What should I do? (log)

[Epiphany]

(I nearly forgot about this until i was poked. Sorry El! )

It was the perfect evening for a late night stroll. The weather had warmed considerably as of late and while it wasn't exactly Spring yet it was close enough to bring out Elessar. Dressed in an worn, handmade tunic of light gray with black leggings the Elf walked quickly down the steps of the Inn, heading for the street. Sticking his hands in his pockets he headed north, off to enjoy the fresh air.

He was coming down the path and Epiphany was coming up the path. The girl had been missing for quite a while and now she was heading back to the Inn after being gone for nearly a month. She was walking with her thumbs hooked into the leather belt that was wrapped around her dark short-sleeved sweater. No coat or jacket. just that and fitting jeans with thigh-high boots over top. She was looking .. modern. She even had a tan colored newsboy cap tipped sideways on her head with her hair pulled back in a ponytail. No matter how she looked Epiphany was able to spot him right off and smiled a bit as she neared. "Where are you off to?"'

The same could be said for her, for as she spotted Elessar right off the bat he had done the same to her. It wasn't everyday you caught your friend returning from a long trip. He broke into a grin and sped up to meet her. "Epiphany! You've returned!"

"Ahaha! You have life in you!" it was her trying to be a bit funny, though she wasn't sure if it was working or not? She laughed to help stress that as she too worked to close the gap. "It's been a while! You look well." He did, at least he was not sulking so that was a good thing. Continuing to smile as she rocked back on her heels. "Enjoying a bit of a stroll or trying to get away from someone?"

"So do you! I was starting to wonder if after so long you would return as a zombie!" See, this is what happened when you combined a hermit-ed Elf and a super large screen television, they thought people would turn into zombies! He was joking too and made a show of trying to look her over to make sure she hadn't turned into one. "Can it not be a bit of both? It is a pleasant evening for a walk."

"Good thing you're not trying to get away from me." Epiphany chuckled a bit and as she rocked back on her heel she spun around to face the same direction as he was. It was good to be around someone who did not have the feel of death about them for a change. She had been around it too much so it was a bit of good fortune that she ran into him. The chuckle faded slightly to leave a bit of a smile on her face though it wasn't to bright or cheery. "I could be a zombie if you want. Though not in this outfit..." looking down at it she plucked at her shirt. "Yeah.. I don't think the dead wear bright clothing. " so her shirt wasn't bright, but it was a color. "So where we going?"

"I think it would be terribly unpleasant to have a zombie for a friend. You would always have to worry about them wanting to eat your brain." Somebody really needed to find the guy something else to watch beside zombie movies. . . "I had no true destination picked out save for the reason to get out. Do you have any suggestions?"

Epiphany chuckled lightly and gave a small shrug of her shoulders as she rocked back and forth on her heels of her boots. "Mmm not much." She tipped her head back to indicate the way they came . " I was heading to the Inn. Just.. kinda needed to be to a familiar place and I didn't feel like the orphanage... and I can't bring myself to go to the Clinic.." That she liked to visit too. She had too much of death and illness for now. " We can just walk. Why have you been staying in?"

"We could walk around to the gardens if you would like." They were familiar, and at least for Elessar, a peaceful place to be. "Did you have a bad experience where you had gone?" He glanced at her with a bit of a frown but he wouldn't push the issue if she didn't want to talk about it. "I have stayed in due to the weather still being far too cold for my liking. What a dreadful time of the season - winter!"

"Fortunately the winter is ending. Spring is right around the corner, I can feel it now that I'm back here." She smiled at that and turned to change the direction they were walking to head to the gardens. It was a peaceful place-- it's what they created it for - so maybe it would work out that way still. "There was just a lot of work to do where i was at. Not all of it was good work. but it was work"

"The coming of spring is one that is unchangeable between the realms and I feel it with an uplifting of my heart although I do not plan to sing with the birds as Armandeus does on such occasion." It was a rare thing to hear Elessar laugh but how could he resist when the notion of the other Elf singing to the birds was highly entertaining? She had changed their direction for the gardens and he would follow, sombering a bit as he listened to her. "I am glad you have returned."

