Olive branch?|Aegestrom, Maelstrom

[Northen Light36]

Shadow smiled as he sat on a bench in the garden and closed his eyes, feeling the sun on his face. With the pleasant buzz of his latest dose of mindmelt still in his system, Shadow could enjoy the fresh air and sun without any of the usual guilt, worry or irritation that seemed to be a permant part of life.

He knew everything, plus a blinding headache, would come back when the dose wore off, but that wasn't an issue now was it. And anyway, he could always take just a little more. Shadow smiled and let his thoughts drift away. There was nothing important and he was feeling so very good and calm.

Hmm... Maybe a nap would be nice. Or maybe... I'll just sit here. Everything's so nice...

[Kender Bard]

Cutting into his drifting thoughts a bit abruptly came Thelon's voice. It wasn't stern or demanding or harsh, though; instead hesitant and cautious. ~Shadow...? I was wondering... If you're not busy, could I have a very quick word with you? Face to face? It's... It's important.~

[Northen Light36]

Shadow blinked, though he didn't seem exactly startled. Under the influence of the mindmelt his reactions were too dulled to be startled. Well, Thelon... Hadn't there been a reason he didn't want to see Thelon? Or was it Tres? Well if he didn't remember, it couldn't be important. And Thelon said what he wanted was important.

I'm not busy, he thought, directing the thought to Thelon with a slight effort. I'm in my garden, we can talk there. His thoughts drifted back off into what a nice, calm day it was.

[Kender Bard]

Thelon teleported, then, hands in his pockets. He offered Shadow a wan smile. "Hello Shadow," he greeted in a low and subdued voice. "I'm sorry to just drop in unannounced. Before you ask, things are unchanged with Ann at the moment, though I think she's making good progress with the Mind healer."

He turned and surveyed the garden. "I came to... Well, talk about us. We've never been close, have we?"

[Northen Light36]

Shadow blinked at that, a flicker of dulled surprise managing to get past the drug-haze in his mind. "That's probably putting it mildly," he agreed casually. Feeling too relaxed to start worrying about diplomacy or anything of the sort, Shadow added, "I'd have said you don't like me much."

Idly he leaned against the back of his seat and added, "Still, I'm glad you're looking after Ann." Hmm, maybe I should share some of my stock with Ann when she's better. Poor girl's always so strained.

[Kender Bard]

"I don't know how I feel about you," Thelon admitted in a low voice. "On one hand... No. I don't like you. I think you're judgmental and that you don't like me. I'm under the impression that you don't think I deserve Tres or anything I have, really. It's often left me bewildered... What did I ever do to earn animosity? On the other hand, I admire you. You've stood up against countless hazards and always come back strong. Even death itself, if you want to look at it that way. Your people adore you and hate you in equal measures. In Talen'sul they think you're the greatest monarch to step into their cultural history, even if in Maelstrom they're not quite so... Appreciative. And you make it look just so effortless. How can one not admire that?"

[Northen Light36]

Shadow blinked, suprised and somewhat flattered by what Thelon was saying. Well, the second half anyway. As true as it was, judgemental wasn't the most flattering discription. "Well..." Shadow paused for a moment, considering what to say. "I am judgemental," he agreed easily enough. "But... It's not that I think you don't deserve Tres. She's not a prize to be won or anything. And I know you make her very happy, perhaps even happier then she was with Damien."

Hmm, maybe he'd taken a little too much mindmelt if he could say that so easily. Ah well. "I don't dislike you, really. You're a good man, who works himself to exhustion just to make other people's lives easier. I admire that about you, really. But at the same time..." Shadow paused again, then admitted, "To some extent, and unfairly I admit, I blame you for the Clear War, for Damien's death... And when you started courting Tres..."

Shadow sighed and looked away, watching a bird flying around the garden. "It felt as though you were introtruding. Damien was dying, we'd already lost Kara, not to mention the decades we'd lost to my stupidity, and it felt like I was losing Tres to you. Not to mention, you were the one to rescue Ann when she was kidnapped, you got her to a healer when she was hurt facing the meltma... Even now, you're the one who found Ann and are helping her heal."

Shadow laughed ruefully. "To be entirely honest, I'm both jealous and resentful of you, particularly when it comes to Tres. What use is my friendship to her when she has someone like you around?"

[Kender Bard]

"If I didn't exist, the Clear war might not have happened, and for that I am sorry on a level you can't even begin to comprehend," Thelon answered, turning back to look at Shadow with a sorrowful expression. "I am... every day I am grateful that I was rescued and my life given back to me. But if I had had the option between death to save all the lives that were lost in that senseless war or to be rescued, I would have laid down my life for the greater good. As it was... That choice wasn't in my hands. And there's not a day that goes by that it doesn't haunt me."

He closed his eyes and swallowed hard. "As for the rest of it, if I had known that my presence would be unwelcome, I would not have intruded into Tres's--and your--life. I would have sought companionship elsewhere. But I did and we are where we are today. Perhaps one of the reasons I do my hardest to see to Ann's safety is because I understand how precious she is to Tres and Damien and I feel I owe it to them both to look out for her. Another reason being, simply, because I couldn't just stand by and let bad things happen to other people when I have the power to do otherwise."

He opened his eyes again and spread his hands in a helpless gesture. "But I'm just one person. And Ann doesn't love me. In fact, I suspect she hates me a little. Or she did." He grimaced. "Now, perhaps not. A small blessing. But she loves you Shadow. And Tres does too. A woman can't have only her husband for companionship. Tres needs you for friendship, support. And understanding. Forces know that I don't always understand her. You know her better than I ever could; have a bond with her that I couldn't hope to achieve. It rankles at my heart even as I would gladly ferry her to your doorstep each day if that was her desire."

[Northen Light36]

Shadow frowned, the expression more thoughtful then anything. "Tres and I have a bond that's different to what you and she share, but I wouldn't say the bond between you two is any lesser then the one between she and I."

He sighed and gave Thelon a small smile. "She loves you, Thelon. Perhaps even more then she loved Damien. That's something that has taken me awhile to accept, but I do accept it. You make her happy, and that's all I've ever wanted for her." He paused, then added, "I appologise, both for making things difficult for you and for not being willing to see how good you and Tres are together."

"As for Ann," he added quietly, "she's really not much more then a child, Thelon. And one in a position she doesn't feel entirely ready for. Other Leaders, particularly those of us she knew as a child, make her feel nervous and uncomfortable. Lya and I are the expections simply because she knew her mother and I were close and she and Lya grew close when they were kidnapped. She doesn't hate you, Thelon. She's intimidated by you and feels you're not particularly fond of her."

[Kender Bard]

"I will.. Keep that in mind and try to show a little more compassion, if I can," Thelon answered slowly. He smiled and offered a hand to Shadow. "So how about from here on out we say we understand each other better? Friends?"

[Northen Light36]

Shadow smiled and accepted Thelon's hand. "That sounds like a good idea to me," he agreed.

[Kender Bard]

"I'll keep in touch when I can, then," he replied, giving Shadow's hand a firm shake. "I've got a lot to do, as always. Speaking of which, I'd better get back." He withdrew his hand, gave Shadow a wistful smile, and waved before teleporting away.