Retitled: Separation. Look for Newstuff

[Enon]

Names and situations that are related to real live persons are completely coincedental honest. This is kinda the inspiration for Enon, well the looks but that's beside the point.
On to the story:
The woman lay in the bed her attention n focused on the plum purple bundle she cradled in her arms. For the first time in a very long time she felt as if she had reached a point where hidden agendas weren’t the moving force behind every action around her. In her arms she held the most complicated of relationships she’d ever had. This child was in her arms because she had chosen to allow the conception. She had felt the need to share the love she felt with someone else who would be able to feel it. The birth itself hadn’t been a pleasant experience but the results of it held her in awe. If only for a little while she would experience a tiny bit of perfection. She almost seems oblivious to the man who sat on the edge of the golden brown bed stroking the damp hair off of her face.
It was a scene that appeared to be the most joyful moment to the man and woman. Nearly storybook in nature did the scene seem. A cozy little room; in a screen fireplace the fire had burned down to glowing embers, a plush cushioned loveseat was to the right of the fireplace with the bed directly across from against the opposite wall. A fuzzy woven rug was on the floor in front of the fireplace. You could almost see the ghosts of the couple seated on it, as if they had sat there many nights just watching the fire and enjoying each other’s company. Through the two curtained windows to the right of the bed with a door in between them, you could see the night sky. In the low light of two small oil lamps in the room the man seemed to be the brighter of the two. Almost as if the man absorbed light and the woman repelled it. But one could sense the aura of closeness that surrounded the two.
The man had tears running unnoticed down his face and his smile wobbled when he looked at the woman and child. He was astonished how something so tiny could cause him to even fee more love for the woman who held it. He was overwhelmed by the fact that she had willing gone through such pain for him. The actual birth had scared him silly but he refused to fall prey to his fears, he realize that if he had he would missed out on one the most life altering experiences there was to go through; the birth of their child. The woman was unconsciously mimicking the man’s actions as she stroked the child’s face with two fingers. It was a circle of love. The man loved the woman; the woman loved the child; who would love them both. So simple, but complex.

“What will you name her?” he asked softly. His voice held the awe of seeing new first hand.
Stroking her child’s face gently she smiled. “What do you think of the name ‘Kali’?”

He smiled, it trembled. In some way he should be bitter with her birth and naming, but to see that smile of contentment on his love’s face, eased it. He and his heart must part ways forever to see that their child lived, he thought. Such pain this parting would bring. Never again would he hold a piece of his heart this special or as valued.

“Its time love.” He said gently as he stood up. He laughed mentally at the irony of his words and their cruelty.
With a sigh gentle enough not to awaken the sleeping child and gentle kiss to her brow, she held the child up to the man. Taking the child he placed her in the carrier, he wore on his back.
Kneeling, he took the woman’s face between his palms and kissed her thoroughly; she buried her hands in his hair to make the kiss last longer. It was a kiss of stories, loves lost and found and mostly one of goodbye and eternal love.
When neither could breathe they parted. The woman released her hold slowly, staring into his eyes with thoughts that could not be expressed in words. The man stood, the woman turned her face to the wall. She remained that way until she heard the door click close.
It was strange how she had never noticed the darkness and light pattern that decorated the walls. It was almost as if you didn’t see the light, only if the darkness was present. It reminded her of her relationship with him.

“I will always love you both. My Arion and Kali,” she whispered as she allowed the pain of separation to engulf her. Without pain one would not realize happiness, she thought. She could sense other of her face gathering, gathering to feed off her suffering. When she was younger she had been told once that the pain of one’s own race was the most esquite thing, except to the one suffering.

“Well my daughter you do relies this pain you feel will never go away and you will always have another of race within sensing distance? Your life as you knew it is over.”

Xylia stared at the hooded figure that stood at the foot of her bed, one that she alone would use. It was one of the elders, they were hooded no matter where they went. For the younger ones of her race as a lesson in stealth and skill, they were charged with the task of pulling back an elder’s hood in a public place. Xylia had accepted it but didn’t do as many of her fellow classmates and attack it immediately. She plotted and watch them. She set herself up to be easily within distance for months. If one was able to pull back the hood of an elder, the puller was to avoid the light. She had lost numerous classmates in that task. If the puller looked into the light they were turned to stone. Xylia hadn’t looked into the light but she had felt it. She had never felt anything close to it until she had met Arion.
Xylia shook her head, she had been staring into the darkness that was inside the elder’s hood. That too was something else they had been taught to avoid but Xylia had always been the one to push the envelope.

