Kill Lines
Blog entry

02/16/05

Torlinque painted two kill lines on his face just under his right cheekbone after he put on his uniform earlier this morning. I was immediately alert and quiet. I asked him about them, and he said it had happened after I was asleep the night before. That's all he said about it. He didn't say what or who he had killed, and I didn't push the issue. I had already done more than enough with him just prior that he was already thoroughly cleansed of the deaths, so I wasn't worried for his safety or anything. I was just curious.

About 3 or so this afternoon, I got an automatic Send from the crystal in our room. We've set it up so that it contacts me whenever one of them walks into the room.

Tolirion was coming in from working. He was covered with dirt and sweat. I think he'd been spreading mulch or something. I don't think he saw me. He peeled off his clothes saying, "Uchk!" about 35049828767 times and threw them in the basket in the corner. He stood there naked, with his back to me and started shaking out his braids and taking off his jewelry. I just stayed where I was and watched him.

Just before he walked toward the shower, I called his name. "Don't come near me." he said over his shoulder, "I'm disgusting! Hahahaha!" I told him I thought he looked beautiful, but that yes, I wasn't coming near him until after he had washed. He said, "You think I look beautiful covered in filth?" eyes twinkling. I told him I think he looks beautiful covered in anything, but preferably nothing but a thin coat of oil. He laughed again and told me I was wicked (Arianeth'te). He's right. I am wicked. So I just shrugged and smiled. He laughed harder.

Once he was in the water, I walked over and leaned up against the doorpost. I told him Torlinque had painted on kill lines today and asked if he could tell me anything about them. He confirmed that it had happened after I was asleep. I said, "They weren't those panther things were they?" Torlinque has told me the guards at the far edges of the grid holding the remnant of Selar together still see those sometimes. He said no, that Torlinque had killed 2 of those low level, fuzzy, black, puffball-looking things.

They're used as spies because they can get in and out of places quickly. They are rather stupid, not much challenge at all to kill really. Still, a kill is a kill, and Torlinque is entitled to his lines for them. They do have lots of little pointy teeth and will bite if they get the chance. Tolirion said more and more of them are getting in lately, which was a little disturbing. Tolirion and I both sighed and agreed that we love that Torlinque is Adrastai, but we hate that his chosen occupation is so dangerous and potentially lethal.

Note: Soon after this happened, I stood on the stairs of the Temple, connected energetically with the grid, and greatly reinforced it. Since then, pretty much nothing's gotten past it into the realm.

Blog entry 02/17/05

I spent about an hour with Tolirion at the hot spring. When he went back to work, I walked over to the house and went to our room. After being in the bright sunlight, it took a minute for my eyes to adjust to the darkness of the room. Torlinque was standing naked (he'd just woken up apparently), with his back to me. He was stabbing at some food on a plate on the desk with a utensil. I assume Tolirion had left it for him like he usually does.

When I called his name, he turned very quickly as if I had startled him, unusual behavior for an Adrastai. I got the brief impression that he was feeling rather bristly and rough around the edges. Then he recognized me and immediately softened. He told me he wasn't expecting to see me as when he Sent to me earlier I had told him I was with Tolirion at the spring.

I went to him and he held me and kissed me for a few minutes. He was looking at me through his hair with his right eye and was keeping his left eye covered with more hair. That, and that he hadn't turned any lights on made me a little suspicious. I knew something was up when I asked him if he wanted to do what we usually do most mornings and he said, "I...don't think I can." And then he coughed.

"Are you ill Torlinque?" I asked him. "No, I'm all right. Just some dust in my throat." he lied, and coughed again. I knew immediately that he was lying, and I felt in the link that he knew I knew he was lying. He just did it because he didn't want to upset me. He knows he can't lie to me. Elves rarely cough unless they've injured themselves. I passed him his water goblet. When he reached for it, I got that same empathic impression from him again of feeling rough.

Instantly, I was all business. I grabbed his head in both my hands gently but firmly and moved his hair out of his face. At the same time I brought him further into the light that was coming in the window.

