Lunchtime...

((Sorry, but Trav is so fun to torture!))


D'etre pattered around her home, which was big enough to be a small house. Inside there was a floor carpet made from leaves and softened rolled out branches, various cabinets, a wardrobe, a bed filled with leaves and a odd looking fruit a little bigger then a man's head which probably served as a pillow, a large table and some chairs, what was most likely a washtub of some kind chiseled from stone, and of course random stitchery and other odds and trinkets (guns that had been taken apart, silks and other fine linen, dolls, old clothes that looked like they had at one time belong to a little girl that now had cut patches in them).

"This is my home!" D'etre said, turning to Trav. "It's a nice place, isn't it?" Running to the side, she hugged the wall. "I love you wall!" Then the table. "I love you table!" She repeated the action with each bit of furniture until she finally came to a rest on the ground. "I love you floor!"

"And me?" Raison asked from outside, watching with a content grin.

"You're loved by default, stupid." D'etre laughed playfully. "And now-I love you Mister Trav!" She said cheerfully. Raison either didn't hear or pretended not to hear. "Now, let's get your boo-boo's fixed up." She went to one cabinet and pulled out a small mortar and pestle, then a few herbs. She began grinding them together. "I know exactly what makes the burns go away. I had to do this to myself when that dridder swallowed me."

"Don't tell him about that!" Raison shouted from outside.

“Tis a fine home,” Trav said, trying very hard to put the recent events from his mind. It was rather difficult to do with Raison watching them from the outside. Still, he began thinking on D’etre’s odd behavior. She seemed less misguided, but rather confused. Trav suspected that everything was not quite right upstairs. He could see how that could happen, living with one such as Raison. She seemed sweet enough, though.

“I? I be flattered,” Trav said, upon hearing D’etre say she loved him. He sat in one of the chairs, but winced as one of the burns on his shoulder touched the back of the chair. Shifting his position, he turned to watch D’etre preparing some salve out of the herbs. Trav wondered about the encounter she had with the dridder, but Raison made it clear that discussing that topic would not be a good idea.

“Tell me, ‘ave yeh known Raison long, D’etre,” Trav asked, as if to make ilde talk. Actually, he wanted to know how far D’etre’s wishes would go with Raison.

Mixing the herbs still, D'etre hummed softly. It was a lilting tune that sounded like the noises of the forest. "I've known him since I was about... seven-ish." She said, picking a pinch of another type of herb and mixing that in. "We've been together since then. I'm his pet. He's... he's kept me away from my family for a long time. Which is why I'm still alive." Her voice sounded false, like she was trying to be cheerful, but failing. She returned to mixing the herbs.

The sound of Raison slithering to a lower branch rattled through the tree, and D'etre put the pestle down, walking over to Trav with the mortar. "I love him but..." She bit her lip, a single tear rolling down her face. She seemed, shocked, to say the least, catching the tear and staring at it. Flicking it away, she put her fingers into the paste and began rubbing the paste onto the burns. "It's going to be cold, and it'll make the burn feel very cold, but it helps the burn heal. It dries in five hours, so I'll make a longer lasting batch for you then, okey dokey?" The cheerfulness had returned, or, more correctly, the mask had returned.

Trav was surprised at the powerful emotions he inadvertently stirred up in this young woman. He put his hand on her shoulder in an effort to comfort her. “Forgive me, D’etre,” Trav said softly, yet earnestly, “I didn’ mean to upset yeh, or dredge up painful memories.” After a moment, she seemed to get control over her emotions. Trav had to wonder how many layers there were buried under the surface of cheerfulness.

“Cold be fine, jus’ so the pain stops,” Trav said. He had to remove his shirt and roll up his pant legs to allow all of his burns to be reached. The salve did indeed cause his raw skin to feel chilled, but it felt relaxing in a way. The ache slowly began to recede.

“Thank yeh kindly, D’etre. Yeh ‘ave done so much fer me today, an I ‘ave so little to give yeh in return,” Trav said, after the salve had been applied to all of his burns. From a pouch on his belt, Trav removed a small wooden case. It was a plain thing, and had been discolored on one corner by the acid. Trav opened it, and removed a recorder made from a perfectly clear crystal. Its lines were straight and smooth, and its curves graceful. It was seamless, and as clear as pure water. The light glimmered in it and caused a few rainbows to dance upon the walls as Trav handled the instrument.

