Reincarnation?

[DoS Archive]

From: redurthornei@aol.com (Red ur Thorne I)
Date: 18 Feb 2000 11:33:08 EST

((Author's Note: This is not a post, it is a storyline, thanks. :) ))


It was good to be home...


Random protested heavily, she was in no condition to do anything of the sort. He protested the entire way there and grew especially loud once they reached the Inn.

"I am a grown woman, Random. You will not convince me not to do this," Red stated plainly. She owed him more than she could repay, but that was a debt she would work on later.

The long sleeved shirt she wore was itching her, the wound on her forearm stilled burned hotly with the last remanents of the poison, but she would not allow it to be seen; the winding, slithering scar that marred her flesh. Her gait was off, a limp affected the movements now, an off-hand thought on whether it would ever heal or now gave her pause. No, she needed to do this, it was a part of her life before and she needed it to make her feel
normal, if only for a short time.

Random was talking, she had missed everything he had said as her thoughts wandered far afield. He must have noticed the distant gaze because he sighed and moved for a table, "I will wait for you here, the Arena never has anything for me."

Red suspected that part of Random feared that Ellisa was there, he had apparently let the woman down on some important issue in order to help her out. It suited her not to be escorted into the Arena for she suspected that the duel would be embarrassment enough.

There was a small crowd, exactly what she had hoped for, she managed to make it down the stairs without falling. A good sign, the thought brought a ghost of a smile to her face, she loved irony even if it was bitter.

"Anyone to duel?" Her voice was a little shaky, but in the cavernous Arena, she doubted anyone would notice.

She got a response almost immediately, she remembered the man, Cas something or other. No time like the present, she thought, to see if she had enough strength to weild the blade strapped across her back.

The duel began almost too quickly and she found herself trying to avoid conflict rather than engage. She was focusing on not falling down when he startled her out of reverie, "You are Red Thorn?"

It wasn't the first time people got the full name wrong and out of habit she corrected him, "Red 'ur Thorne, but yes."

"Aren't you supposed to be dead?"

She was sure the shock was clear on her face, even in the dimly lit ring. "If I am someone forgot to inform me." She fell back on humor, she found that worked most of the time.

The conversation for the duel went poorly, she didn't know if it was her own off-key humours or his, but they managed to finish the duel without getting too philosophical (few people realized that Red could get deeply philosophical at times, happens when you have a long stretch of years just to be bored).

It was Avery that had been saying that she was dead, she didn't know quite how she felt about that. Part of her was glad, at least that's why he hadn't been looking for her, or she assumed he hadn't been. Why would he? What was she to him but a companion cookie eater... maybe a tutor. She wondered if he had found someone else to teach him to read, she supposed it didn't matter. He was Overlord and known by nearly everyone, what was one person
more or less to him?

Suddenly feeling the full weight of her injuries she put up a front to get her through her goodbyes and out the door. Random fell in beside her as she raced, well, limped, through the tavern of the Inn. She thought for a moment Random was about to say something scathing to chastise her for dueling, but there must have been something in her demeanor that pleaded for peace. As soon as they cleared the door, he slipped his arm in hers, supporting her
with his stability, "The weather is turning, tommorrow should be bright and sunny."

A ghost of a smile flitted across her lips that couldn't seem to penetrate her heart where a pain had begun to bloom. "Well, if not we can still go for a ride on my bike, Random. I know you've been dying to do that with me."

When humor fails, she normally switched to terrorist tactics and it worked, Random's face paled noticably. "You know, now that you mention it, I think it's supposed to snow tommorrow, and I have to search for Ellisa, and I promised Ciani I would drop in to check on her, and... "

It was good to be home.