A Talk With The Ambassador

[Jazmina]

A young dark haired night elf sits in the shadows of Auberdine, talking quietly with a purple-haired night elf druidess. The young one nods to the other and then reaches in the air and a black hawk-owl lands gracefully on her forearm. The dark haired elf takes a note from the purple haired elf and ties it to her hawk-owl's leg, "Take this to our Master Ayrn, Shebali. Fly swiftly." She raises her arm and Shebali takes flight straight to Darnassus.

[Kittsu]

"Find him!" Clys' voice was angry when she gave me the command. She was telling me about the auction, and the young druid who had outbid her. I nodded, kneeling before her, and went out to search and ask around. I was getting pretty good at gathering information, if I do say so myself.

It took a little while, but finally I ran across some people who had seen the night elf slave and her new master in an Inn. The trail led to Auberdine, and so I went there to see what I could find out. Luck was with me. I found the very girl herself, selling a few odds and ends to a vendor.

I approached her, and she turned to face me. Something glittered on her neck. It was a collar, silver and black, with a crest on it. A crest I recognized. The crest of my own House, the House of Isto'Halrathn, the House where I had been born.

I was speechless for a moment. At last I managed to stammer a greeting, and I asked the girl her name, and where she was going.

"I'm Jazmina," she replied. "I'm on my way back home, my Master has just left and I must follow immediately."

"And your master is...who?" I asked.

"Ayrn Isto'Halrathn," she replied, smiling rather happily.

"Ayrn," I repeated, almost to myself. "Oh gods, the Mistress will be...will be... I don't know what she'll be when she finds this out."

Jazmina looked at me inquiringly. "Do you know my Master?" she asked.

"Yeah," I said. "He's my brother."

[Lupa]

((OMG! Will the surprises never cease? I hope not.. we really need to get all these stories together under one cover at some point! Amazing stuff..! ))

[Ayrn]

Jazmina's hawk fluttered down in front of Ayrn, and he held out his arm, allowing the bird to land on his forearm. He frowned, and removed the message tied to the bird's leg. He read it, then read it again, a surprised look coming over his face.

"Master - please return to Auberdine. Kittsu is here."

Kittsu. He hadn't seen her since she left home to be with that Sindorei person, Clys. Father considered her dead. No one was allowed to speak of her to him. Ayrn thought back, the memories coming quickly. She and he had been so close as they were growing up. He missed his little sister, and he had often wondered how she was doing. He turned and quickly made his way back to Auberdine.

He approached the Inn, and spotted Kittsu and Jazmina standing together, engaged in conversation. Kittsu wasn't smiling, and looked rather worried. He came up beside Jazmina and just stood there, looking at Kittsu, not sure what to say. She had grown. She looked strong and healthy. She was wearing a tabard that looked somehow familiar to him. Where had he seen it before? He couldn't remember, but it had been recently.

Kittsu turned to him, looking him in the eye, and she smiled at last.

"Ayrn. How have you been, brother?"

Her voice was soft and sweet, and the sound of it filled Ayrn with emotion. He hesitated briefly, and then gave in to it. He embraced her tightly, tears springing to his eyes.

"Kittsu," he whispered. "It is so good to see you."

Releasing her, he stepped back, looking back and forth between Kittsu and Jazmina.

"Someone want to tell me what's going on?" he said.

"I uh... I've been looking for you," Kittsu replied. "Mistress told me to find you. She's a bit... upset."

"Mistress?" Ayrn said, looking a bit worried.

Kittsu nodded. "Mistress Clys. She says you outbid her at an auction?" Kittsu looked pointedly at Jazmina, who looked down and slid behind Ayrn.

Suddenly Ayrn remembered where he had seen that tabard before. The undead woman at the auction, the one who had bid so heavily on Jazmina, had been wearing one just like it.

"Oh," he said. "This is bad, isn't it?"

Kittsu tensed, looking a little frightened, and shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't know. I mean, she was angry, but... She doesn't know who you are or... anything."

Ayrn looked at the ground, then back at Kittsu.

"What are you going to tell her?" he asked.

"The truth," Kittsu said simply. "I always tell her the truth. I will... I will come back and let you know... what happens."

Ayrn nodded, hugging Kittsu again, and then taking Jazmina's hand.

"You know where to find us," he said.

Kittsu nodded and left quickly. As she faded into the forest, Ayrn saw her shift into the shape of a nightsaber, black as night. He smiled, faintly.

"Come, then, Jazmina. Let's go home. What happens, happens."

[clys]

Clys' mouth hung open for a moment, and she would have blinked in surprise at Kittsu if she had eyes.

"Your...brother?"

Kittsu cowered slightly, unsure of what was coming.

"Yes, Mistress. He's my older brother, Ayrn."

