Contemplating My Doom (for Ali)

[Drew]

-I stood by the far elder drow's side for a moment and looked about. I didn't have my equipment and so I couldn't write this letter in green ink, nor did I have time to pen it in elvish and common as I usually like to do. No, this was a slightly different situation.

I was contemplating horrors unimaginable that were soon to befall me. I looked to the Baenre woman with a shy smile, silenlty asking for a bit more time as I contemplated what would be said. Standing next to one who was soon to leave me unarmed as the day I was born into the great drow realm of Menzobaranzan, I was unafraid of the torments that might befall me there.

The poisoned darts she'd shown off earlier, her dagger that had crept over my flesh, and the magics that protected House Baenre were all obstacles I could circumvent like a million others before. Like a melting snow in first spring's warmth they would pass away and leave me as unchanged as ever. I was going willingly into the jaws of this abyss and considered it not only a grand adventure, but a great honor.

What scared me was what Alais would do when she found out. Thankfully however I would have 20000 drow between her and I by the time she got this letter. I hoped it would be enough and began to write.

"Dear Ali. I know you'll feel guilty for letting me do something this stupid, but you couldn't have stopped me. Adventure has called and I'm not one to shy back when an opportunity arises. One of the Baenre has seen fit to invite me, I stress the word invite, for I go willingly, to Menzobaranzan. I just wanted to write this to you to tell you that I'll be ok and I'll return in time for the birth of your child. I've finished building your new house, and as my reward I ask that you don't get all stern and scary and yell at me when I come home. Anyhow don't worry about me, I'll catch up to you when I can if not, look after Marquie. Love, your little brother, Drew."

After folding the letter I had one of my rangers bring it to Ali's room in the tower and then nodded to the drow, following her into a shadow rift.-

[Alais Swiftwind-Navere]

~Well the rangers listened, kinda. The letter has passed between ranger to ranger the entire trip through the Highlands to the wizard's tower. They all knew how volitile the ex Lieutennant of the Kielder Black Watch's fifth draggoon was, especially now that she was working on her first year of pregnancy. They were waiting before the spitfire would calm down and start basking in the glow of how happy her unborn child was going to make her, because unfortunately, her fuse had become shorter than even a dwarf's as of late.~

~Eventually the letter landed in the hands of lil Nimloth, and he wasn't able to shirk it on anyone else, since they all knew that the young elf was quite fond of the Lady Navere, and she of him. Everyone knew that if anyone had a chance of getting out of there with their insides on the inside, it would be him, but that didn't stop him from trying to pass it off onto someone else.~

~A few days later, Nimloth was outside Alais's quarters tapping at the door, holding his breath as the fiery elf opened the door. She was quite huge in comparison to how he had last seen her. The pregnancy was not agreeing with her, and the slight trace of blood on her lip, though there is no damage to her body. The young ranger's heart fell into the pit of his stomache as he passed along the note and watched his former Lieutenant read the letter and her face change from rather calm to boiling hot~

~Her green eyes scan the letter and she could feel the rage boiling over in her even from the first sentence. She knew full well that when her "little brother" speaks in that manner that he is making an attempt to defuse her. In fact when he writes her letters he's afraid of her daggers. He must be doing something quite idiotic.~

~She keeps, for the most part at least, her face impassive as she reads the letter, but little Nim, who she hasn't seen in so long noticed it and it irritated her as he even felt it necessary to bolt from her and not be seen for a few days, fearing her wrath. He didn't do anything wrong to her to piss her off as it seemed her little brother was determined to. There were times she knew he was going to be the death of her, if her husband was not going to be.~

~Growling and turning she knocks a vase she had made herself and fired by using a device she had found that created controlled fireball spells. She had been growing quite bored lately and knew that would only grow worse as the pregnancy lengthened. Then again, Drew was doing many things to piss her off as of late, including his little prank with the powder while she slept. She mutters to Nimloth~

"You might as well come in, I have work now to do since it's obvious that little bother doesn't want to die because of this. At least by my hands."

~Ali grabbed a napsack and started slamming the clothing that was strewn about into the thing, as if trying to break them. What she really wanted to do was take her daggers and hewn Drew apart piece by piece and she growls even as she works~

"Nau bwael stinking in'loil d' Elg'caress cahallin! Uk ssinssrinen ulu alu lu' jivvin xuil l' akana qu'ellar d' Lolth's che'el? ULA! Usstan kestal uk thalran l' Orbb Valsharess uktan wun natha ves orthae valyr lu' jal d'lil Har'oloth gotfreren nindel gaer rin'ov zhahus biu Andrew l' To'ryll!"