“So it shall be as you say Elder.” Xylia said sitting up and bowing her head slightly to the elder.
The elder returned the bow and disappeared in a puff of smoke. For a moment Xylia was overwhelmed by the smell and taste of lemons.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*


so let me know what you think.

[Alorox]

Wow... COOL!

Very vivid, very descriptive... Especially emotionally... Somewhat difficult to pick up on, and it's sort of skippy towards the end, but I guess that sort of adds to a dramatic mood of it...

Overall, very nice. You get a 95

[Enon]

So there's not too much description, i was worried about that. As the emotions i want those to be believeable as possible. Can you get an ideas about the characters (Xylia & Arion) personality based in this little bit?
Well overall you really arent suppose to be sure what the characters are, but what do you mean by the skippiness? Maybe i missed something in my rewrite.

[Alorox]

I can tell that Arion is probobly a good father figure, a nice, noble man... Someone who will do things for the good of honor... It's a little unclear why exactly they have to seperate; that would be a good thing to explain later on...

Xylia is your typical mother, deeply attached to her child, saddened by the schism from Arion and Kali. I can tell that this is putting her under a lot of stress and anxiety... Nice NICE way to build tension within the story. I commend you.

It's a little skippy when the elder comes to the foot of her bed... He's not really introduced or anything... All of a sudden just kind of... There. Maybe that's how you wanted it, and that's perfectly cool... But I'd smooth it out a little if I were you.

caio

[Enon]

hummmm hadnt looked at the elder popping up like that being that out of place well i'll see what i can do.
Thanks for the feedback.

[Enon]

NEWSTUFF

“ ‘Arion will have to do something about that child of his.’ I do believe I heard Keres bellow as I was coming up here. She was going on about it being the third time this week. What’s been going on around here? This is another quote; ‘She has plucked a classmate like a Betweenrelmer would a chicken,’” said a humor sounding contralto voice.
Arion lifted his golden head from the files he had been organizing in the back of his office when heard the voice. He closed the drawer with a thud.
A curly waist length auburn haired female stood in the doorway. Her arms were crossed as she relaxed again the doorjamb with a crooked smile on her face. She wore a three inch wide circlet on her forehead, a white breezy pirate blouse, loose white wide legged pants and matching white sandals. A gold chain linked belt was around her waist, gold bangles on each wrist and some of her hair had been pulled into a low ponytail.
Resting on his heels in a squat Arion sighed and ran his hands over his face and through his chin length hair.

“How bad was this student plucked?” he asked in a weary voice.

“Not as bad as the first child this morning but both of them have that partial chicken wings look going.”

“You find this funny?” Arion asked as he moved to the large black steel and glass desk that dominated the room and sat in the black leather seat behind it.

The woman moved to sit on the edge of the desk. She looked around Arion’s office. He had changed it again. It seemed to have become a habit with him since the change. Where it once was a mixture of mahogany and other hardwoods, it was now black steel and glass. Black steel supports and glass tops for the tables, black steel boxing and glass shelves for the bookshelves. Even the file cabinets matched with the motif with the black steel casing and the glass fronts.
On one wall were frozen moments. Frozen moments were bits of time memories duplicated and made mobile but only a certain time limit and it looped.
One of the moments that were on display was of the two of them dressed in their student robes during that awkward in-between stage, adult neither child.
The other was just after they received their certification and accepted into the ranks of guardians.
The other wall held his medallion and the frozen moment of when he received it. On the desk she knew were the frozen moments that Arion felt were important to him. The ones on displays on the walls were important but they no longer had any influence on his actions or his thoughts.

“Keres is sending someone up with her. I would not be surprised if Keres doesn’t come up here herself.”

“Why didn’t Keres let you bring her?” Arion asked.
She raised an eyebrow at him that said why do you think? Most of the agents who worked as guardians knew that Keres didn’t like anyone who was partnered with Arion.

