Things on Her Mind

It was not long since their return from Am'shere and the trials of Prion Prison. Word had been spread ahead of them of the danger, meaning that others were able to protect the Makari child. However, true relief hadn't come for Rune until she was able to ensure that things the hatchling was protected with her own eyes.

Since then, Rune and Harkashan had continued back to Alexandros, at least for the time being. There had been a need to purchase new enchantments, re-equip themselves, touch-base with contacts, and more than a few guild quests that would help line their pockets a bit before they would have to return once more to deal with the lingering threat of the Charnites.

At the moment, the two are camped just outside the city, having chosen the comfort of that solitude over a room at the inn. Rune had just finished roasting meats and boiling some rice and vegetables as side dishes. It's obvious that things still weigh heavily on her mind. The fight with the masked half-elf, the matters of her mother, and she had only just returned from speaking with Andelena as well.

"Your face is doing that thing again." Harkashan rumbles as Rune finishes roasting the meats and starts to plate things up. Harkashan's mind, of course, has been more on Am'shere and the troubles there. It is his homeland after all. He puts down a small journal that he's been keeping ever since the trouble started with his mind. Though Rune would have noticed that the frequency of him filling things in has rapidly decreased since he's learned to better deal with Thirku's presence.

"The way your face scrunches a bit." He rumbles warmly, smiling at her as he leans forward in his armor and puts his nose closer to the food. A deep rumble of appreciation sounds from him, looking forward to the food. Though knowing him, it's just the meat he really wants.

"What's all on your mind?"

As Harkashan points out the scrunching of her nose, Rune takes a deep breath and forces herself to relax a little bit. Rather than answering immediately, she scoops the rice and vegetables into a bowl and tops some meat onto it. Then, for Harkashan, there is a far lesser serving of what he would view as 'side dishes' and more of the meat. Handing it over, Rune sits back and nuges the containers of food to the side of the fire so they stay warm.

"Well, you've got your nose stuck in your journal again." She points out in return. Food is shoved into her face unceremoniously as she seems to think on how to answer the question, taking her time to consider everything that has been going on lately.

"Too many things." She answers, finally. "Worried about the villages in Am'shere. We warned those we could but that doesn't mean they'll be safe." Rune taps her spoon on the edge of the bowl. "Those demon children haven't been helping my nightmares, either. I'm supposed to protect kids, but I know ending them was the best kindness I could offer."

"Hrrrm. I have." Harkashan admits when she points out the journal, tapping his claws on the animal-leather cover of the thing. He taps it a few more times, before he lifts his hand and accepts the serving for him. His eyes lighting up a bit at the larger serving of meat.

Sometimes, Harkashan can be a simple soul.

But as the topic shifts to what's on her mind, he looks at that spoon-tap and taps his tail instinctively with the rhythm. His posture lifting, as he claws some of the meat between his fingers and noms them.

"They were no longer the children you were to protect. They were merely demons - undead - wearing the flesh of the once living." Harkashan answers her. "But I can understand why they would give you nightmares. I am not immune to the use of such a horrendous tactic." He shakes his head with a bit of a snarl on his face.

"You are right though. Ensuring their bodies were laid to rest and would not betray their former spirit is the best kindness." He rumbles.

Though Rune rarely talks about it, there is a deep protectiveness that she has for children. Harkashan would know of the story of her giving herself up to the authorities in order to let a younger criminal escape when the rest of their crew had abandoned the boy. Yet, there is more to it. That was likely not the start of this behavior for her. It's been the same time and again during their travels.

"I played to the Sky-singer that their souls would find rest and... my amulet felt warm. Like she heard me." Her brows furrow a little as she looks across towards the cleric. "Is it like that with your god? Sometimes... I wonder if I'm just imagining things or if that connection is growing."

There is a slight lift of her shoulders and another bite of food before she continues. "I spoke to Cor'lana. Apparently the blue butterfly we've encountered is an old flame of Grandfather's. She also seems to be a patron of musicians and storytellers, which... makes some sense to me." Rune explains, "Cor'lana and I are going to work on writing a song, something to trade with the Fey for information."

There's a deep nod from Harkashan. "Yes, it's like that. Sometimes, I speak, and I just know the Death Singing Dragon is watching. Sometimes I see it in the gleam of my lavarocks. Sometimes I hear her voice, whisper something to me. Sometimes... it's just a sense of knowing." He explains to her. "It is good, that the Sky-singer was helping. I am certain their souls needed more care than usual."

