Erekez had last had a run-in with Kai, he had been a competent level Reimancer with two marks from the goddess Akajai, as Eyris had said before giving him her first curse mark. It would be foolish to believe that Kai hadn't gotten stronger, after almost a year. It would be even more so to think that he wouldn't by the time both himself and Nai'a were capable of taking him on. That was all he knew about Kai and nothing more about any other skills he may have had. Their encounter didn't last long, and that lead into the second reason. The second reason was a lack of knowledge. Erekez knew very little about Kai personally. He could've been a master swordsman for all he knew, choosing to shed a few pounds of weight for a quicker getaway, thinking his remaincy was going to be enough. There was the possibility for so many surprises when they next met. However, one thing that he knew less about was Kai's location. Erekez hadn't been keeping an eye on him, neither did he have anyone on the look for him. Essentially, Erekez was looking for one person throughout the entirety of Mizahar, on the off chance that someone might know anything of his general location. One of the few who would would be Akajia herself, and Erekez doubted very much she was going to give away the location of a favoured follower on the possibility he would be killed. Erekez needed to start making connections if he had any hopes of tracking him down. The third, and probably most pressing, immediate reason, was Nai'a's current pregnancy. She had done well to hide it so far, but how much longer would she be able to before signs became to obvious to hide. This wasn't of being apprehensive, Erekez would not let her go on these quests with him whilst she was pregnant. They could until after the child was born. Even then, surely Nai'a would went to spend time with her newborn whilst she recovered. After that, then what? Would she bring the child along? Have someone take care of the child whilst they searched for new info on the assumption they would return for a while before leaving again? The child would need a mother at the very least whilst growing up. It was unfair to be deprived of that so early in life. And Nai'a would need to bond with her own child too. Topping it all off, if Erekez was having so much trouble dealing with another human, what chance did he have against a god? There was a lot of work ahead of him, and he needed to start as soon as he could. I'll continue thinking on this another time. Right now, this conversation could do with taking a turn to a more lighter mood. Turning back to face Nai'a, Erekez held a glint in his eye. "Next question then Nai'a, when you shift, do you keep your clothes, or take a more natural approach." He was being careful when asking his question, even if he was teasing again. Remember, she is fully capable of beating you down a few.

[Nai'a]

Nai’a squeezed her bondmates hand, giving him a warm smile. She was happy that he accepted her offer, actually expected it. They have known one another for only a few days, but it was clear that they were as close as people that have known one another for months. Nai’a figured it was because of the special bond they now shared with one another. She wanted to know more about this God, more information, and Zeltiva was famous for having such information in the small corners of the library. Maybe that is why he works there… Nai’a thought, looking over at Erekez. It did make sense, doing something you love, while gaining information on something you were passionate about.

Nai’a stared up at Leth, reflecting on all the information that she had just learned from Erekez. She could not help but wonder how one would find out a God’s weakness. Everyone had a weakness, even deities. For instance, Nai’a thought that Leth’s weakness would be Syna, because he loved her so. So this God that Erekez had told her about had to have a weakness as well, and she would bet anything that it was right in front of their faces too.

Her thoughts about the God was shut off, when Erekez asked her a question about shifting into a her Kelvic form. She was happy that he kept what he meant vague, being naked was not something she liked to do, she was actually modest about her body, even more so since she became pregnant.

”I have to take my clothes off first before shifting into a dolphin. So that is why I usually find somewhere … not so crowded, when I want to swim.” Nai’a chuckled a little, laughing out the slight embarrassment this caused her. She knew it was a normal thing, but it was still something she wasn’t completely comfortable about.

”So… About this God. I just have something more to add. He has a weakness, everyone does, and I think if we could find a book about the God, his weakness will be right there in front of our faces. We need to gather as much knowledge as possible about him, and Zeltiva is the best place to find information about things you normally cannot find elsewhere.” Nai’a looked away from Erekez after speaking her peace, and stared into the fire. She was excited about this, it gave her something else to focus on besides her whole problematic situation she had fallen into. Nai'a gave a small yawn, covering her mouth with her hand. It was getting late, and she was becoming tired. Lethargy seemed to be a side effect to being pregnant. Which Nai'a was not happy about, she was usually a little ball of energy, but here lately she had been sluggish to say the least.