“Thanks for the warning.” Aroin said leaning back in his chair closing his gray eyes.
The woman smiled as she noticed his attire. He was wearing the outfit she had given him for his birthday. He wore an open at the neck white dress shirt, a black vest, and black pinstriped dress pants and hoped he was wearing the black shoes. Well the vest was his birthday present but the shirt, slacks and shoes had been her birthday present. He had asked her at the time why he was getting a present on her birthday. Her response had been that she refused to be seen in public with him on her birthday if he wore that plaid shirt with the horizontal striped tie and tweed pants. His daughter had found the whole outing funny. She smiled at the memory; it was on of the better ones. She sat and waited while Arion did a partial meditation.
In the last few weeks his angelic nearly perfect little girl had morphed into a demonic little heathen who was sorry after her sudden bouts of high temper or extreme playfulness. Most of the time, Arion felt inadequate in his raising methods.

“Rylis, would you mind doing me a favor? I was thinking maybe if she spent some time with another female, Kali’s attitude might improve.” Arion said as Rylis sat up. He smiled at the expressions on his partner’s face. It was horror fighting with good manners.

“You don’t mean me keeping her do you? Wait I didn’t mean that the way it sounded. I mean-“

“You meant that she was a sweet child when you left but from what you’ve heard she really has changed and you’re worried that the little monster will do the same thing to you that she’s done to her teachers, classmates and any other school or authoritative figure she comes into contact. With me as an exception.” Arion smiled but it wasn’t a happy one.

“Don’t put words in my mouth Arion,” Rylis snapped.

“Rylis I know my child. You’ve been gone a while. Her actions haven’t presented a pretty picture. I know that, I’m the reason you’ve been gone so much since I’ve been restricted to doing all the paperwork for our cases. But I’m not trying to put words in your mouth, but that’s not what I really want. What I would like you to do is to contact her mother for me. I would gladly do it myself but if I did I would probably loose Kali. Not contacting her mother was one of the conditions I agreed to so that I could raise Kali here.” Arion explained.

Rylis has always wondered about the conditions Arion had agreed to. He never spoke of them if he was asked directly. This was the most specific she had heard in a while. The first time had been him ranting about having conditions to raise his child in his own home after having brought Kali home. A child was a child, it didn’t matter that its parents were different was his argument. She had to give him credit for his creativity.

“Manipulating people is not a nice habit Arion,” she said quietly.

[Enon]

and sad day.
the reason the world is ifffy and my brain and not letting me write.

[Therin]

Very, very emotional. I've been trying to figure out how to wirte emotions that strong ever since I started writing, and haven't been able to get it yet. Other than that, I can see the same thing Alorox saw. The Elder is just there all of a sudden. Something like the way the chairs and TV set just appeared when they were in the Construct, in the Matrix. It's an interesting effect, but extremely hard to do well in writing. Believe me, I've tried.

[Enon]

NEWSTUFF

“No its not but if it will get me what I need I guess I’ll have to do it,” he answered.

Rylis remembered when she had first heard that Arion was dating a demonness, it had shaken up the sheltered world that she has lived in. In the beginning she had been shocked, a bit hurt because he had told her and slightly repulsed by the thought of an angelic being and a demonic one as a couple. Also there might have been a little bit of enviousness and jealousy, even though she and Arion had grown up together, were best friends and worked together. There were always the rumors and speculation on their relationship which she had enjoyed in vanity. She had refused to speak to Arion for almost a year, after she had found out about his relationship. She had called him an idiot and he in return had named her a bigot and a hypocrite. Arion had even given his reasons why, she had always been the one who spoke up for challenging the set system. It had caused Rylis to do a little bit of self examination once she actually thought and about what he had said and released her anger.
Her attitude had changed for the good of the situation when had met the two of them in the Betweenrelm while she was on break from an assignment. She was watching over two of her charges when she had an urge to get some ice cream. She had stopped in one of the many little outdoor shops that lined the streets of the small town. Arion and a female were walking out as she was going inside. For a moment it was awkward, but her curiosity had gotten the better of her. The woman she had met was nothing like the rumors she had heard in the Upperelm, no spaded tail, no horns with gleaming tips or even a forked tongue were to be seen. Even when the other woman dropped the glamour that both races were require to use while in the Betweenrelm and not working on an assignment.