His left eye had been bruised purple. "I got in a fight." he confessed, softly, looking at me with big eyes. Sneaky, stealthy thing had cast a Glamour to hide it from me, but I saw through it and when I did, he dropped it. I looked him over. He had bruises lots of places and a few scratches. He had a cracked rib on one side and a broken rib on the other, hence the coughing. I could see Torlinque had been in a significant amount of pain for quite a few hours and it was wearing on him.

"Why did Tolirion not tell me of this?" I asked. "He doesn't know." he said. "I didn't want him to worry, and he would have been very upset. I cast a Glamour and hid it from him."

"Who did you get into a fight with Torlinque? Not someone in the Great Hall I hope?" I said. "No, no...it was a vor'jen panther." he confessed. "It wasn't in the village was it!?" I said, instantly rather upset. "No, Love. It was in your realm. You were sleeping, and I was with you. I heard it and woke up. I went outside and met it before it could get to you."

"Where is the carcass?"

"On the deck."

"Ew."

"Sorry."

I had awoken about 4 am this morning but I didn't see Torlinque or a panther. I was awake for about an hour, wondering what had woken me up, but I saw and heard nothing. That's not the first time one has come after me here. They can't physically manifest on Earth, but astrally is bad enough. Since Torlinque lives in a realm that's less dense than this one, it's as if it's physical for him. Seeing him all beaten up and in pain was extremely upsetting, but I held myself together.

Immediately, I set to cleansing him of the death and healing his wounds. When I got him all healed up, he was still in no shape for duty. He looked much better but very tired. I knew he needed it more than I did, so I restored him in Kholi'ani fashion. Then he was fine, as if nothing had happened.

He scolded me for it, reminding me that the last time I did that for him I got sick. I told him I would be fine and can replenish myself from the land and the stars. I told him I needed him to be in top form for protecting me more than I needed me in top form.

I held him tight and whispered to him, "My Soul, the thought of you in pain for even one second breaks my heart into a thousand, thousand little pieces, and here you've been alone, injured and in pain for hours! Never try to hide it from me again!" "I didn't want to bother you. You needed Tolirion." he said. "You should have called to me immediately." I told him, "You know what can happen if the death starts to set in. You know how crazy you get! And with broken bones too!"

Then I reached over and took the little brush out of the paint pot on the desk and painted one kill line on his face just under his left cheekbone.

He could tell I was about to cry and leaned over and kissed me. When he did, the tip of his nose hit the brush in my hand and he got black paint on his nose. I looked at him and laughed. He said, "Ah! There's a smile!" took the brush from me and put paint on my nose too. We laughed, and I felt a little silly for being so upset still after all the danger had already passed.

We both agreed it's probably a good idea to avoid telling Tolirion that the panther attack happened at all. Torlinque is right. He would freak.

We wiped the paint off our noses before it dried there. I helped him get dressed, holding each piece of his uniform ready for him like a squire would for a knight: pants, boots, fakhai'n, red sash. He painted his eyes with the black as well, then put on his uniform jacket while I held his hair out of the way. Then he turned to me and asked, "Walk with me?" (Deyash nek'tar?)

So, I walked to the Temple with him. He took his place at the left column by the entrance at the top of the stairs. "Two kisses." I told him, and he smiled. We always must have two kisses, because we have decided that one is just not enough. We had our two kisses and then I came back to my plane. I've kept the link open though.

After about the 3rd time of checking on him, he said to me, "Stop fretting over me. I can take care of myself, [Soul name]." rather annoyed. I said I was sorry, that I realize fretting over him like that could be seen as rather disrespectful of his skills, and I started to shut down the link. I explained to him that I was only doing it because I love him so much and he'd been in 2 fights in as many days, and if anything ever happened to him I'd die of grief. He softened, realizing how fragile I was feeling and said to me, "Never apologize for loving me. I shouldn't have said anything. I'll see you later, I promise."

Now, I'm back here procrastinating horriblytrying to work on writing a training manual due end of day Monday, and having an awful time of it. Really, I'd rather not have to work on it just now.

EDIT: When I got home this evening, I walked around back to look on the deck. There were some oddly shaped black stains on the wood.

Note: After this incident occurred, we realized that more numerous wards with more concentric levels and different varying structures were definitely needed on my end of our links. The rapid increase in contact with people in the Sarnan realm and in my abilities over the last year had attracted unwanted attention. Since the wards' construction, we have had no further trouble.