“This be a gift to me from a brother and a dear friend, who stayed behind in me home village when I left to explore the world. Mayhap yeh would care to hear some music while we wait fer yeh medicine to work?” Trav asked, holding up the beautiful recorder.

"Oooo, music? Okay, please! Make some please!" D'etre said excitedly, smiling at Trav as she sat down beside him. "I bet you're very good at it! I can't play any instrument, haha." Her head turned as she heard Raison return. There were cracking and smashing noises, something was being chewed. A few duiker shrieks emitted, then died. D'etre ignored it though, looking up with full attention at Trav, like a little child.

Trav paused a moment, precisely positioning the pads of his fingers on each hole along the length of the recorder. He brought the mouthpiece to his lips and blew softly. A clear, pure note slowly filled the room with it’s perfect tone. Gradually it faded from hearing. Trav inhaled, and remembered the joyous times from his childhood. He played best when he let his memories guide his fingers.

His song began slowly, and a peaceful melody rose to their ears. The clear notes flowed gently into one another, not crowding one another nor leaving gaps in the melody. The harmonious song gracefully and smoothly drifted on at a leisurely, unhurried pace. In his mind, Trav saw the village of his youth, during a calm winter night. It was a peaceful time, when their chores were light, and the children could watch the snow falling by the light of the moon and listen to stories told by their elders.

Gradually, the song changed, but the change was almost imperceptible. Even Trav did not notice at first. The melody’s notes became more lively and mirthful, the melody growing in complexity and joyousness. The song became less leisurely and more active, as the music became more elaborate. A few trills danced along with the notes, sounding like the calls of birds. In Trav’s mind’s eye, the scene had changed. Night had given away to dawn, revealing a fresh, pristine blanket of snow glittering in the morning sun. The delighted children ran out to play, building snowmen and walls of snow, and throwing snowballs at one another.

Again the song began to slowly shift. A sense of regality and respect grew in the melody, as they became more sure and less flippant. The music was still joyous, but in a ceremonial way. The notes formed chords and had an air of reverence. Trav’s memory had gone from playing in the snow to a grand feast in a great hall in celebration of Yule and the winter solstice. Long tables had been spread with finely prepared food of every size and sort, and wreaths of holly decorated the walls.

At last, the song steadily returned to the peaceful melody it started with, a night of serene rest after a day of merry celebration. It faded on a happy note, and a hopeful one, as the next day of good cheer and mirth was sleepily anticipated.

As the last tone faded from hearing, Trav breathed deeply. For the first time in a long while, he felt the pangs of homesickness. “Ah, I should return this year. It has been too long,” Trav said softly to himself, stirred by the peaceful memories. The music had help to calm him; as he returned to the present, he was able to face the recent events with a surer heart and a clearer mind.

D'etre listened intently, feeling as though a great wall had been brought up around her and the music. It was such a nice sound, one that made D'etre recall some of the good times she had had with her friends. The fun conversations and the delightful stories from survival to humorous ancedotes on why a starkla bug was so edible. Without knowing it, she had laid down on the ground, and her eyelids had grown heavy. She could have sworn she heard Trav says something, and all she could muster out was a, "Kupo." Then her eyes closed and she was peacefully sleeping.

"Did she fall asleep?" Raison's voice inquired from outside, as blood dripped over his lips and down his chin onto his bare chest. That was what happened to the twelve or so duikers, poor things.

Taking great care not to make a sound, Trav put his crystalline recorder back into it’s case. Covering his arms with a couple towels, so he wouldn’t get the salve on her, Trav knelt and gently picked up the slumbering girl and set her on the bed. His wounds stung from the pressure, but not nearly as bad as before. He put the recorder case back into his pouch, and grabbed his shirt and hat.

Trav walked to the middle of the room and looked out of the hole at the bloody naga. His fear returned, but he was in a calmer mindset than before. He could face the naga without quaking so visibly, though his heart did began to beat faster. “Aye, she slumbers,” Trav said. “What do yeh intend to do now?” He asked simply. In the close confines of D’etre’s home, Trav doubted he had any avenue of escape.