The only features that actually that seemed to have any truth to them based on the stories were her eyes and teeth. Her eyes in their natural state were vertical silted pupils but they weren’t the blood red or orange. They were somewhere between a dark yellow and gold. Her teeth were not the mouthful of tiny razor sharp fangs dripping with saliva acid. She did have fangs but they were only her incisors like the vampire of the Betweenrelm stories and myths. Then they were only seen when allowed them to. Rylis had asked her and she had found the questions about her appearance funny. She had informed Rylis that it was all a public relations creation, the stories that were heard.

Her complexion was rich mahogany color not reddish leather. Her hair was two shades lighter than her complexion, the first time Rylis had met her, her hair was short just long enough to curl over her fingers when she ran them through it. It had given her an almost pixie-like look.

Rylis has realized that the other woman could walk through the Upperrelm and no one would know any better. Her complexion might give her away but she was only a shade or two darker than the darkest complexion Rylis had seen in the Upperrelm. The main problems with her passing in the Upperrelm were her eyes and wings. Her wings almost gargoyle-like, when stretched out they had an air of fragility about them. Like the slightest wind would tear them to shreds.

Rylis had seen her wings when Arion had guilt tripped her into accompanying them coming with on a hike. It was a few days after Rylis had run into them at the ice cream shop. Rylis should have been suspicious but this was Arion; a true, honest-in-all-things kinda guy. Arion gave Xylia the concern-aiding test. Both Rylis and Arion had been given it. Higher level angels used it to determine how much heart a fledging had. It had been one of the most horrifying experience Rylis had ever had until that hike with Arion and Xylia. Later Rylis had realized that Arion had done it to prove to her that Xylia had just as much heart as any angel maybe even more.

Arion had deliberately allowed himself to get into a situation, more like a position, where he would lose his balance. He danced on the edge of the cliff and fell off. It was one of those moments where he had only two choices; show his natural form or die a mortal death. It takes the average angel a full two minutes of complete concentration to return to their true forms. It was something about perfecting the image, was the reasoning that teachers gave in the schools.

Xylia didn’t have that problem. Switching between forms was a normal as breathing she had explained later. It was sometimes used as a form of temptation when need while on assignment. When Rylis witness Xylia’s transformation she had been shocked and surprised as Xylia followed Arion off the cliff.

When the shock had worn off, which seemed like hours when it was only seconds, and she was able to move, Rylis had rushed to the edge. What she saw caused her to revaluate her thinking. Xylia was hovering readjusting her balance with Arion’s additional weight. Her arms were looped beneath his arms and her knees at his hips. It almost looked as if Xylia was piggybacking Arion. She had stood there with her heart pounding in her ears and a silent prayer running through her head.

Rylis had a quick moment of jealousy of Xylia’s wingspan, twelve feet from wingtip to wingtip. They looked almost transparent or ghostly when she moved them. Now Rylis understood when the reports stated that the demons were surrounded by a haze before they landed. It almost looked like a cloud as she moved closer to the cliff.

Xylia slowly brought Arion back onto the path they had been walking on before Arion had taken his detour. She dropped him with no consideration to where he landed. She had touched down and switched forms and waited while Arion picked himself up off the ground. When he was standing up she hit him with a right cross.

“That was dirty and cruel Arion,” she had said softly through clenched teeth and fists and narrowed eyes. By her very stillness she had radiated strong emotions. Xylia was upset and that made her eyes glow. Another question of demonic sightings had been answered; why their eyes glowed. Rylis has stood there feeling completing uncomfortable and voyeuristic.
Arion said nothing, just slowly got back to his feet and dusted himself off and avoiding making eye contact with Xylia.

“You know I love you. I’ve never denied it or my feelings, but it’s wrong of you to use them against me.” Xylia said before she turned and headed down the path towards the end.
Rylis had turned to Arion and asked him why. His answer was, “I wanted another witness to Xylia’s selflessness and it was the only way I could think of that you would understand. I thought it was a good idea since you had the same thing done to you.”

He continued and told her that she had nothing to worry about she now knew that Xylia wasn’t the repulsive creature she had thought. All he had wanted was for his best friend to get to know the woman he was in love with. With that said he turned and ran down after Xylia.
Rylis had been shocked that she had allowed her emotions to be that shallow and her reactions so easily read. Rylis had followed at a slower pace her mind going back over her actions of the day and attitude.
At first when she had me Arion and Xylia at the entrance to the park Xylia had made an effort to get to know her. Rylis had been short and curt whenever the other woman had spoken to her. Rylis had to respect the fact Xylia hadn’t given up immediately, she had continued to try but after four hours of Rylis’s attitude she had backed off. Xylia then turned her energies to at least making sure Arion was completely satisfied with the day.

