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[color=cadetblue]Time:[/color] Afternoon
[color=cadetblue]Location:[/color] Forests north of Roshmi City
[color=cadetblue]Interactions:[/color]  Malachi[@princess], Belle[@Potter], Myra[@13org] O’ner [@Eviledd1984][/center]

Valok found Malachi to be perplexing, this was far from what he expected from a light elf, especially one so against Aklenroth. If this was some sort of trick then Malachi was an excellent liar, but nothing about his tone or demeanor seemed deceptive. He thought about what Malachi said, and it was hard to even imagine a world in which the dark and light elves could live peacefully alongside each other, and alongside fairies and demihumans as well. His people clung to pain just as tightly as they clung to hatred, it was part of them, it gave them strength. But dominion over darkness had been a gift to the dark elves from the goddess Halastra, one given in compassion to ease suffering, and they now used it to inflict pain. Dark elves had lost their way, and perhaps The Great King had as well. Valok found it difficult to imagine Aklenroth as something fallible, someone who could allow himself to be as lost as Valok had found his own people to be, but the King had ruled for a long time. Maybe to have a better world they needed someone to rule who was not burdened by the pain of the past, and willing to forgive present wrongs. If that was something Risa’s rebellion stood for that was something he was willing to try and fight for. 

[color=cadetblue]“If a better future is truly the goal of this rebellion, it will have my allegiance. Many of my kind are too far lost, but for those who aren’t they need a better way. You are not what I expected of light elves, and if this is what you, and the fairy Risa, fight for, I’m willing to fight alongside you. Maybe we can show our people a better way.”[/color] Valok said as he firmly shook the hand offered by Malachi. He had not expected this, to find himself willing to follow a light elf, to find him amicable, to accept a rebellion against The Great King. Rather than the doubt and dread he was expecting to find on this journey he felt something warmer. A feeling vastly different than the fires of hatred when one faced an enemy. For the briefest moment he didn’t feel the cold and consuming hollowness, as he thought about a better world, the possibility of it, the warm feeling lingered. Was this what hope felt like? Like the stories of dark elves from long ago, first inspired to fight for Aklenroth on the promise that they would thrive even in exile. The hope of something better, and the feeling it provided seemed like something worth following, enough to try. 

[color=cadetblue]”I am called Valok.”[/color] He added after Malachi had introduced himself. The light elf directed them to walk closer to the trees and further from the open skies and the brightness of the afternoon sun. Valok was grateful to be closer to the shade, his vision was better here and it was comforting to be near the shadows cast by the trees. They didn’t walk long before Belladonna prevented the group from traveling further, stopping to ask a string of questions. Valok had not noticed any signal from Malachi for this to happen and he wondered if it was common for light elves to allow their subordinates to act in this manner. He kept quiet, not having been addressed with any further questions and not wanting to speak out of turn. Her suspicions seemed focused on Myra and Mathias who were looking for the demon’s companions. He waited to hear there answers, wondering if the three Myra had named were demon’s as well.