"What do I intend to do now, hmmm?" Raison sat back, reclining on the branch with the same aristocratic manner as some kind of prince, then again, in this immediate zone, he was the king. "Well, eating you is out of the question, certainly." He began, checking his palm for any sort of scratch or wound. "And how I so longed to hear your screams inside of me." His tail tip swished back and further, and a soft groan came from his stomach, digesting it large meal. "Well, maybe I could tell you my story, wouldn't that be interesting?" He rose up, moving back to the hole in the tree until only his head was visible.

"You must be curious, even a little, on how I ended up this way, correct?" His voice was softer, and an almost croon like tone. D'etre rolled over in her bed, happily snoring away. "It's quite an interesting tale, and I'm sure you are a man who enjoys his stories."

“Aye, I be curious,” Trav said. He doubted Raison’s sincerity about Trav’s safety from being eaten. But he had nothing to loose by listening to Raison. And Trav was indeed curious about him, particularly his past with D’etre. Who knows, Trav might gain some insight to how this naga thinks, and how he hunts.

“Tell me yeh tale, please,” Trav said, pulling up a chair to the table and sitting in such a way to avoid putting pressure on his burns.

"Well," the naga began, leaning back once more. "It began a long time ago, when I was born. As with any Mitternacht Naga, I was hatched from an egg from my 'mothers' body. I crawled away and hid within a small meadow. I ate the flowers there for awhile until I was big enough to look over them." Raison yawned briefly, already bored by his own story. "It was then that Katti, my mother, noticed me. She was not my birth mother of course, she was a dryad, but she raised me as her son all the same, right near the Jewel River." He pointed his arm in the direction of the river.

"So, I grew up, I had mermaid friends who liked to play tricks on one another." He gestured to the markings on his eyes that made him look like he was wearing eyeliner. "I obviously was not exempt from that. Katti found it so funny, she put blue stuff on my eyelids."

"One day, Katti sent me and some of my friends down river to hunt, when we returned..." A slow shuddering breath came from Raison, as he recalled that day. "Ash... all there was of her was ash and smoke. I collapsed into unconciousness, and when I woke up I ran away from my friends and to this area. I lived alone... for so long."

His tail twitching, Raison ran a hand through his hair, out of habit more then anything else. "Then, after so many seasons, I found that one running along the path. I considered eating her, but she didn't look like even a snack. I picked her up and I stared at her. She asked me if I would eat her, and I told her no simply because there wasn't enough to eat. Although now... I think it was for a different reason... Anyway, she was bleeding everywhere, and apparently her parents were not the kindest, they believed she would bring bad luck upon them." Raison sighed, a bitter noise in voice. "So, I took her in as my... my... my... unn... pet."

Coughing a little, Raison reached into his mouth and pulled out a halfway dissolved ribcage, before letting it drop from his hand. "She was so sweet and gentle, and she did anything I asked of her. I used her as bait to lure in my prey for awhile, and she didn't seem to mind. I didn't let her see me actually eating them. When I told her to climb into my mouth once, she did so without hesitance, and I pretended to swallow her to see how she would react, and she did nothing. I carved all of those little trinkets inside of that hole for her, the bed, the tables and chairs... of course, I was going off description but I think I did well nonetheless."

"I wish at times she was bigger, so I could hold her and not worry about accidentally crushing her to death, or that I could... could... kiss her..." A deep red flashed across his face upon him saying those words.

Trav simply sat and listened to Raison. If the naga was being truthful, it answered a good deal of questions he had about Raison and D’etre. It also raised a good deal more questions as well. Trav found it helped him to understand Raison’s sadistic tendencies. Yet it showed him that Raison had better qualities hidden in him as well. In a strange way, he actually cared for D’etre. But she was not well, Trav thought her mind was damaged. Why did she shed a tear when he asked how long she had known Raison?

“I be sorry to ‘ear what ‘appened to Katti. I know a dryad or two, and they have always been wise beings,” Trav said. He got up from the chair and walked over to the opening of the tree. “But tell me. D’etre. Do yeh love D’etre? Whether it be as a sister or a daughter or a friend or more. Do yeh wish ‘er to be happy?” Trav asked, looking at Raison.