[Erekez]

What Nai'a said was true. Everyone did have a weakness, even the gods, but the problem was finding it. When strength was even, finding and exploiting a weakness came down to a matter of strategy. When one person was far superior to the other, then knowing their weakness was not always enough. Instead, you would have to compensate lack of strength with tricks and intelligence. "I understand what you are saying, but I don't think it is going to be that easy. If a god's weakness was just written in a book, I'm almost certain word would've spread of the daring quests of idiots looking for an easy path to power by killing a god." Sagallius, above other gods, had gained power through his own skills. Having achieved so much, no doubt he would cling to it with everything he had. Sagallius probably already had measures in place in case of such an event. "No, I reckon we'll be able to understand how Sagallius thinks from listening to stories about him. However, if we want to discover his weakness, there are a few possible branches we can take." And none of them were going to be easy. "There will be those among his followers who have met him personally, but that does not mean they will know his weakness, and is even less likely to tell us it if they do. Chances are they's also be marked by him, so it would be dangerous asking the wrong questions to the wrong people. It might be easier to go to his enemies, the followers of Priskil, but would they be any more likely to give us helpful information than Sagallius' followers? I'm not sure, but I'd only like to bet they wouldn't attack us for asking." Followers of any god acted as eyes and ears to them. So it was probably a bad idea trying that anyway. It would inevitably get back to their god, and that would put him on alert, making the job all the more difficult. So maybe his Sagallius' followers weren't an option. That still left Priskil and her followers and the other options. "Alternatively, we could hope that my goddess, Eyris, would be willing to provide us with such information. Although it would be the quickest route, Eyris is a neutral goddess. Whilst I believe she will help me when I most need it, I doubt she will be willing to provide me with information that could lead to Sagallius' death. She'd probably want to help prevent the loss of Aquiras' knowledge, but possibly not at the cost of Sagallius'. I'd probably be left to do my own thing." Eyris didn't disapprove of killing when she had marked him, but she did encourage deities to work together. Whilst she'd probably be indifferent, or at the least upset with the loss of knowledge, if Erekez was ever able to take Sagallius down, it seemed unlikely that she would have any part in it. "Another option is Akajia." Erekez was uncomfortable about that idea. He'd accepted that it was one of her followers that had wronged him and couldn't let one set the impression of her. Just like Erekez wasn't a model impression of Eyris. "Whilst she is another neutral goddess, Akajia loves secrets. She'd probably be more than happy to find Sagallius' weakness. The hard part would be finding some way to talk to her. From what I've heard, she very rarely has anything to do with mortals." The more Erekez thought about it, the more it became apparent that their options were very limited. He hadn't expected such a task to be easy, but the least he could do was ask Eyris to see if there was anything she could offer him, even if it was where to begin. Erekez considered putting some more wood on the fire, but their supply was getting very low. When he noticed Nai'a yawn, he agreed that it was probably getting too late for much else. The air would only get colder from now, and it was getting to dark to search for any more wood for the fire. "Nai'a, if you're getting tired, let me walk you back to where you stay for the night."

[Nai'a]

What Erekez said was somewhat true, but then again it wasn’t. ”No, I don’t think so. Usually the things we seek the most is right under our noses, hidden in plain sight, because no one would expect it to be there. Instead they go on these wild and outrageous goosechases trying to find the answers when it is there all along. But then again you could be right; we will just have to investigate.”

Investigation could be fun, Nai’a could do some while she was attending classes at the University during the Spring, that way she would have plenty of distractions to occupy her time. Hopefully her plate would not be too full.

Nai’a kept quiet while Erekez started talking about Sagallius and his followers, and Priskils and his followers. It occurred to her that Sagallius’ followers would not speak about him, but that does not mean that he couldn’t make them talk. When Nai’a thought about that, she couldn’t believe she was actually contemplating such behavior and instantly felt bad for it. So instead of voicing such nefarious deeds, she stayed silent as Erekez continued talking about how they could gather the information they needed. After all, a person could have all the muscle they wanted, but the greatest power came from having knowledge.

When he started talking about Eyris, Nai’a listened intently. She did not know much about this goddess either, but more so than the other two he mentioned. He said that she may not give him the information he needed, since she was a neutral goddess. This was true, but did that mean she wouldn’t give him ANY information. Since she was neutral it would make since she would give him SOME information, just nothing that could lead to any deaths. But she was not wise on these deities, so she kept her opinion to herself as he started speaking of Akajia. Once again someone she was not familiar with. What the hell.. He is too smart for his own good. Nai’a said to herself, smiling at Erekez showing off his intelligence. Akajia sounded like a devious goddess, but also a dead end. She was yet another neutral goddess, even though she liked secrets she did not like mortals, so that seemed like it would not work out unless he got to one of her followers.