He pauses for a moment, giving Rune that chance to switch topics. Biting into his own food in that moment. Rumbling with bemusement as she speaks of the blue butterfly. "Storytellers hmm? A man with so many books looks like one who quite enjoys tales." Harkashan proposes. "I wonder why they are no longer together. Though I suppose 'togetherness' may be too much of a chain for Fey-like beings." He shakes his head. He isn't an expert on the topic.

"A song would be wonderful. You could perhaps ask if that lady in the Mythwoods would like to help as well. If that's something you seek." He proposes to her, before letting that topic sway a bit and comes back to the previous matter; "I have seen you a many times now, react when children are in danger. You drop everything, and focus on only that." He remarks. "I sense there is a tale there as well."

"I guess it's something I'm not used to." Rune replies with a soft shake of her head, "Before my... untimely demise... I didn't have much connection at all with any of the gods." She purses her lips. "Don't get me wrong, I believed in them all the same, but it's not the same thing." Her hand comes up to her necklace, touching it softly. "Now, it's like the threads of fate between my mother and the Sky-Singer are just as much a part of me as the blood in my veins."

As Harkashan turns to wondering of Fey relationships, Rune just lifts her shoulders in a shrug. "It didn't seem prudent to pry into their relationship or how it ended. It seems that they were still somewhat fond of each other, though. Grandfather seems to very much have been in love with his wife, though."

The idea of trying to involve the Mythwood elves into her own family situation leaves Rune a little uncertain. "I'd... rather not word reach back to my father of I can help it. Not that I don't think her skills would help but... I suppose this is something that should come from the heart."

She seems about to say something else when Harkashan asks about that connection, causing Rune to hesitate. Normally, she shared everything with him, but...

"It's... my sister. She's the reason." There is obviously more to it than that. But... it is also likely that Rune hasn't even spoken of the girl.

"I understand." Harkashan remarks. "I did not grow up into a family of Shamans, as you have recently discovered." In other words, it's not like he didn't experience that shift of 'believing in gods' and 'connecting with a god'.

The topic of Fey gets a nod from him, but he looks instead towards the topic of her sister. He reads that hesitation, and does offer an; "If you don't feel comfortable talking, that is okay." But she offers up her history regardless.

"Your sister..." He rumbles. Tilting his head for a moment. Then...

"Ah, the one I saw when I... met your father that time."

The topic of her sister gets a longer, more thoughtful look from Rune as she spoons around the rice at the bottom of her bowl. "My father re-married less than a year after my mother passed." From what Harkashan has been told before, this would have been when Rune, herself, was still quite young, maybe only nine years old. "My sister was born not long afterwards." Which suggests that her father very much moved on quickly, likely while Rune, herself, was still greiving.

With her own eyes remaining downcast, Rune shakes her head, "I never blamed her. It wasn't /her/ fault. She was just a baby and had nothing to do with the choices that my father made." Eating slowly, it seems, at first, as if Rune would leave her story at that. Instead, she eventually adds, "I tried to make sure she had someone. I would tell her stories, sing her songs, but... father got angry at me."

Her eyes lift then, looking to Harkashan, "He wanted me to let go of my mother. Of her stories and songs, to accept her death and ... if not forget her, at least... stop speaking of her so often." Her lip quirks, "Wasn't going to happen. So he cut me off from my sister. I didn't get to see her much after that. I used to leave gifts, though. Birthdays and holidays, that sort of thing." Rune explains.

It explains, perhaps, why she might have redirected that protectiveness to others, when she was no longer accepted as being part of her sister's life.

"It is... a regretful thing. The Sith-makar are not ones who speak of history very often either. But we all know their stories. We listen to their stories thanks to our Keepers. And some of us inherit their tales through our blood." He lifts an arm.

"But we do not dodge history." He is, in fewer words, explaining that he understands the actions of her father, but that he disagrees with them from a cultural point.

"It was good to pass on your mother's stories to your sister." But he still feels the need to clarify. He then shakes his head a bit. "To cut one off because tales 'inconvience' them is... most lamentable." He grumps. "But I understand now." He then adds.

