On Blood and Binding

(a note: because so much time elapsed before I once again focused on this blog, many events will not appear here. I will try to do better from here on it)

With all the strife and battle, and sudden partings, Faulkes decides that he needs to create an artifact, or artifacts to help him and Linwe stay in touch. They meet in the morning down by the dock in the village of Torg where the ship of Captain Scarlet is moored. Faulke leads Linwe back towards the Hive, but takes her up to the windswept hilltop overlooking the town instead.

  Faulkes: "Too many pixie ears in the Hive; we can talk up here."

 Linwe smiles "I likes it up here.  Ye seem to be of a serious frame of mind this day."

 Faulkes: "Anyway, I was thinking that perhaps you and I should have a way to... know each other's whereabouts and conditions... like the link I have with Lorelei through her scale. I was worried about you during the battle the other night... and I couldn't find you."

  Linwe blinks and then looks at Faulkes expectently "Oh aye? Some sort of..magical thing then?
  Linwe smiles "Worried?
  Linwe says 'I dunna wish ye to worry oer me'

 Faulkes: "Dragons and warriors and such. Of course, I'd worry."
  Linwe  says 'That be sweet....but..I worry about yerslef too..ye be nae any more vulenrable to them things than I'

 Faulkes: "At the very least, I'd like to know where you are if -I- needed a patch up."

  Linwe nods "Aye.... and I would want to know... if summat happened... so I could come and heal ye... So do I need to give ye a lock of me hair..or..fingernail clippings... or some such?'

 Faulkes: "In any case, Lorelie's scale put it in mind... I'd been getting vague signals from her recently... probably dragon business... and so, I've been working a artifacts that work sort of the same way, seeing as neither of us sheds scales."

  Linwe says 'Thank the goddess..'

 Faulkes snickers. "You wouldn't say that if you were a dragon...."

 Linwe says 'I suppose not..but I dunna be a dragon..I be a elf. I have enough on me hands bein just an elven...'

 Faulkes: "Right. So, we need something ot contain a spell or two in lieu of a scale... and I thought specially grown crystals would do the job nicely."

   Linwe nods listening.

  Faulkes: "I would need something of yours as a core for your stone... something to grow the crystal around. A few strands of hair perhaps."
  Linwe says That be easy enough" Linwe reachs up and plucks a few strands from her head and hands them to Faulkes. 'ANything else? Spit? Skin?'
  Linwe says 'Blood?'

 Faulkes nods as she hands him the hair, and finds a vial to store it in. "Hm. A small amount of blood to put in the crystal's formula would bind it nicely." He takes out another empty vial , but looks at her doubtfully.

   Linwe shrugs and takes out her dirk and then reaches for a vial from her pouch. She says 'Ye wants me to put some spider venom in this blood to keep it from congealing or do it nae matter?'

 Faulkes: "Eeyew... No, it shouldn't matter. I can put it in solid and the acids would dissolve it again."

  Linwe says 'Alright.." She hands Faulkes her dirk and holds the vial in her left hand, unstoppered, and then extends her right hand palm up "Ye cut and I will drip"'

 Faulkes takes the dagger and nods. He holds her hand and carefully makes a slice beside her life line, just deep enough to bleed freely.

   Linwe watches with a small grimace as the blood wells up from the cut and she holds her palm so it will run into the vial freely. Linwe looks at Faulkes "Do that be enough?

  Faulkes cringes a little, then puts his thumb on the wound when there seems to be enough. "While were at it, you may do a similar cut to me."

   Linwe looks down at her hand and his thumb "Ye be diking the dam there?" She hands him the vial with her other hand.

  Faulkes: "Oh! Sorry." He holds out his own hand as they juggle knives and vials.

  Linwe says 'I have some alum in me pouch... Twil pucker the wound and stop the bleeding. 'Ye wants it in a different vial?'
[11:18]  Linwe says 'Yer blood, that is.'

  Faulkes: "Yes, seperate vials; I will be making two crystals, one for you to wear and one for me."

   Linwe nods and finds another tiny vial and hands it to him "Here..let me see yer palm"

  Faulkes holds his palm up, and holds the vial nearby.