Rylis had been ashamed of herself, where was the famed kindness that had been associated and boasted of by her race? Not once had since she had met Xylia that morning had she tried to get to know or listen to the woman. Rylis realized with horror that she was displaying the very traits and attitudes that she despised in the other angels. Arion and Xylia had been waiting when Rylis had finally reached the bottom of the path and the parking lot in the car.

She had apologized to both Arion and Xylia for her close-mindedness and asked for their forgiveness. It was one of the most difficult things she had done since her childhood misadventures. Arion had then asked Xylia and Rylis for their forgiveness because of his blatant manipulation of their feelings. His willingness to own up to his mistakes was one of the things Rylis loved about him. Xylia had forgiven them both, but she did tell Arion that his actions wouldn’t be forgotten. Arion had accepted it and told her that he would do his best to restore her trust in him. Rylis too felt that she had to forgive Arion, because if she hadn’t been so unmovable the situation as a whole wouldn’t have come about. Arion then told Rylis that she now owed him an IOU. Rylis had then made an effort to get to know Xylia. They both discovered that there were many things the two of them had in common, the main one being their love for Arion. Now it included Arion and Kali.

Allowing her mind to return to the present Rylis stared at Arion. He had never called in that IOU. “Your IOU is now at halfway. I will call her. At the moment I’m not sure if she will speak to me. The last time I spoke to her directly she said it hurt too much to hear about the two of you and not be with you. I think that was a couple of months ago. But since then every few days I leave her a message about you and Kali. I felt it would hurt even worse to hear nothing at all, but that’s me. She hasn’t told me to stop. I don’t know if I’ll get a response but I will try.” Rylis said looking at the frozen moment of Xylia that was next to her on Arion’s desk.

“Thank you Rylis. I’m not sure what I would do without you,” Arion said as he reached out and squeezed her hand where it lay on his desk.

Rylis smiled. “You said that now.”

“It’s true Ry. You and Kali are my only links to Xylia,” he said as he released her hand to pick up the frozen moment of Xylia. The two of them sat in silence until a knock was heard at the doorway.
Both Rylis and Arion turned as one to look. A woman dressed in the dark blue robes that declared the title of teacher and headmistress with a displeased face stood there holding the pale blue color of a student tunic. The child in the tunic didn’t appear to be happy either.

“Arion, your daughter,” she gestured with the child, “is to be confined to your presence for the rest of the week. At the beginning of next week she will be evaluated and returned to classes but it will be under constant surveillance. Her assignments will be delivered here to your office or Rylis’s.”

The woman inclinded her brown head towards Rylis as a belated acknowledgement.

“Arion the school would greatly appreciate it if you taught your child some restraint. I do realize that you don’t have much choice of her guardian when she is not with you, please do something.”

Rylis tensed at the woman’s comment but made no move to respond, she would not sink to her level of insulting.

“I will do what I can Keres and thank you,” Arion said.

“Good day Arion. Rylis.” Keres released the child and left just as quickly as she had appeared.

Rylis shook her head. Rumor had it that Keres had a thing for Arion before he had made it clear was going to keep Kali. It was said that it had dampened Keres plans but she still was said to want Arion. Some had thought it was a phase Arion had been going through where Xylia and Kali were concerned. Both Rylis and Keres knew different, since they had both observed and been with Arion and Kali.
The child stood in the doorway. She had misinterpreted Rylis’s headshake and remained unmoving.

“Come in and closed the door,” Arion commanded quietly.

With a meek nod, the child did as she was told. Both Arion and Rylis remained quiet as Kali moved into the room. Rylis kept quiet because Arion had to deal with this problem, she already knew what he wanted of her.
Kali leaned back against the closed door, head bowed making circles in the carpet with the toe of her shoe rather than meet her father and his friend; her pseudo mother’s questioning gazes. She didn’t know what to tell them.

Arion watched his daughter fidget as he collected his thoughts. At least she wasn’t proud of what she had done. What could he say to the child to make her understand? “Kali have a seat,” he said hating that he had to do this. If the parents of the other children didn’t teach their children well, he wasn’t going to make that mistake with Kali.

[Therin]

...I feel insignifigant now.