Why Nai’a kept thinking of such she was not sure, but the thought had come up multiple times already. So once he was done speaking about all the gods and goddesses, she decided to voice her opinion on the matter. ”You know… I hate saying this in my mind… Speaking it is even harder… But…” Nai’a paused and looked over at Erekez, ”What if someone made the followers talk.. Ya know?” Nai’a did not want to speak the words, it was making her sick to her stomach. She did not like thinking such things, but with the pregnancy it seemed all sorts of thoughts and emotions that she never would of normally had seemed to keep popping up.

Nai’a rubbed her dark grey eyes, looking up at Erekez and nodded her head, ”Worlds End Grotto is where I am staying. I am tired, I hate to leave you already, but I have been so tired as of late.” The Kelvic rose to her feet, stretching her arms up to the air she stretched her tired muscles, yawning slightly.

[Erekez]

Erekez could only shrug his shoulders at Nai'a's words. "I suppose you don't know if you don't try. It's the least we could do. I'll talk to Lisaelis when I next get the chance." Even an iota of information would be more beneficial than what they had at the moment. Lisaelis might even know something that could help. Leaning backwards, letting his head relax under its own weight, Erekez ran a hand over his face and through his hair. He shouldn't have brushed Nai'a's suggestion off so quickly. Every opinion and comment was entitled to consideration. The answer had as much possibility of being in a simple or obscure location than any thing else. He was still getting use to the fact that he was no longer on his own in things. Nai'a's input in decisions that involved him held as much weight as his did in decisions that involved her. She was his bond mate now and should be considered as such, rather than a stranger that didn't know him. This was a two-way relationship. Turning his head slowly, Erekez brought his gaze to meet Nai'a's as she spoke. He had to admit that he was surprised to hear Nai'a making such a suggestion. Her words spoke of interrogation, at the very least. If it started there, where could it end up if the situation was deemed to take certain measures? Torture? Erekez felt as if a cage had been clamped around his chest suddenly. He found it difficult to breath. He didn't have the tongue to manipulate a conversation to where he wanted it to go, for interrogation. Torture was one thing he refused flat out to even consider. Erekez didn't like drawing out someone's suffering and death, animal or otherwise. The most he'd be able to do would be to 'roughen-up' a few people. Even that had its limits. "And what effects will that have on you as a healer?" Erekez found himself worrying for Nai'a's well-being. He thought it was her duty to heal, rather than damage. What would it do to her if she had to heal the person, knowing she was just setting them up to last longer to break them? "Wouldn't Rak'keli seeing you have involvement in such an act consider it to be the same as doing it yourself?" Erekez followed suit as Nai'a rose from her seat. He offered Nai'a his arm. "If you are tired, then there is nothing that can be done about it. Shall we get moving?" He smiled gently at her in the dimming light of the fire. He'd need to kick sand on that to put it out completely.

[Nai'a]

He was right it would affect her, it affected her to even mention it. She couldn’t even form the words, not even the thought, she could never hurt another individual or even be involved in such a situation. ”Honestly, even with out being a follower of Rak’Keli… I could never be a part of something like that. I am not one of those bad ass female fighters. Seeing someone in pain… It makes me feel pain, and I have a dire need to heal them. It was just a suggestion… Plus I was reading something in a book one time… About a potion that did not hurt someone just made weird things happen… A loop hole I suppose. Nai’a yawned again, ”But I couldn’t do that to someone either. Just throwing out ideas.” Nai’a said with a small tired smile.

Nai’a nodded her head about going, and placed her arm in his. ”Let’s put this fire out first.” Nai’a said, kicking her feet in the sand, trying to smother it out. After the fire was out, they turned and walked towards the Grotto, where Nai’a would soon find her rest, and of course be met by her probably ill-tempered monkey, Meka. Oh the monkey cursing she was going to get for coming home so late. Nai’a chuckled to herself as she walked with her bond mate.

OOCWe can end this here or keep going. That is totally up to you

[Paragon]

Erekez

Experience

Skill	XP Earned
Philosophy	5
Rhetoric	1
Storytelling	4
Wilderness Survival	4
Observation	1
Cooking	2

Lores

•	Lore Earned
•	Trust Through the Bond
•	Accepting the Bond
•	Nai'a's Pregnancy
•	Improvising Grilled Fish Cooking With Wooden Skewers
•	Nai'a's Fear: Kelvic Lifespan
•	An Oath to the Gods
•	How to Recover Aquiras's Heart?

Legend Becomes Reality

Great thread, lots of thinking and thought - so 5 for philosophy in this one. Once you have deducted the last two seasons expenses, let me know Nai'a, and I can release your grade too. If you have any questions or concerns regarding your grade, please send me a PM and we can work from there.