You'll Never Guess|Malagard, Khelek

[Kender Bard]

Filly frowned into her mirror as she worked to braid part of her hair. She'd been home from Acoia for a little while; the whole affair had been a somber event even though it was pleasant to be in Acoia no matter what the occasion. She felt... closer to herself. As if, if she concentrated very hard, she might remember or glean some feeling of what she'd lost.

She pushed those thoughts hard aside, though. It wasn't that she was discontent with being a mortal. Far from it. It was just that at times it felt terribly unfair knowing that her divine self could live through her, but it was not a deal that went both ways.

Quit sulking, she admonished herself as she finished her braid. Mortals never get to feel the Forces.

But that did bring her thoughts around to the topic that she and Schuldig had discussed before she had left. Harmony; and the inevitable need to inform her of the truth of her origins.

Perhaps now would be good? ~Schuldig?~ she inquired, reaching out her mind to his to see if he was occupied. ~Are you busy?~

[Darastrix]

~I'm bored,~ came the reply. ~Nagi's gone, Locket's gone, Brad's gone, and Farf isn't exactly interesting company unless you need to interrogate someone.~ He paused. ~So, yeah. Not busy. Why?~

[Kender Bard]

~I think now may be as good of a time as any to speak with Harmony about... the truth~ Filly informed Schuldig. ~We all three have idle time on our hands. Time enough to explain things well and allow her to absorb the information with our support.~

[Darastrix]

Schuldig cringed inwardly; he was not looking forward to this conversation. ~Where are we starting with this, again?~ he asked as he tried to ignore the chorus of 'what-if' that started in the back of his mind.

[Kender Bard]

~I can't remember precisely~ Filly admitted. ~I think now though, that perhaps we should begin by informing her of my true nature. We can work from there; after all, the rest doesn't make as much sense until you know that much. Or we can simply start from our first meeting and go from there.~

[Darastrix]

~You being Efil is probably the easiest bit to start with,~ he replied. ~Our first meeting doesn't make sense without that little detail out in the open, either.~

Schuldig sighed. He wished Crawford was in Khelek; despite their personality clashes, the seer could generally be counted on when he needed a more grounded mind to jump into. Maybe Harmony would take this well?

"And maybe I'll get a third sign," he muttered. Harmony was HIS daughter, after all. And he was prone to overreaction. He thought Filly was as well, but he wasn't about to let her hear him think it.

~Where are you? I'll teleport in.~

[Kender Bard]

~Our room~ Filly answered. ~I'll ask Harmony to join us. Goodness knows she's over-eager for any excuse to teleport somewhere.~ She broke off, nudging her daughter's mind. Sure enough, Harmony teleported there in an eyeblink, looking with concentration at the floor and then the furnishings.

"Ha," she declared with smugness. "I almost got the exact spot I was trying for."

[Darastrix]

Schuldig, who'd popped in while Filly spoke to Harmony, gave a small smile and shook his head before settling somewhat uneasily on the bed. "Have a seat," he invited, patting a spot on the thick mattress beside him. "Thought we'd have a little chat."

[Kender Bard]

Harmony glanced the two and went to sit next to Schuldig. When Filly came and sat on her other side, she gave them both very suspicious looks.

"This is going to be a serious talk isn't it?" she guessed.

"Quite," Filly agreed, stroking her hair softly. "We want to tell you a little bit more about yours, and our, pasts. Some... things that have been concealed from you."

Harmony grew very serious and solemn at that and nodded.

Filly took a deep breath. "Once, not so long ago really, I was not Filly. I was not even a mortal. I was Efil, Force of Life."

Harmony snorted and laughed.

[Darastrix]

Schuldig gave their daughter a level look. "She's not joking," he told her. "She was Efil; Filly's the nickname Soahc gave her. He calls Etaf 'Taffy,' but that's neither here nor there."

[Kender Bard]

Harmony's laughter died quickly. "How can you expect me to believe that?" she asked in clear disbelief.

"There is no proof I can readily offer," Filly admitted. "I cannot even tell you things that only a Force would know because that part of my memory has been taken away from me. But why would I lie?"

"To be silly," Harmony answered abruptly. It was a comfortable answer.

"We're not laughing," Filly pointed out. Harmony stared at them both in silence while Filly waited to see if she would at least admit plausibility to the idea. She flinched, inwardly, when Harmony abruptly sprung to her feet and backed away a step or two, frowning at Filly. She wrapped her arms around herself and rubbed her arms.

"You're lying," she stated, but it was weak and without conviction. Filly shook her head. Harmony glared at Schuldig. "And what? Are you going to tell me now that you're Soahc or something?"

[Darastrix]

Schuldig shook his head. "I'm human and I always have been," he said carefully. No way in Hell was he about to bring up the White Swan at right then. Besides, he was human. Just an ageless immortal one. "Born and raised in Old Morilanta."

[Kender Bard]

Harmony tensed and asked, "When did you.... change?"

This was the hardest part. Filly wanted to avoid answering this, give Harmony a chance to calm down, but she could think of no elegant way of disengaging her daughter. She folded her hands and answered, softly, "Three years ago."

Harmony just stared. "That's impossible."

[Darastrix]

"There's not much in the way of impossibility where the Forces are concerned," Schuldig pointed out. "They gave away some powerful items and got too distant from people to boot. The Elements didn't like it and had Etaf send them all here as mortals to take back their toys and learn a thing or two in the process."

Maybe he was talking a little too much, but he felt tense and worried and it made him want to ramble.

[Kender Bard]

"Wait, what?" Harmony said, shaking her head.

~Too fast~ Filly murmured to Schuldig. "Three years ago, I was forced against my will to become a mortal for a short period of time. The details are ultimately unimportant to this story for now. While I was mortal, I met your father. We, ah, didn't get along."

"You met him here," Harmony stated. "In Khelek. Not Old Morilanta?"

"Right," Filly confirmed. Harmony looked clearly distressed but didn't say anything so Filly continued. "But over time, we warmed to one another. We learned to tolerate each other... then like one another... and from there it bloomed into romance."

Harmony flicked her eyes to Schuldig, silently beseeching. She needed him to verify it all because it was just so difficult to believe. "Three years ago you two hated each other and fell in love, here in Khelek? Where was I?"