RP:Half Drow Hates Drow

Part of the Surface Tension Arc

Synopsis: Nymh tells Ynhaldei of Skylei’s whereabouts within the bowels of House D’artes, and cements himself as an enemy to all Drow. Ynhaldei leaves to deliver the information to Hildegarde of Frostmaw.

Xalious Village

Wait.. What?" thinking our loud as she feels like she is lost again. She is out for a late night stroll, wandering about when she found this small village. The thick forest around it made it a bit difficult for her to map it out as the forest sways upon the evening cool breeze. She sighs and shook her head for a bit as she stood against one of the building walls with her hand upon her chin, pondering which turn she did wrong. "I could always ask for directions.." then again its nearly midnight, wondering who is still awake at this time of the day.

Nymh only came out late at night, of course. The stars and the moon were beautiful. This time, it was him, up in a tree, relaxing... and playing a very distinctive melody on his ocarina. It was magically enhanced, enchanting... a lilting melody that the night insects of the forests seemed to sing to, swaying with them in the evening breeze, and eliciting memories of long nights under the open sky, watching the stars soar like heavenly bodies overhead. The tree had a perfect gap just above him so he could watch the stars as he played, and most of the humans around this town wouldn't see him up in the tree without some effort, and being long since noticed by him. This seemed to be a favored spot of his, this little village.

Ynhaldei kicking off the dirt before her as ofcourse, pride would not let her ask anyone for directions but soon enough she hears something different. It was a sweet melody that suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Standing properly as she look around, trying to gauge where the sound is coming from. Following it about until she finds herself by one of the large trees around the village. Sadly though she is wearing her business attire making the climbing a tree a bit difficult. There is someone there, the darkness of the night may conceal him but she knows there is someone there, someone familiar. Nonetheless she didn't need to ruin anybody else's day so she simply sat down at the foot of the tree, quietly listening to his lullaby.

Nymh soon took notice of the elfess sitting at the base of the tree. He’d continue his song, until it was finished, then he would pause to revel in the afterglow of his music. “We meet again, then.” He finally spoke, and she might recognize his voice. Elves could see quite well in the dark, but to drow, the night was brighter than day, and daylight was blinding. His voice was gentle, perhaps because of the music that had calmed his mind, and his heart. Or, perhaps he’d gained some clarity of purpose, and decided upon a path less selfish than the one he’d been pondering until now.

Ynhaldei hummed as she nodded, affirming that they did meet once more. Her eyes was closed as if listening to his music still.. which is true, sound does ricochets around the village just enough for to listen to it a bit longer as she said. "I don't recall you giving me your name though.. Maybe you did but last time we met was a bit too short for my liking."

Nymh nodded. "I am an... impatient individual." What a revelation, that. "My name is Nymh." He didn't say much beyond that, acting the part of the taciturn artist. Perhaps he felt a bit of guilt for simply leaving her so abruptly as he did.

Ynhaldei smiles as the man opens up a bit as she said, "Not impatient enough clearly... Learning an instrument usually takes time and focus to master and yet here I was listening to a beautiful melody." Stretching her back as she said. "Would it be too much if I ask you to pull me up there? I am quite sure the air is colder on higher ground." Looking up to him, wondering how would he respond to such request. "Also your name sounds a bit lady like." grinning at him.

Nymh looked down at her, and squinted in irritation, then relented. "It happens that in the drow species, the male is the softer sex." Smaller, less physically strong. He'd lean down though, and offer her an arm. It seemed her attire was prohibitive of her usual elven dexterity. Learning an instrument did take time to master.... but he'd spent a long time, alone as a slave, with nothing else to do but focus on staying sane and alive. Music had been his salvation, in the end. His one great escape, from it all.

Ynhaldei simply nods as she knows what the man is talking about, such racial difference between them does not hamper one's knowledge on how other is governed in their society. It is simply a matter of open mindedness, sometimes people forget that and tend to discriminate someone for being different. She extends her arms and wait for the man to pull him up. She saw him doing his thing last time, she is quite confident that his muscular frame could easily carry her. "Alot different from the surface ones but don't worry, I don't judge." smiling at him as she waited.