She smiled a bit, it was a small smile and she dug her hands more into her pockets. "Ya.. I am too. I mean I've spent time away before those were different." Epiphany arched back, stretching out and even rose up on her toes. "Ah.. but the change of season is what's needed. Rebirth." She paused slightly. "Rebirth. I expect to see you two out and about. People may be dropping by the inn more now that the weather's' breaking."

"Rebirth is truly the word for it." He inhaled then, taking a deep breath of the fresh air. "I find this to be the most peaceful time of the year. It is the chance to see the world reborn again after the long sleep of winter." At her comment of being out more he paused. "I will try although I cannot speak the same for Armandeus. We are at arms again it seems through something that is entirely his fault though deny it he may." He looked towards her then. "Will you be around more as well?"

"What are the two of you fighting over now? It isn't about what happened in in the kitchen.. is it?" She asked while looking at him. That was the only thing she could think - unless it was female trouble but..she didn't think so? Epiphany frowned at thinking that the two of them were fighting. "I remember you and Ar being so close. Then.. after you all were here, some things happened and.. it kinda changed," she gave a small shrug and a nod. "I'll be around more. I have an obligation."

“The kitchen incident is but one drop in the ever growing pond." He frowned as well, the frustration evident in his voice. "It seems fighting is inevitable after the things that have happened despite how much I wish it was not. In all the years we have been together there has never been such fighting as this and I do not know how to fix it." He rolled his eyes skywards with a deep sigh.

Epiphany laughed a bit. A short bust. "That's simple. Stop fighting. " she never understood why people said what he just did. "You have a disagreement; fine, just get over it. What's the fighting over anyway?" Maybe she could help him figure out a solutions.

If only it were that easy! For her simple answer Elessar awarded Epiphany with a look like she'd suddenly sprouted two heads. "Where would you like to start at?" They were fighting over so much these days it grew together after a while.

"Start with what it is that has you out here tonight." that was a good place to start. She was use to getting odd looks from people so she didn't mind his look at all. It was a little funny. She stopped when they reached the gate to the garden. That’s where they were headed and she thought about going in but stopped, leaning against the gate instead.

Elessar reached up a hand to his neck letting his fingers wrap around the frog shaped stone pendant there and tilt it out towards her as far as the cord would allow. "This is the cause of our latest disagreement. In the common tongue it is called the spirit catalyst, of which all Elvish magic flows through. This one is Armandeus'."

Epiphany tipped her head as she looked at the pendant that Elessar showed . Her first thought was that it was pretty, the second was a curiosity to try and tap into it. "So... you don't want him having it because of what he did to the Inn?" that was a guess anyway .

"If left unchecked he could have burned the entire inn to the ground not to mention harm our patrons! How could I let him keep it after that?" The whole thing was justifiable in Elessar's book though it seemed rather extreme. . .

"Because he didn't burn the place down." that was her answer! "Besides, if you don't give it back ,all you're doing is insuring that next time will be worst because you're not allowing him the freedom he needs to explore that side of him that needs work. "

"The only reason he didn't burn it down is because he was knocked unconscious first. I was there when his powers were unlocked. The woman who did so had no way of teaching him to control such power and he has never learned. I did not know what to do." Was it just him or was that becoming his motto lately?

She shifted as she was against the wall. "then you take him somewhere safe.. the gym arena's a good place, it is fireproof you know... and let him have it. SO he can practice. Just give it back." she thought it was simple and even chuckled a bit. "Honestly Elessar, if you had something of mine, and i wanted to learn how to use it, and you kept it from me, we would be at odds to. If you don't let him handle his problem it'll only get worse. "

Well didn't he just feel like an idiot? He grimaced at the thought of that and tried for a grin. "I hope it can withstand wind and ice and rain as well. He nearly flooded our cells once. ." His grin grew at the mention of having something of hers and he broken into laughter. "Getting something of yours would be quite hard indeed! Your door puts up quite the resistance!"

