Log cast: Rayek, Suntop
Log date: 10/13/98 
Log note: Eveshka and Ktai both appeared on-camera, but disconnected
 rather abruptly.  (Their net died, I think.) So while their poses are
 included, their names aren't on the cast.

Wide Pass Through World's Spine Mountains(#356RJ)
This wide pass is nearly an entire days' ride from one side to the
 other, from what you can tell. The sun is still hard and heavy here,
 but the looming presence of the mountains to either side seem to lessen
 the drain of the barren waste.
The bright tangles of the Waterfall begin to come out as the dimming red
 light of sunset fills the hot summer skies.
Contents:
Suntop(#2935PBIJOUcm$g)
Vaaljade
Makeshift Camp(#8678Je)
OOC SIGN: Palace visitors, please read me!
Palace(#500Jae)
Obvious exits:
Mountains<W>  Northwest<NW>  South<S>  

Rayek is seated on a rock, his cloak and tunic discarded in the evening
 summer heat. He has a spear laid out across his lap, his brows furrowed
 in concentration as he works on binding the spearpoint to the staff.

Suntop ducks out of his tent, blinking and seeming to have just
 awakened. With a long stretch and yawn he sends, ** Evening, Rayek... **

The airwalker looks up at the sound of the yawn and nods in answer to
 the greeting. "Good eve, Suntop," he answers, tightening the bracer
 with a sharp jerk back of his hand.

Suntop rubs the sleep out of his eyes and blinks around the area. ** A
 lovely evening... ** he comments idly and glances over, noticing the
 spear-in-progress. ** Going hunting? **

"Not tonight. The air is too dry and hot." Rayek smirks, yanking back on
 the leather bindings again, then rewrapping it. "Nothing with any sense
 would be out tonight."

The suncub chuckles and leans lightly against the tentpole, "Then what
 does that make us?"

Rayek pauses at the question, blinking. Then a smirk crawls across his
 face, lowering his gaze back to the spear. ** No comment. **

Suntop laughs out loud at that, then "I really don't mind the heat, I
 don't think...it's sometimes rather refreshing after a long
 Whitecold..." He pauses after rambling, and asks, "How are Eveshka and
 little Tyree?"

Near the Palace, Eveshka carefully pushes open the door from inside the Palace and joins you.
Near the Palace, Eveshka has arrived.
Near the Palace, Eveshka has left.
Eveshka moves away from the huge stone structure nearby.
Eveshka has arrived.

The airwalker almost wishes the sun-haired elf had continued 'rambling.'
 He doesn't get much of it, not with things hicupping between stagnation
 and melodrama every now and again. "Eveshka and Tyree.." He blinks.
 "They are fine. Eveshka.. seems better. Tyree wants playmates, but very
 few children come to visit here.."

Eveshka drifts out and sits quietly on the steps of the Palace.

Rayek is seated upon a rock, spear resting over his knees. He is - or
 was - in the process of binding a spearpoint to the shaft, but now he
 appears to be in conversation with Suntop.

Eveshka doesn't seem to wish to intrude, so she just stays quiet.
 Nothing more, nothing less.

Near the Palace, Ktai carefully pushes open the door from inside the Palace and joins you.
Near the Palace, Ktai has arrived.

Suntop nods and asks, as if Rayek's comment was a perfect lead-in to a
 subject he's wanted to bring up, "Why don't you take Tyree to Sorrow's
 End to visit? There might be some cubs closer his age, and at any rate,
 there are others there..."

All too quickly Rayek shakes his head, his voice solemn. "No. He is only
 a half-eight of years old. The trek through the desert is too
 difficult." His golden eyes study the spear, a frown on his face.
 "Maybe when he's older."

Suntop argues, "But you all can fly...wouldn't the trip be shorter that
 way?"

The airwalker only shakes his head again, a slight breeze passing with
 the motion through his hair and flicking it into his face. Irritated,
 he pushes it out of his eyes. "Shorter, but no less dangerous. When he
 is older."

Suntop sighs and picks at the edge of a tent-flap, "Savah seemed anxious
 to meet him..." he comments softly, blue eyes peeking at the airwalker
 through dark lashes.

The brown-skinned elf pauses briefly, then continues working as if he
 hadn't heard a thing, expression stoic.

You sense in a locksend, Suntop's send is colored with a gentle
 curiosity and concern, ** Are you hiding here? Why do you refuse? Ember
 and I crossed the desert when we weren't much older than he...it is not
 too dangerous... **

You locksend to Suntop, Rayek sendsnaps sharply, ** I refuse because it
 is my decision to make, not yours. When he is older he may go. When I
 am certain that we are sufficiently prepared for such a journey we will
 go. A trip across the desert is /not/ something you can just decide on
 a whim to take part in, especially for one so young. **

Suntop nods at a locksend, not quite believing that is the entire
 reason, but he has no wish to start another argument.

[Eveshka and Ktai disconnected.]

Rayek doesn't seem to indicate that there is any other reason - or
 reasons - other than the ones he stated, refusing to meet the other
 elf's gaze now. The hunter resumes his task of repairing the spear in
 tight-lipped silence, brows furrowed.

Pushing bright hair from his face and looking about once more, Suntop
 mentions softly, "I am thinking of returning to the Holt soon..." and
 almost as an afterthought, "If I can find Minx..."

The hunter glances up at that, arching a black eyebrow. "She is
 missing?" he queries in an idle sort of fashion. He shapes the tone of
 his voice carefully, putting forth both curiousity and bemusement.

Suntop shrugs, "No...she just has her own...agenda here."

The faintest of smirks appears on the golden-eyed elf's face. "So I've
 noticed."

Suntop rests a finger on his chin and barely glances over, "I think she
 had cause though...but I also think she overexaggerated."