You shrugged. "It is what it is. The drow are no longer governed by a spider worshipping matriarchy. Certainly an improvement. Males are on more equal footing with females, in spite of our physical inferiority. Well, I suppose I'm somewhat of an exception, as a half breed." He was taller, more muscular, for his wood elf heritage, though he looked almost purely drow. He was a healthy 5'4, very tall for a drow male. His conditioning exercises were brutal... he was stronger, most likely, than even she suspected. She didn't see the way he conditioned himself, only some of the knife fighting practices he did. His musculature was lean, supple... and very well defined. Nymh had very little fat on him.

Ynhaldei was soon enough dragged onto the branch the man is resting on, quietly sitting beside him. "It is an improvement.. though who am I to say that. I am not part of your culture to criticize." She turned to him and said, "If I would guess the other half.. its elf yes?" she can see it by the shape of his ear. if it was mixed with other races, different racial discrepancies can be seen but if its an elf, minor details are sometimes left unnoticed but the angle and height of his ear is ofcourse something that can be easily found if one knows what he/she is looking for.

Nymh nodded. "Most besides other elves can't spot it, because my skin is purely drow. But I'm a gray... half wood elf, half drow. Normally, such abominations aren't allowed to live on, even as slaves, but they made the mistake of thinking me pure drow at birth. They attached this cursed dagger to me, and then couldn't bring themselves to make complete waste of me after realizing their mistake. I might be the only gray elf alive, and the only one of drow blood who knows the arts of the Bae'qeshel. Drow have long since lost the ways of musical magic." His tone was almost surreal, as though he were in a dreamlike state, glossing over the facts and presumptions of his life. He was still watching the stars as he spoke, perhaps seeking some sort of guidance. "It's beautiful. The forest, the peaceful towns up here. I don't want it to change."

Ynhaldei smiles as she closed her eyes and let her mind wonder. "You know, this place will be the same as it always be if this war ends soon.. I would assume you are part of the drow's army and so am I for my side but I am here as a lost fellow who simply enjoys music and resting on trees." sighs and simply moved her head as if to look at the skies.. then again, she can't see a thing up there. "Care to describe it for me?"

Nymh shook his head. "I play no part in this war. I've been dragged into it, and struggled my way right back out." He looked to her. "There is information I want you to pass on. You fight for the elves, correct? Tell Hildegarde of Frostmaw that Nymh has told you... that House D'artes holds Skylei. She did right by me, once... and House D'artes has done wrong by me. I cannot be seen delivering this information, so only let my name be heard by Hildegarde herself. She'll know it to be truth, then." He looked away, brooding. He ignored her question about the skies, too lost in thought for the moment, and too internally afraid of what he'd revealed.

Ynhaldei nodded but did not opened her eyes. "I... could try that. Last time I was in the Frostmaw Keep, I was kicked out because I told the Lady-Knight that I was 'planning' to steal from it. Wait.. that's wrong, I told her I was currently 'scouting' it so I could steal from it later. I wonder if she'll listen to me though, then again she let me leave and live because I was honest to her. Hopefully that brings weight to my words in the future." smiling as she turn her head to him. "Skylei eh? Normally I would threaten you for her return but my only part on this war is self defense." She moved a bit closer to the man to focus their weight on the thicker side of the branch, not wanting it to break anytime soon.

Nymh nodded. "I couldn't return her if you did. I have no way to get to her. I've escaped from House D'artes before... it is no small feat. It'll take a war effort to rescue her, not some lone ex slave." He shook his head, sighing. "Gods damn war. Whatever your purpose, you fight for the elves, and Hildegarde won't keep this from them. If you think there is another better to tell, that is your decision to make... but I would appreciate your letting Hildegarde know first, if you would heed my words. I... trust her wisdom. My life has hinged on her words and actions more than once. I trust her." He noticed her moving closer, but didn't make any move to stop her. To be truthful, he felt terribly alone and afraid. Even now, assassins might be after him. He'd upset Gevurah D'artes... again.

Ynhaldei moves her frame up and down a bit, making the branch sway as if she was testing its strength. "I'll do my best.. it is my only way to find serenity anyway... Wander about and travel through town after town in hopes of finding something that I have been looking for. In this way, assassins never really catch up to me as I always move." Smiling at him as she said, "Next time I visit Frostmaw, I'll do my best to tell the Lady-Knight. though I do ask how would that save Skylei? as I have heard Frostmaw is trying its best to remain neutral to this conflict.. or was that Vailkrin, I think I am getting my facts mixed up."