"OF COURSE I LOVE HER! I EVEN WENT INTO THE DRIDDER FOREST TO RESCUE HER! ALL I EVER DO IS ASK THINGS FROM HER...... and she's never asked for anything... not even to see her family." His voice rose from loud and dangerous to quiet and contemplating. "To be... happy..." He whispered. "She's always smiling but I know it's fake. Are you trying to imply... I'm bad for her?" Raison was a naga, not stupid. He knew that D'etre should be with humans, but he refused to let her go. Who would protect her? She knew nothing of the world outside of what he showed her. Without Raison curled around her all the time, creating a safe little pocket of area, she would be unprotected...

and free. Gone from his constriction, from his control...

Trav took an involuntary step back at Raison’s outburst. He feared for a moment that he had gone too far, and that Raison would finish him off then and there. But the naga soon regained control of himself, and the moment of danger passed.

“She’s ne’er asked fer anythin’?” Trav echoed, “Mayhap it be because she be frightened o’ yeh? Yeh pretended to swallow ‘er. Yeh confront ‘er with ‘er death, and a painful one at that. Yeh said that yeh used ‘er fer bait, and I cannae but assume yeh prey be her fellow man. Yeh forced ‘er to be an accomplice to the murder o’ ‘er own kind. And while yeh eat out o’ sight, cannae she not ‘ear them? I certainly did today, though I stopped me ears with me fingers. I can but pray that the gods ‘ave mercy upon their souls.”

“Perhaps it be because yeh be a naga. Yeh see us as naught more than pigs fer slaughter. To yeh, those three be but a meal, and be forgotten the next day. But I? I curse me cowardice that cowed me to quake in fear as yeh killed them mercilessly. Despite me music, I can still ‘ear that woman’s screams. I fear they shall ‘aunt me dreams. Such things can ‘urt the stoutest o’ men, though the wounds be ‘ard to see. And she be vulnerable already, thanks to the cruel people who raised ‘er. ‘ow many deaths o’ ‘er own kind ‘ave yeh made ‘er witness? Can yeh not see what yeh be doin’ to ‘er?”

“But no. I cannae blame it on yeh blood. I’ve known other predators. I ‘ave a harpy fer a friend. I do not fear ‘er, nor do I put a wall around me thoughts. She doesn’ make me watch ‘er kill other men fer sustenance. In fact, she ‘as not eaten a single man, and lives upon fish alone since she befriended me. I will not deny there be a gulf between yeh and D’etre, and it be a large one. But it be not insurmountable, it can be crossed and it ‘as been crossed by others more ravenous then yehself. But yeh ‘ave not been tryin’.”

“I ask yeh again. Do yeh wish ‘er to be happy? And what be yeh willin’ to do fer ‘er happiness?” Trav asked.

Trav’s heart beat rapidly as he realized what he had done. In his thoughts for D’etre, and galvanized by the memory of the woman and the two men, he had forgotten to whom he spoke. He glanced at Raison, fearing that his tirade would be the final annoyance that overrode D’etre’s wish to spare Trav. But he steeled himself. After all, trapped in this tree, there was nowhere where he could run. “Twould be punishment fer me cowardice,” Trav whispered to himself.

((Sorry about this, Tuc!))


Raison listened to Trav in stunned silence, his mind starting to think that for all the time he had been with D'etre, every time he was with her, he was hurting her. How could he do such a thing? How could he hurt the one he loved? As he listened to Raison, something wet began to fall from his eyes, something that had not happened... in three hundred years. Raison, in his loneliess and his love-illness, had neglected D'etre's need as a human. Slowly, more of them began to fall, tears. "D'etre..." He whispered weakly, feeling his lower tail wobble. He fell upon the branch, making it shake a little. "D'etre..." He repeated, more tears falling from his eyes.

The naga stayed still for what seemed to him for a long while. His mind was mulling over the fact that he had basically killed D'etre's soul on the inside. But he could not bring himself to think of D'etre simply as a human. She was his human. She was his love. And if he truly loved her, wouldn't he be willing to sacrifice anything for her? Even his own happiness? Raison rose back up, looking at Trav with reddened eyes with tears still falling from them. "I do want her to be happy. I want to see her... happy. I don't want to see her using that cheerful mask to make me happy. I want her to be happy. I want to see her really smile!" He sobbed, broken from the steely and sadistic predator from hours before. "But wanting her smile... her love... is selfish of me. I don't deserve it. I'm a naga. I'm supposed to be eating humans, not fratenizing with them, not wanting to take her as my mate forever."