** That's one way of putting it. **

A blink. "You knew why she came here?"

Rayek's yellow-gold eyes glitter coldly. "No. But I can guess." He sets
 the spear aside by his cloak and tunic, too tense to do the work
 properly now. He instead tucks a knee to his chest, resting his arm
 around it. Anger burns behind the coppery shine of his eyes. "Not much
 on Gliders, is she?"

A sigh escapes Suntop's lips, "No...I'm afraid not." is all he can
 offer. He lifts his eyes, calm despite the anger he sees.

Perhaps wisely, the airwalker averts his gaze. His eyes find a rock,
 concentrating on it. A yellow sparkle surrounds it as it rises into the
 air, then draws to a halt. It hovers in midair, almost utterly still.
 "Didn't think so," he comments dryly, finally saying something though
 his gaze never wavers from the rock.

Suntop's tone is careful, "She almost has reason to, wouldn't you
 say?..."

The airwalker doesn't answer.

Suntop continues, "She was afraid for you...she cares for you, you
 see..."

The rock wavers in it's hover as a pair of golden eyes break away from
 it to settle on Suntop. They flicker in surprise and black eyebrows
 draw together.

"She was afraid you had been...'taken over' by the Gliders..." Suntop
 looks directly at Rayek now, "What she failed to see was that you are
 happy...content."

For a moment Rayek can only look at Suntop, a combination of surprise
 and disbelief flashing across his face. Then it all fades into
 disbelief and he snorts, the rock dropping to settle in a pile of
 yellowy sand. "That's not the impression I got," he answers, tone
 bitter.

Suntop asks softly, "No? What did you think?"

"That she was paranoid."

Suntop says "Of what?"

"Of Winnowill. Of Gliders." Folding his arms behind his head, the
 airwalker falls back on to the rock in a lying position, his cloak and
 tunic convienently placed so that they serve as a pillow. "She thinks
 that all Gliders serve Her."

Suntop replies, even-toned, "Many do...even her own sister. Perhaps she
 is frightened for those she loves. Think, Rayek...how many of her
 family has already been touched by Winnowill?"

Rayek sends irritatedly, ** I never said that she did not have reason to
 be paranoid. I only said that she was. **

Suntop tilts his head slightly to the side, "Have you spoken with her
 since she arrived? About being so paranoid?"

"Only the one time and I'd rather not talk with her again."

Suntop nods, not really knowing what else to say to that. "Well, I shall
 try talking with her...I don't know if it will help."

"If you think it is worth it." The words are harsh and for a long few
 moments Rayek says nothing more. He instead studies his hand, gripping
 his knee fiercely. Just when it seems that he means to say nothing
 more, the airwalker adds quietly, "And.. I do not mean to be difficult
 about this, Suntop. She and hers have run into trouble with Gliders
 often in the past, but.. she said some hurtful things."

Suntop nods again, "She is frightened, and sometimes fear makes us
 do...and say things we oughtn't. I'm not excusing her for what she
 said, or how she hurt you, but sometimes both sides need to be seen."
 He shifts slightly, "I am sorry if she hurt you."

Rayek answers quietly, "I understand. And it is not your place to
 apologize for her. She has her own opinions; she can be sorry for them.
 Or not."

Suntop's turn to frown slightly, "If I can find her...she continues to
 evade me for some reason."

A bit of a smile tugs on the airwalker's lips as he casts Suntop a
 glance through the corners of his eyes. Despite the somber mood that
 has settled, the rare touch of tease appears in Rayek's voice. "Playing
 'hard to catch' with you, eh Suntop?"

Suntop's frown quickly fades into a grin, "That's her game for Skywise,
 not me. I think she just took off on her own for a bit. She takes after
 Ember in that respect." He ends his observation with a bit of a sigh.

"Ember.." The airwalker's voice softens. "How is she?"

Suntop rakes a hand through his bright curls, "Last time I saw her she
 had challenged our father, and then proceeded to blindfold me and teach
 me how to follow a scent."

Rayek blinks once. Twice. A smirk appears, then blossoms out into a
 grin. Golden eyes twinkle amberly with amusement. "Oh, really? Now that
 I would have liked to see!"

Suntop tries to look hurt, "Like to see me fall out of a tree, I'll
 bet..."

His grin broadens. "Even better," he answers with a wink.

Suntop lifts his chin haughtily, "I'll have you know I never once fell
 off a single branch."

"Mm-hmm." Rayek averts his gaze, but not before the sun-haired mystic
 can catch sight of the amused twinkle in his eyes. His voice is feigned
 belief. "Of course not. Never, I'm sure."

Suntop nods once, "Never." Then again, he never really climbed that high
 anyways...that was always left for Ember to do.

A brown hand lifts and is placed over Rayek's mouth, hiding the smile
 beneath it. "Perish the thought," comes the somewhat muffled agreement.

Suntop arches a darker brow, "Well, how would you know,
 'airwalker'...you rarely (?) came to visit us in the Holt!"

Rayek answers loftily, "Minor point," and punctuates it with a shrug.
 His eyes are closed now, but he cracks them open to look at Suntop
 through half-lidded slits of gold. A mischievous smile plays across his
 lips.

Suntop hrmphs grumpily and crosses his arms in front of him.

Rayek grins at that, then yawns as he rises to his feet. "I'll be back. 
 Tyree's tormenting Petalwing again.." (How did he know that? Paternal
 intuition? or a stray locksend?) "I'd best break that up before half
 the night is spent picking wrapstuff from his hair again."

Suntop breaks into a grin and laughs, "Poor Petalwing..."

"Indeed." The airwalker smirks, then moves back towards the Palace.
 "Until later, Suntop," he calls, flicking his hand in farewell.

Suntop nods and ducks back into his tent for some leftover food...

[End log.]