Nymh nodded. "Frostmaw has remained neutral. But Hilde wouldn't hide the information from the elves, she'd know who needs to know. She's honorable." He had no idea whether she knew Skylei personally. "Vailkrin remains neutral as well. Any party would be foolish to let the war spill onto its streets." He shivered, just thinking about it. That place was cold in an entirely different way from Frostmaw. "Whether or not they can actually save her, I have no idea. But I can't just leave her forsaken. When I was fleeing D'artes, and slavery, she gave me a pass to give me refuge among the wood elves in Frostmaw. Laezila, my matron, rescued me first, but I haven't forgotten the chance Skylei gave me."

Ynhaldei simply sighs and said, "If its really urgent to you I can do it right now. And do not worry about me, Even at this freezing night, I can survive Frostmaw with the amount of alcohol in blood." She doesn't really look drunk but she does drink almost all the time, which is what she has been looking for all along. The best liquor. She had been a desert dweller too long that any liquid is treated as 'water' by her body. Turning to him, as if about to jump off the tree. "Unless ofcourse you want to change the subject a bit."

Nymh smiled. "Quite a feat, that." If her body could truly do that to alcohol. He shook his head. "Sorry. I'm a poor host. Too much death on my mind, I suppose. War does that." He shook his head. "You asked me what the sky looks like, eh?" He looked up, with a wistful sigh. "It's a thousand and more twinkling lights, a little too bright for my eyes, but not so bad that I can't gaze upon them. Amidst all those little heavenly dots, an orb, that smiles down upon the world like a loving mother." Something he wouldn't know anything about. "It feels so very gentle, and re assuring." The moon, it was.

Ynhaldei replies, "I wish I could be the same, after surviving alone for far too long, I have already lost my sense of morality, the death of others does not mean much to me as long as I continue to live. Then again war affects most people, Maybe I am simply not one of them." sighing as she looked up once more and closed her eyes. "I really wish I could see them.. I have long lost forgot how they look like." Yawning a bit and stretching her back. "I am not sure if Frostmaw guards will welcome me with open arms, I might need to sneak in and get purposely caught while stealing something to get the Lady-Knight's attention to relay your message. There is a thin line between risky and adventurous and I do enjoy both for its dramatic effect."

Nymh laughed for those last words. "I think I admire that. Dramatic effect, is it?" He considered a moment. "No need for that, I think. But. My musical magic is about mental manipulation. You wish you could see them? I can show them to you. I can't give you your eyesight back, but I can show you the stars, the moon, and the grey clouds in the night sky. It's probably going to rain soon, so I should play now. He'd hold aloft his ocarina, waiting for her assent. He didn't think she was so callous as she believed, but then again, he known drow his whole life, and dreamed that other elves were different.

Ynhaldei was not sure how the man would do that. She can't see a thing and illusions doesn't really work on blind people as illusion tricks someone's mind through their vision.. which she doesn't have but then again, she doesn't say anything and let the man try with his musical instrument. "Miss Hildegarde knows me and might not listen to me if I come to her naturally. But if I get arrested, I'll be interrogated, Perfect time tor relay said message if I would to guess."

Nymh shook his head. "Her personal opinion of you won't matter, if you tell her you have urgent matters to discuss. She'll take you seriously. I know. She's not very fond of me, either." He'd raise his instrument to his lips, and begin to play. It wasn't her vision he was affecting, but her mind its self... what he showed her was like a dream, or a hallucination, playing on her hearts desire, influenced by the magical tones of his music. The stars would splay out before her, not her eyes, but in her minds eye. Like dots on a canvas, he'd draw her a picture that detailed the twinkles and the darkness they brightened, the clouds that soared underneath, and the moon that swam amidst the ocean of light and dark. Nymh played, his own eyes closed, as a tear leaked from his eye.

Ynhaldei 's mind is usually reserved for her 'vision' of the world around her, her focus on her surroundings using her hearing does require concentration and as the man suddenly filled her mind with images, she lost track of the world around her almost to the point she started tipping from the branch, holding on it tightly before she even falls off. Blinking a couple of times as she try to stay focus but the images of the sky kept filling her mind. "This.. might not be as bad..." ofcourse she wanted to see it badly but the excitement is making her 'blind' and fears that she'll fall off the tree.