"I try, time and again, to see the world through his eyes." Rune replies softly, her voice taking on a tone that usually it only carries in those moments when she doubts herself most. "I can only guess that once you've dealt with the pain of loss enough times, you just want to prtend that the feeling no longer hurts you. That the loss never happened." She scoops the last of the food into her bowl, then puts it aside and starts to pack the rest of the remaining meal to likely use for breakfast.

As she does so, Rune explains, "I haven't seen her in ages. I doubt she even remembers me. And... maybe that's for the best."

The topic of her own family seems to be set aside then, shifting to... "Speaking of family, I was talking to Andelena. Do you remember that her brother, Gale, was involved somewhat with that woman who was associated with all the demons and such with the Marsward problem?" Rune is likely not quite framing this correctly, but all the connections there are a bit confusing from time to time.

"I do not know how half-sil, sil, or humans remember. Some remember through song. Some through tale. Many through memory, especially in their younger years. It is different from the Sith-makar's memories." Harkashan rumbles. "But I doubt that such a bright presence such as yourself, would have been forgotten by your sister, Rune." He tries to impress upon her, reaching out past the flame without concern of the fire's touch, and touches her leg.

He leaves it there for a moment, before retreating his hand and continueing to use a bit of the meal left to him. He takes much bigger bites than herself, so thinks rarely go wasted or turn into left-overs.

Harkashan then tilts his head. "Yes. The fool. I remember." He remembers Gale. "I believe Andelena's mother was involved with the Charnites and demons, I believe to recall."

The reassurances are met only with a sad sort of expression from Rune. She would like to think some part of those childhood days might be remembered by the girl, but... it has been many years and she knows all too well the strength of her father's influence. "If you say so, love." Her hand breifly touches over his, fingertips soft against the scaled fingers before that contact is withdrwan again.

More than happy to move on, Rune takes in a breath and clears her throat, "So, seems like they might have some next steps to following up on Rida and Andelena's mother. Some place called Selentia. Only problem is... the place seems tied to the fire plane. I don't know if it's like Prion Prison, where the two planes seem to be merged in places, or if it's something else entirely."

Looking across to Harkashan, she gives a rueful expression, "I'm not very good with elementals. My blades do all of jack shit, but... Andelena and Dolan seemed to think that I might be able to help. And... you know I can't say 'no' to a friend." She explains, "They... also asked if you could come as well. Your healing goes a long way and you've got more resistances to heat and fire than the rest of us."

"Elementals such as that are not the only things living upon that plane. As we have both come to learn." Harkashan rumbles in answer when Rune speaks of going to the Fire Plane. There's a tilt of his head. A very consideration for a moment.

After all, the Fire Plane is a location where he might have comfort. But Rune would very much not. "I will need to make preparations. But if it is for our friends, I will aid." He answers Rune, nodding his head.

"There are ways I have now, granted by the Death Singing Dragon, that can aid us when in the Fire Plane. From comfort, to a resistance against such fiery dangers." He explains to Rune. "And of course, my healing will gladly assist as well."

"Not the only things, true. But I'm finding there are a fair few things that my skills can't so much as scratch." Rune smirks slightly, "Guess that's why we always need other people." Something that she learned after her return to Alexandria. Rune hadn't let most people close enough for those sort of friendships. Yet, her return to life had given her a second chance to change that, and it had changed, along with so many other things.

"Good. I figured you'd be up for the challenge. I'm going to talk to Andelena tomorrow morning, have her start work on my armor. I'll get all the details, then." Rune's eyes look to the night sky, then back at Harkashan, "We should probably get some rest in the mean time."

There is a bit of a wicked look in her eyes as she raises a brow, "Want me to help you out of your armor?"

Harkashan rolls his shoulders lazily when she talks about getting help from others. It is a lesson he's always known as a Sith-makar. But seeing others make the discovery, or re-affirming it, is always a welcome sight. With aid, there is safety.

There's this long nod from his head when she finishes speaking on it, before he looks to her armor. "I am having lady Schara work on the chains between my horns. To further improve their hold upon your stone, and my mind." He remarks. "So we both have people to speak to on such matters." He remarks, before he spots that wicked look in her eyes.

His tail wags ever so subtly...

And then less subtly.

"Why yes, I do believe I require your assistance." He answers her with a glint in his eyes.