   Linwe takes his hand in hers and the dirk in her other and looks down at his palm. Pressing her lips together, she puts the point next to his own lifeline, closes her eyes and quickly slices a small wound. She cringes.

 Faulkes winces... but quickly hold the little bottle up to the swelling bead of blood welling from his hand.

   Linwe watches as his blood flows into the vial and hands him a stopper.

  Faulkes pops the stopper into the bottle when he has enough, and goes to suck on the wound.

  Linwe says 'fftt..dunna do that..here..' Shr reaches for his hand.

 Faulkes give her his hand with a sigh.

   Linwe gives him a swift look of chagrin when he sighs, and takes out the packet of alum. She sprinkles a bit over the open wound and then presses her own hand over the top, applying pressure. Liwne smiles up at him "Tis a two'fer.."

  Faulkes: "It stings... I suppose I should get used to having to do this sort of thing... and worse."

  Linwe  says 'hmmm... well..ye dunna ever get used to drawing blood on someone... tis like taking part of their very essence... ye must allas do it with respect and concern... and when ye does it to eyrslef... ye must pay heed on where ye let it spill.' Linwe unclasps her hand from his for a moment and looks down to see if the wounds have stopped bleeding.

  Faulkes looks at the ground beneath their feet. "I believe we didn't lose any, but perhaps you should check.. if you have that kind of magic."

  Linwe says 'Tis too paltry a thing to be bothering the spirit world over.' She glances down at the ground, and reaches into herself for a moment.  Linwe says 'Rabbit blood...someone had... lunch here.' She quickly searches for a lost rabbit spirit but does not find one.

 Faulkes frowns "Dragons... or, with luck, lycan."

  Linwe says 'Twere a righteous kill..the spirit went on. Twil most likely be reborn as summat else for its troubles.' She looks down at her dirk, a small smear of blood on the blade. Taking a cloth from her pouch, she wipes the blade clean and then folds the cloth for burning later. She says 'I will burn this..and heat the balde later... there be folks about that I wouldna have near our blood.'

  Faulkes: "I hope that we not so important in the grand scheme of things that any would need it in quantity, but it's good to be careful. That's the whole point to these amulets."

   Linwe nods. She says 'Alas... be careful... doesna matter where ye think ye stands in relationship to things... carelessness... be folly when it comes to such things as blood.'

  Faulkes smiles. "This is rather like a wedding ceremony, isn't it?"

   Linwe grins "Them be my wise words of the day..I will shut up now." She looks up. "Wedding... ceremony?"

  Faulkes: "The sharing of blood. As with our bleeding palms pressed together."

  Linwe blinks. She says 'erm..'

  Faulkes laughs. "Don't looks so horrified."

  Linwe (Linwe Zifanwe) says 'Tis nae..horrified..tis...' She looks around in confusion. Linwe says 'Ye wants me to make some promise or summat?'

  Faulkes: "Ah. If you feel trapped at all... But, no, not if you don't want to."

  Linwe says 'Nay... nay... tis nae that... tis... twere nae anything I had pondered... ye knows that I love ye... and trust ye... what would ye have me promise?'

  Faulkes looks down at their hands. "Let us call this a handfasting rather than a marriage. A year and a day. If you feel the same about me then as you do now, we can talk about promises."

   Linwe looks down at their joined hands "Aye...that be..more than agreeable..and more than I thought twould ever happen to me." She looks up from their hands, a sweet smile playing on her lips. She leans forward and kisses Faulkes. "I love ye."

  Faulkes draws her close and returns her kiss. "I think this is most agreeable, dear one.... My beloved."

  Linwe smiles again hearing this new endearment and feels a radiant light fill her heart..she blushes and turns.

  Faulkes can feel his ears burn as he knows they're turning bright red.

   Liwne steals a glance back at Faulkes, and seeing his ears turn the telltale red, she laughs "We be quite the pair... after all we have done... and we can still find summat to blush oer."

  Faulkes coughs, then laughs. "It just never occured to me that the thought would ever cross my mind, and yet... it has, and you inspired it."