Slowly, he reached inside and picked D'etre up from her bed with one hand, bringing her close to his face. She was still sleeping peacefully, unaware of what just transpired. Raison admired her tiny form, how perfect it seemed to him, how each little movement was lovely in it's own way. He bent his head down, and at first it looked as though he were going to pull her into his mouth, but no, he was kissing her. Sure his lips envelopped most of her chest, but... it was good enough for him. He then reached back inside the hole and picked Trav up. He then went down to one of the lower branches that connected to others and set them both down on it. "Take her somewhere safe, with humans... she'll be better there, isn't that what you mean?" He said, the tears having stopped flowing. "Good bye... my reason of existence." He whispered to D'etre. He looked at Trav one more time.

Raison's eyes were dead. Not dead as in when one dies, but dead in a different sense. It was the dead eyes of someone who had just destroyed themselves on the inside, becoming nothing but a hollow shell. Raison then turned around, and slithered away from his tree, not looking back.

When he was far enough, he fell to the ground below and laid there, dead to the world once more.



D'etre stirred, but she did not awaken, she was quite a sleeper! "Mmm... Raison... pickles..." She mumbled.

As Baras walked around the woods he noticed that there wasn't much to be seen. Didn't really surprise him, though, since it was nearly dark out.'Hmm...doesn't seem like there's anything out here. Guess I better head back...HOME?!' He then noticed the naga that he had seen earlier that day sprawled out on the ground before him. Baras normally wouldn't panic in this situation, but due to the fact that he wasn't expecting to see anything or anyone, he hadn't absorbed any manipulative energy in his gauntlet, which wasn't good considering the naga threatened to eat him if he saw him again. Now, considering these factors, Baras had begun to panic.

'Wh-what's he doing out here?! Isn't he supposed to be Trav and that girl he was with?! And I don't have any manipulative energy to protect myself with!! Oh, man, this is baaaaaad. I am in a HECK of a crappy situation here. What the crap do I DO?!?! Hmm...looks like he's asleep, and so far he hasn't waken up. Okay, maybe if I back up reeeaaaally slow...' he thought, began to step backwards slowly and lightly, '...I can get out of here without waking him up.' But then, just as he was nearly out of grabbing range of the naga, he inadvertantly stepped on a twig that snapped loudly. Very loudly.

'Aw, crap. Just. My. Luck.' he thought to himself as he prepared for the worst.

Trav recovered when he saw Raison. Of his possible responses, the one that happened was one Trav didn’t really expect, but one that he hoped would occur. Remorse. Genuine remorse. In Trav’s mind, there was no longer any doubt that Raison did care and love D’etre, and that he regretted his actions.

“I will, methinks it would do ‘er good. But this need not be the last time yeh see her. Wounds of the mind, as any wounds, can heal in time. I be no prophet, but I believe she will return someday. Yeh can yet see ‘er genuine smile, and not a mask,” Trav said. However, Raison simply looked at him, and what Trav saw disturbed him. It was despair. Trav couldn’t say anything as Raison slithered off.

Trav looked down at the sleeping D’etre. She was his responsibility now, and Trav knew that it was a responsibility that he was ill equipped to shoulder. Still, he had brought it upon himself, and if it meant D’etre could be free of her sadness, he would take the responsibility without regret. Trav knew his greatest asset was not within himself, but those he befriended, and he knew of friends that would help him with his burden. Perhaps the man Baras would help him, or maybe Trav’s harpy friend was near. Either way, at least the destination wasn’t in question. He had said earlier it had been too long since he had seen his hometown. Autumn was growing late, and Yule would soon be coming. D’etre had seen the worst of humans, but Trav was determined to show her the best they had to offer.

“Wake up, D’etre,” Trav said, kneeling and gently placing a hand on her shoulder.

Stirring slowly, D'etre opened her eyes. Their usually lively sparkle replaced by a filmy gloss. "He's gone, isn't he?" Was the first thing she said, sitting up slowly. She didn't hear the words said earlier, but somehow she knew that Raison was gone. "Raison..." She whimpered, curling up in a fetal position. "Mister Trav, why is Raison gone?" D'etre asked, looking up at him. "Did I... do something bad? Does he not want me anymore? Did I hurt him?" She asked, slowly getting up and gripping onto his tunic, feeling weak in the knees.