"And he's the one that outbid me, for the slave girl? You're not joking?"

"No, Mistress! I would never joke with you about information like this!" Kittsu was clearly becoming frightened. Clys had been so angry about losing the auction, she'd been pacing around muttering about murdering the elf who outbid her for days.

Clys broke into a wide grin. She slapped her boney knee with her hand, making an odd thumping sound. She threw back her head and laughed uproariously. Kittsu stared in shock. Clys was losing it! She was going psycho or someething! Kittsu backed away slowly, trying not to make any noise.

Suddenly Clys lunged forward and grabbed Kittsu by the shoulders, causing Kittsu to squeal and flinch.

"Kittsu! That is the funniest thing I've ever heard in my life! Gods, you made my day!"

Clys continued laughing, her sides quaking with mirth as Kittsu just looked on, stunned.

"Tell me about your brother! What's he like? What drives him?" Clys demanded, still gripping Kittsu's shoulders.

"Well, um, he's older than me by a bit. He's a druid, same as me. You know my family is all druids and rogues, way back. And he hates my father. He wants to take over the family lands and wealth, but he's been keeping it secret until he's ready. We used to talk about what we'd do once Father was dead, and stuff."

Clys nodded, grinning happily.

"Perfect! Tell me, how does he feel about magic, the Tree, immortality, and all that?"

"Uh, do you mean is he one of the close-minded "lightbringers" or not? He's not. He understands necessity. He understands power, and survival, and doing what it takes," Kittsu said, relaxing a bit as she realized that Clys was really not angry.

"Good!" said Clys. "I want to talk to him. Set it up!"

"You're not going to hurt him, are you Mistress?" Kittsu said timidly.

"Don't be silly. He's just what I've been looking for. Why didn't you tell me about him sooner?"

"Well I did, kinda. You knew I had a brother, Mistress," said Kittsu, smiling weakly.

"Well it doesn't matter. Set up a meeting. I have plans, and this fits right in!"

"Yes, Mistress," Kittsu replied, and turned to go, looking back over her shoulder and shaking her head before disappearing.

[Lovely]

((I just figured it out! Clys reminds me of The Joker from Batman!!! She is insane and scary, yet hilarious....I love it!))

[nothus]

((
((I just figured it out! Clys reminds me of The Joker from Batman!!! She is insane and scary, yet hilarious....I love it!))
LMAO! I'm glad I was the only one home when I read that, Lovely, I would have scared people with that laughter, heh. 3mins later and I'm still chuckling. Great story so far, keep going! ))

[Jazmina]

((OMG! Will the surprises never cease? I hope not.. we really need to get all these stories together under one cover at some point! Amazing stuff..! ))

((I totally agree. We need to keep at least this The Immortalis/Ye Immortalis story under one cover instead of half of it over in Scent of Jazmine and half of it here, and who knows where the next part would be posted....and the Lupa and Lovely stories, my gawd, they're all over the place. We need them in one huge hardcover novel that can contain all the RP goodness in one place!))

[Jazmina]

"Are you seriously going to meet with her?" Jazmina asked, her face full of worry and fear. "But..but she's one of those forsaken? Did you see the look of hate she gave you when you took the auction and bought me? She looked like she wanted you dead!"

Sitting up in the bed, Jazmina twisted the silk edging on the blanket in her hands with worry as her Master walked about the room getting ready for the next day. She didn't want to nag, couldn't demand. It was not her place to try to make her new Master change his mind, but she could not help but fear what Ayrn might be walking into. If his sister, this Kittsu woman, if she had been working for this Mistress Clys for years as he said, would she betray her own brother and forfeit his life to this woman?

She covered her face in her hands. Life had just made such a nice turn for the better for her. She really, really was happy with this new Master. To be elevated to a private slave was a huge honor. She was only one step away from being an honored concubine.

Being a personal slave was such a perilous edge to walk upon. If one did well, then it was nearly the best position a slave could ever hope for. But if your Master decided he didn't like you, well life was just never the same for a slave once elevated and then thrown back amongst the common slaves. The other slaves tormented fallen personal slaves and a fallen usually spent the rest of their days cleaning the privy pots.

She continued to watch her new Master walking about the room between her fingers as her hands still covered her face, chanting a mantra inside her head, "please don't die, please don't die, please don't let that forsaken woman kill you."

[clys]

Clys and Kittsu made their way to the meeting place together. It was an interesting journey, and Clys commented that they had never traveled together, just the two of them, without Danlily, so far into Alliance territory. They had sometimes met there, so that Kittsu could act as a translator for one of Clys’ meetings with members of the Alliance, but this time they went together, side by side, the undead rogue and the night elf druid.