~The sheer fact that she slipped into her more native toungue, drow, in front of one that was not very strong with the language and the very abrupt manner in which she was packing the miriad of gowns and dresses and oversized breetches and what not she had aquired since becomming pregnant, proved how angry she was. Not only because Drew was being idiotic, oh no. It was because she didn't have the option to dart after him to make sure he remained safe. That was not only because he went to Menzoberrazan, but becasue she was starting to become a danger even to herself in her pregnancy and she was not even half way through it.~

~Suddenly, she stops and turns her eyes on the young blonde elf who had just barely moved into the room and she looked him up and down before speaking~

"I know better than to ask you to move from away from the forest for my sake, but would you be willing to escort me on the travels I will do in the next short while. Since Drew is trying to make me will him if Menzoberrazan does not, there is little reason for me to remain here now. Then again I have a place to call my own now near House Navere."

~Quickly, she noticed the wide eyed shock on the young elf, and went to reassure him.~

"Nimloth, you need to remember I spent most of my years in Har'oloth among the Drow. As much as you might think differently, I am more comfortable there than under the trees as much as I try to deny that myself. Besides, my husband is of them as well and I am sure he will appreciate his wife having means to be closer to his sister, as much as that fact alone dismays me."

~She also knew that wouldn't be enough for this one.~

"Remember, eventually I will have another place to call home here when Amara manages to make arrangements, though I am not counting on much since she is certainly busy with the babes. Though I have made a promise to another that I will be making my own residence in the forest to ensure that he is more comfortable as well. Plus it is only smart to do for when my pregnancy turns longer."

~It was apparant that she was still quite upset with Drew, but she knew she had to reassure Nimloth of her intentions and the methods made for her own safety. Of course she wasn't in a huge hurry to go to Rivvin Che'el either, knowing full well shortly after her arrival, she will most likely bump into Gia and that will go over like a pile of rothe dung for certain.~

"Regardless, I have no intentions of going fast to the Underdark and my sister-in-law's domain. I have all intentions of attempting to travel between now and when I make it there and would very much appreciate having someone I trust with me. That is if you wish to finally see the lowlands."

~That in and of itself spelt out where she intended to go to the young ranger and he nodded accordingly and knew he had to pack his things which left Ali alone once again. She stares from the bag of clothing she has packed and over to her weapons hanging on a hook on the wall and moves and takes up the plain shortsword she had.~

~She takes it through a few motions then cleaves it into the heavy wood of the bed letting out an angry scream. It gets wrenched out of the bed and she moves from the room making a very pointed path down a few levels to a room that Drew had shown her and she had threatened many times to enter and steal from, his hoard room. The lock on it magical and mechanical, she manages to bypass and enters grabbing a few enchanted items along with a large sack of gold and leaves quickly, making certain that it looks like she never was there. She knew the dragon side of Drew would tell the instant he put his weight down that it was altered and she was counting on that.~

~Yes she was being petty and spiteful as she moved through the maze that was his tower leaving as small portions as possible in as many places as possible. Many of which, even she, had she not grown so bored here, would have had probably never found. When one could not move far without growing ill, one explores muchly and she was pretty sure at this point she would know at least some spots that even Drew was uncertain of, assuming the construction of this tower was much simular to the one that he had made himself, then the one he made her in the Underdark.~

~It took her a few good hours and a few times vomiting before she had the portion of the hoard she had removed and knew that, assuming even she remembered where she put everything, that it would take him well over a month to find everything and it would eat on him until then. If he didn't want her to pound him into grown vennison when he returned, she could at the very least make him feel like it.~

~She then returned to her room to finish her packing, her aquirements she had to take along with her having grown much in the last months, and to contemplate how to let Marquie know where she was and where Drew was and to arrange a means for the girl to get ahold of her WITHOUT having to go into the Underdark herself, and potentially meeting her mother there on grounds that the young dragon couldn't handle~

[Drew]

-I could sense what had happened with my hoarde and felt in my very core just where every item was. Actually, despite the rage it evoked in my draconic side, I thought it was a very smart thing to do, and had almost expected such an innovative way of getting back at me to be employed.

What I didn't expect though was that you would leave the tower, and when I came back that would make for a highly unpleasant surprise. I'd known you intended to inhabit your house in the underdark, but didnt think you'd be doing it out of anger over my antics.

For the moment however I was a bit caught up in my attempts to escape from Menzobaranzan to worry about it all.-