Nymh would place a steadying arm on Ynhaldei's shoulder, ready to catch her. After all, he could play the ocarina with a single hand quite well... his hands were nimble. But he'd continue to play, until he was sure she'd been able to see the sky, the way he saw it with his working eye. He'd scooch closer as well, so she could lean on him, if she needed to.

Ynhaldei did leaned to him, listening to his music as she held onto the branch, she never thought there is a magic that could do such trick, it has its pros but it does made her aware of her vulnerabilities. "Thank you.." she quietly said that as the man allowed her to move this close. "If you ever feel lonely again, Look out for me. I may not be the best of people but I do not have much to do with my time other loiter around... Just make sure I don't fall off any tree from the near future." she does want the man to play more tunes for her, allow her to see the world in more vibrant way than she had for the last couple hundred years. At some point it made her a bit excited for the next song.

Nymh would finally stop playing, and nod. "It is the Bae'qeshel. An art long lost. Darksong, but there is beauty in the darkness, you know?" He smiled weakly, glad he was able to bring this small joy to another. "I'll keep an eye out. I like it here, because it's so peaceful." Beyond the general reach of the drow, as well. "You mention often that you are not the best of people." Just an observation, that. "Do you regret that?"

Ynhaldei finally regain her balance back as the man stopped playing. Maybe she should listen to him more in a much more stable sitting position. "Well it is just a saying but then again, Every person is different from one another, One cannot say he is the 'best' just because he says so. I just think all people has their own darkness and that would make then 'not the best' as per what society aims for. It is merely an expression but the truth is.. no, I do not regret it. What I have done in the past, present and will do in the future may not be 'good' per standard but as long as I live and I am happy, why should I regret it?" Smiling at him as she lean closer to the man, she is beside him anyway, might aswell make the most of it and keep both of them warm under the freezing cold winds.

Nymh nodded. "I've done many things to survive, and I cannot say that I've never found pleasure in them." In some of the horrible things he'd done. The blood he'd shed... he shook his head, trying to dispel the images. "But I want to make this a better world. For everyone. A dream well beyond my reach, of course." He'd do what little he could. "I'm no one worthy of judging, though. I'm just a runaway slave, after all, with more blood on my hands than years behind me should allow." Forty years old, and already so much blood. Surviving as a gray among slaves was rough.

Ynhaldei understands how the man works. "I too have so much blood to answer for.. but then again, If they did not die, I would have. Nightmares do creep up on me at night but sometimes one simply has to keep moving forward." Turning to him and running a hand against his head. Not knowing how the man would take it but she did toyed with his hair if he allows. "You think too hard, stressing yourself too much. You are alive.. that's what's important.. What I usually do is simply tell myself that in the end I would be judged and will punished accordingly. But until that day of my end, I'd rather enjoy what's left of my life. Hoping that it is longer than I thought it will be."

Nymh saw wisdom in her words, and didn't stop her from toying with his hair. There was too much on his mind for him to be bothered by such a trivial thing. "Maybe you're right. I think we've many experiences in common." Dark deeds, done out of need, more so than greed. "And you're right. I am alive, yet, and damn grateful for it. I'm going to keep moving forward, and see to it that that continues."

Ynhaldei smiles and said. "Well.. you should be. I do hope you don't feel so down in the future. Such emotions make people doubt their talents as as I have seen last time, I am a bit curious if we would be able to spar sometime soon. You know, enjoy the reasons why we are alive." petting him again before finally putting down her hand wondering if she should go out the night and wander once more.

You gives another slight of a smile. "Perhaps we could, sometime. I rely much on stealth, and those hallucinations I showed you. I wonder how well I could trick those sensitive ears of yours, though." He had no doubt she'd prove a potent adversary, but that was a way to grow. "Thank you." He didn't say what for. "I should be going, now. I need to rest, before the sun rises. Make sure I'm not followed. Stay safe, and go to Frostmaw as quickly as you can, please." He'd pause a moment, then gently squeeze her hand, in a gesture of friendship, before hopping down off the tree, to make his way into the night.

Ynhaldei smiles and stays on the trees a few more minutes before leaving on her own, Walking through the depths of the night, aiming for the frigid winds where Frostmaw is usually is.