Upon arriving, Kittsu spotted Ayrn and Jazmina waiting for them, and pointed them out to Clys. Clys sniffed the air as they approached the couple, alert for any sign of danger, and evaluating the scents of the two night elves. She smelled a little fear, but not much, and this pleased her.

Clys curtseyed to Ayrn, and nodded to Jazmina. Jazmina knelt, bowing her head in respect and submission. Ayrn also knelt, although he did not bow his head as deeply. Kittsu took her place beside her Mistress, and looked on quietly.

“Stand, please,” said Clys. Ayrn stood, touching Jazmina’s shoulder to assure her that she should do the same.

http://computer-man.us/fr/immortalis/meeting.jpg

“So, you’re Kittsu’s brother,” Clys said to Ayrn. She sized him up carefully. He was weaker than she’d like to see, but he had a powerful build, and an air of confidence about him. He had potential, that was clear enough.

“Yes, Mistress,” Ayrn replied, nodding. “I am her older brother, the first son of my father.”

“Kittsu tells me that you hate your father, and want to take over, maybe even kill him yourself,” Clys stated, gauging his reaction to her bluntness.

Ayrn shot a quick glance at Kittsu, who just smiled. Well, she had told him that she always told Clys the truth. Apparently, she meant it.

“Yes. Soon I will be ready to take my proper place. My father’s ideas are old fashioned and useless. It is time for a change of leadership.”

Clys grinned slightly, her small fangs glinting for a moment.

“Has Kittsu told you anything about The Immortalis? Do you know what our goals are?” asked Clys.

“Yes, the basics. I understand that you are pragmatic, interested primarily in the survival and growth of your own people, and that you are looking for a way to regain immortality, not just for yourself, but also for those that follow you. In the meantime, you seek to grow stronger, to survive and prosper in the world. And I understand that you are more focused on the ends than the means, so to speak, and that you will do whatever is necessary to reach your goals. Is that a fair summary?” Ayrn asked.

Clys looked impressed. “Yes, that’s a fair summary indeed. And how do you feel about all that?”

Ayrn put his arm around Jazmina’s waist, pulling her a little closer to himself before he replied. He could feel her trembling slightly.

“I find it brilliant. Kittsu tells me that you have actually managed to restore your undead flesh, for short periods. It sounds to me like you are on the right track. And your goals are worthy, very worthy indeed.”

Ayrn smiled, nodding his head, and Clys nodded back.

“All right,” said Clys. “Listen. Kittsu has vouched for you, so I’m willing to take a little risk here. I have a proposition for you. Kittsu needs accomplices on this side of the fence. The Immortalis needs an arm in the Alliance. Those from this side who would join us are few, perhaps, but that makes them all the more important. If we are to prevail, we cannot be narrow minded or stupid. Do you think you could work together with Kittsu to be my voice and my hand here? Think before you answer. You can say no now, and that will be that. Once you agree to pledge yourself to me, I will brook no discord, and failure is not an option.”

Ayrn nodded, drawing a deep breath.

“To be honest, Mistress Clys, this is the opportunity I’ve been waiting for. I have no doubts whatsoever. I will gladly pledge to you, and your goals. Immortality was stripped from us once. To regain it is only right and just. I will give my life to the cause.”

“And what about you, dear?” Clys said, turning to Jazmina.

Jazmina pressed closer to Ayrn, but lifted her chin as she spoke.

“I belong completely to Master Ayrn. I will follow him anywhere, and serve whatever cause he thinks is best.”

Clys smiled. “I like her. I still can’t believe you outbid me for her, but perhaps it’s for the best.” Clys turned her eyeless gaze to Jazmina. “You would have made a fine subject, though. Such skin you have…”

Clys reached over and ran her hands along Jazmina’s sides, and then up across her chest, squeezing her breasts with an evil grin. Jazmina stood stock still, her eyes widening, but she managed to remain quiet. Clys chuckled.

“Yes, you’re a rare prize. Ayrn, you know it occurs to me that should you ever fail me, this girl of yours would be forfeit. As would your life.”

Clys stared eyelessly at Ayrn, and he nodded his understanding. Jazmina moved behind him slightly.

“I understand fully the consequences, Mistress. I, we, will not fail you.”

“So be it. Welcome to the Alliance arm of The Immortalis. We shall call it Ye Immortalis, to differentiate you, but you will be considered full members of our organization. Kittsu will be in charge, and will answer directly to me. You will get your orders through her. Any questions?”

Ayrn shook his head, and then knelt, this time bowing his head nearly to the ground. Jazmina did the same, and Clys saluted them.

“I’ll be off now Kittsu. You have your first assignment. Let them in on it, and keep me informed of your progress,” Clys said.

“Yes, Mistress,” replied Kittsu, bowing deeply. “For The Immortalis!”