Tobi gulped to hydrate his troath that had gotten suddenly dry.  His mind did indeed race with questions.  Questions so fleeting and hard to pin down that the young mage felt he was trying to corral cats.  He gulped a second time and asked in the best voice he could muster.  [color=00aeef]“Um, Mr. Knight Captain Lord sir…”[/color] He stumble through his words.  

He silently cursed himself.  He had seen his father deal plenty of times with those of higher birth but he was never one to which florid and appropriate language came easy.  Still, despite rank and birth there was a single point of similarity between the young mage and the silver haired hero.  

Both men served as warriors in the armies that defended Belisio.  They both had shed blood, lost friends, and fought to protect those they loved.  Steeled by this knowledge and feeling a bit more on even ground with Tyrhallan the young man continued.  [color=00aeef]“I have never met the king.  However, it seemed to me that he was not himself.  His words were meant to inspire us but do you think his speech was also a call for help?”[/color]

Tobi was cursed with a mind that was not suited to his lower middle class station.  He was an abstract thinker that needed to be satiated with answers to questions most found disturbing, annoying, or horrifying.  The only one who seemed to be able to overlook this flaw and actually pour back into that hungry vortex that was the mind of the young mage. 

Curiosity more than actual brightness drove the young man to question.  Instinct rather than insight caused him to see thing most did not.  Indeed, he was praised as a scout and after mission analyst.  He had assisted in developing procedures and tactics that had saved many lives and resources.  The only reason why he had not been recruited to the intel corps was because his mouth had no filter or lock.  He loved to chat and once the flood gates were open, it was extremely hard to close them. 

[color=00aeef]“It is well known that despite not knowing the actual size of the Viemese army, Belisio may be hard pressed to actually stand toe to toe with them by numbers alone.  I do feel that we have better skilled warriors, but those bastards have been wanting to beat our ass since their king got owned.”[/color] As he talked, his speech turned more to how he would talk to the junior members of the squad not a high-ranking military officer. 

He walked next to the Knight Captain and continued his barrage of monologue as his body grabbed a serving plate, looked for this mythical salmon but had no idea what to look for. So instead, he grabbed what he thought would be good to eat.  

[color=00aeef]“The king knows that if the wolf came knocking at our door that the fight would be a hard one but he also knows that even if we had our guts hanging out we would hold the shit in with one hand and ram a sword up their ass with the other.”[/color]  His plate was starting to pile high with victiles.  The squad members seldom ate as good, often field rations or whatever was left over from the officer’s own food.  

[color=00aeef]“But tell me truthfully Cap, do you think that we are in trouble?  IF so, then how best can we make those sons of bitches regret they came knocking at our door?”[/color]

*****
Arn shook his head as he quietly disagreed with her self blame.  Eilis was a tender heart who felt that any wrong done in the world even remotely related to her was a burden she had to bear.  The senior mage knew firsthand the place that road of self-depreciation led.  However, he would not force his believes upon her.  In time she would come to understand that the actions of others have consequences that should be shouldered by those who made the decision. 

Instead, he said in a calm voice that offered comfort but was not condescending.  [color=0054a6]“Your mother would have been no safer if you had stayed.  If these people who are seeking you could take her life so easily, they would have done it either way.  The fact that they had to resort to that forbidden spell is proof that she would not willingly give you away.”[/color]  He kept on stroking her hair.

[color=ed145b]"Why are you so good to me? I am a refugee...an enemy..."[/color]

Arn stopped mid stroke.  A look of confusion in his face.  He opened his mouth to give an answer and then stopped and promptly shut his mouth to keep it from gapping open.  His usually sharp and active mind spun its proverbial wheels trying to answer her question.  So he did the only thing he could think of doing, he said the truth. 

[color=0054a6]“To be painfully honest Eilis…”[/color] saying her name brought a sudden electrifying shudder to his warm body.  He resumed his stroking as he pensively answered, more to himself than her. [color=0054a6] “..I am not too sure.  You see, I have never been close to someone other than my mother.  Yet even before I woke up, I saw you.  I was not sure if I dreamt but I saw you.  You were a glowing body in a sea of darkness.  You felt small, scared, and alone.  I believe at first, I thought I was looking at my mother.  Then I thought it might have been an astral representation of myself.” [/color]

He cleared his throat nervously.  His sudden rush of sharing his feelings made him feel defenseless and he did not like it.  He also felt that he could be so with her.  [color=0054a6]“I felt drawn to you.  I felt like you and I were connected by ties not of blood or kin.  I feel like I am meant to protect you.  I don’t know why but I feel that I my purpose was to protect you.”[/color]

He shifted his body so that he could hold her by the shoulders and stare into her eyes.  Even now, he could see that the Dark Sight was starting to fade.  The glossy look of the eyes was starting to receded.  She would soon be able to see blurry.  This alone brough questions to his inquisitive mind and he marveled at her quick recovery.

Eilis must really be someone special to have drawn him so.  He had forgotten all his own rules about getting involved with someone.  He had opened up in a manner that made him feel like he would lose himself.  He had changed so drastically that he was a stranger even to him.  So, he echoed her question and the answer was a simple one that he gave her. 

[color=0054a6]“I feel connected to you.  Drawn to you…One with you.”[/color]  As he did so, he pushed into the Aether trying to hold her essence as he held her body.  Suddenly, he crashed into a force, a barrier of ice-cold feeling that made him gasp.  

The battlemage had felt pain plenty of times before, some had even made him wish for death, but this pain tore into his very soul.  He did not know if it was due to the connection that had started to grow between him an Eilis but any separation from her seemed to be painful.  

This made him frown and look down at the now shivering form of his self-appointed protegee.  A question formed in his mind and he hesitated to ask.  However, he felt it was necessary.  In an apologetic tone he mustered enough courage to ask. [color=0054a6]“Eilis, could you tell me about your magical tattoos?”[/color]