Epiphany started to reach out for the frog but stopped, drawing her hand back and tapping on her chest instead. "You... can ask De'Ryanna? She could put a shield or something around the area he's in to protect the rest of the stuff. I think. I 'm pretty sure..." she could do a lot of things, Pip knew that, and maybe it would be good for Ryanna and Ar to do something together. 'You have resources to help you help Ar.. you just have to ask."

He caught the way she had reached out for it and leaned in towards her. "You can touch it. It won't harm you, our magic does not work that way." It would be good to get De'Ryanna and Armandeus together again. From what Elessar knew, which admittedly not much, they were on even shorter speaking terms than the two Elves at the moment. "I will take speaking to her into consideration. If it possibly for him to take his power back safely I want it."

She shook her head. "No magic is safe in the hands of the untrained." Now Epiphany did not have "magic" in that type of form but she did know a thing or two. "Anyone who has any ability can, and probably will, hurt themselves and others in the process of learning to control it. It’s a part of life. They can't just.. suddenly learn to control it."

"It seems I have as much to learn as he does." Possessing no magic abilities of his own Elessar didn't have experience to speak upon instead going with misconceptions and what had been learned from inside a jail. He leaned back, bringing a hand up to rub at his eyes. "It will work out in the end."

[Epiphany]

"You know, that statement only works if work is being done on the other end." Epiphany said with a nod, her hand coming up to tug down on her hat to pull it more over her eyes. "The working out in the end thing. So. So, so sooooo” dragging the last one out, "if you want you and Ar to stop fighting and if you want to have control of the power - him too - then you have to do something more than burry it and hope for the best. Take my advice okay? You know someone here who.. does magic, ask her. Not sure how she is with teaching though..."

It was times like this that Elessar came to the realization that Epiphany knew him too well. If she didn't she wouldn't have added that bit on and of course, things would end up just the way she said they would. Nothing would be done and he and Ar would continue to fight until doom's day. Elessar sighed but he held up his left hand in a semi-salute motion. "I will take your advice and ask De'Ryanna if she will help with this, but . . . what if she refuses?" Elessar didn't hold anything against De'Ryanna.

Epiphany shrugged her shoulders a bit and gave Elessar a grin. "Why would she refuse to help? doesn't matter if they had a disagreement or not in the past, this is something outside of personal feelings." Wasn't it? She didn't know her all to well but she thought she had a good case. "I'm sure that if you present the matter to her in logical way, come straight out with it.. she'll do it. "

"When you say it like that I am sure I can convince her to help. Yet if she disagrees I'll simply have to find another way to go about this." Elessar got a gleam in his eyes as he looked at Epiphany. " Although I could always recruit you to help. . . I will speak with her on the marrow."

"If she says no when you first ask then you have to press for it" she nodded. "That's what you gotta do. When you want something you have to go for it. Press and press and make them come around to your way of seeing things till you get what you want. Even if it doesn't work.. you can't say you didn't try."

“Does this mean you do not wish to be a possible target?" Elessar was trying for a joke to divert the distinct feeling that pressing De'Ryanna for anything would find him on the chewed end of the branch. Still, he had given Epiphany his word and he would give it a try at least. "All I can do is try."

Leaning forward she capped a hand on his shoulder and gave it a small squeeze. She did it because he seemed a bit down to her and it was something she could think of to do. "It'll be okay. So.. go on." moving her hand she motioned towards the Inn. They were at the Garden and so the Inn wasn't far, just a few steps away. "No time like the present you know ? Don't let me stop you ."

Elessar gave her a smile and moved to try giving her hand a small squeeze in return before she moved it away. "I am glad you have returned. We shall have to get together and speak again." He looked back towards the Inn, wondering how hard it would be to find De'Ryanna.

-fin