"I did do something bad, didn't I? Oh no..." D'etre moaned.

“No, no, D’etre. Yeh ‘ave done nothin’ wrong,” Trav said, supporting D’etre in his arms and lifting her up. His heart was wrenched for this poor girl, and he looked upon her with pity and sympathy. “Raison longs to be with yeh. He loves yeh more than anythin’ in the world.”

“But aye, he be gone. But yeh must understand, yeh ‘ave not ‘urt ‘im. No, he fears that he ‘as ‘urt yeh, D’etre. He left because he feared he would ‘urt yeh more. He left to protect yeh, out o’ ‘is love fer yeh. It wrenched ‘im terribly to do so.”

As Trav spoke, D'etre's eyes grew wide. "Bu-but... Raison! He... I... I want to be with him! Humans are fine one or two, or maybe five, but a whole city of them!? Didn't you hear what that woman said! She told Raison to eat her comrades and spare her! Raison hates people like that, and..." D'etre wouldn't allow herself to cry, it was against her very nature. Happiness was what everyone needed, and she was supposed to give it to them. That's what she did for Imma and Raison! She closed her eyes tightly, then slowly opened them with a small smile on her face.

"Where are we going to go?"

The mask had returned, and D’etre again clamped down on her feelings, though Trav could tell she wanted to weep. He could tell this would be difficult for her as well as Raison. “I know o’ a small village,” Trav said, “Twas once me ‘ome. It be a small farming community ‘idden deep in the mountains. The people there be good, kind, and honest folk. It be a peaceful place where they ‘ave no fear o’ the big folk. There always be room fer one more at the table, an extra chair by the fire, and a warm bed fer anyone in need. Twill be Yule soon, a time of celebration and thanksgiving.”

“Yeh be welcome to come and stay at me ‘ome. The people there know me well, and would accept yeh with open arms and a cheerful spirit. But please don’ make a decision jus’ because yeh feel yeh must. It be yeh choice, and I don’ want to force any course o’ action upon yeh.

D'etre walked over towards the end of the branch, putting her arms out to balance herself. "Well then, let's go to your home then!" She said, ever so happily as she leapt down onto the branch below. She then walked to the tree's trunk and climbed onto it, sliding down to the ground in a rather ungraceful movement, falling onto her butt. She got back up, dusting her rump off with a few pats, used to it.

"Come on, Mister Trav!" She called up to him, waving at Trav. "You don't want to late, now do you?"

Trav climbed down as well, at a slower but more dignified pace. He hoped that D’etre would eventually realize she would not need the mask anymore, but Trav suspected that would be a long time in coming.

“Wait a moment,” Trav said, catching up to D’etre. “Afore we depart, I think we should find that other man, Baras. He’s the man who ‘elped Raison against that dridder thing earlier. We would be safer if he came with us.”

Seeing that the naga wasn't moving at all, Baras relaxed himself a little bit. He slowly reached for a nearby tree and absorbed it into his gauntlet. He was about to leave the area, but as an afterthought, he turned in the naga's direction.

"Hi, it's me again." he said a kind of quiet tone. "Don't know why we keep running into each other. Fate, maybe? Anyway, I don't know if you're awake or not, but if you are...I want to apologize for screwing up your meal when I first saw you. Like I said, I was just trying to save the fellow you were about to swallow, but I realize I could have handled that a little bit better. I'm also sorry about those itching powder bombs. Believe me, if I had known you were going to tear up your skin like that, I REALLY wouldn't have done it. Honestly. Anyway, I just wanted to apologize for my shenanigans from earlier. See ya 'round, eh?" Baras then pressed a button on his gauntlet and teleported away from the naga.

He wound up about a hundred yards from where he lived and was about to walk towards it, but then he saw Trav and the naga's female companion just about twenty feet away from him, and called out, "Hey, guys!! What brings you two out here?"

"Hey! It's Mister Person!" D'etre called, before hugging Trav. She then cheerfully ran all the way up to Baras. "Hello Mister Person!" She said, before hugging him. "I love you!" Her hand then slapped across Baras's face with little warning, but she continued to grin as though she had done nothing violent at all. "I'm D'etre. I like to eat yummy foods, what about you? What are your favorite foods, Mister Person?"