eena

The watchful Mishmorat commented while waiting, contemplating Eena__ bare back. __our people are so plain and pale.___h?_ Eena kinked her neck to look at Niki, zeroing in on her long spotted arms. Her bronze skin was arguably more striking__peckled in beautiful patterns.____ sorry,_ the Mishmorat quickly apologized. __ didn__ mean to be rude. It__ just that I__e never seen such bare skin before. There__ nothing to look at.__ena quickly pulled the new t-shirt down over her back. She chuckled at Niki__ comment. ____l admit your people are very attractive. But I__ okay with my __lainness.__ She glanced over her pale legs before pulling on a clean pair of pants. __ou__e kinda like a clear, cloudless sky,_ Niki said, cocking her head wonderingly.__nd you__e like a_..a sky dotted with shapely clouds.___nly dark clouds.___torm clouds.___eah,_ Niki grinned devilishly, __hat__ me__ sky full of storm clouds.

Hey, guard!_ Ian hollered out loud. __o you think we could get a bathroom break?_ The guard seemed to snicker as he pointed to the grass outside the cell. Eena smirked at how dead-on her thoughts had been after all. __ome on,_ Ian complained. __he can__ do that, she__ a girl._ The soldier smiled wryly, a shrug communicating his indifference. Eena laughed in her mind. (I don__ know what you think__ so funny. You__e the one who__ gotta pee.) Oddly enough, that fact just made her laugh even more.

True love is a developed and intense appreciation for someone. It__ that perfect awareness that you are finally whole when she__ with you, and that hollow incompleteness you suffer when she__ gone.

Love is knowing someone so deeply, understanding her so completely, that you can finish her thoughts without hesitation, confident in reading her face, her body, even her slightest gesture means something to you.

Love is years of devotion, sacrifice, commitment, loyalty, trust, faith, and friendship all wrapped up in one. True love does more than cause your heart to flutter. It upholds your heart when the infatuation no longer makes it flutter.

I__l tell you what,_ she said, prepared to make a deal. __et__ see how your __iplomacy_ would profit us. If you can give me a decent solution to a pretend situation, I__l agree to have you accompany me instead of Shanks. Although, I don__ know how wise it is to leave a Viidun captain on the Kemeniroc in your absence._ Derian agreed to the test. __kay, what__ your question?_ She thought hard for a moment; her eyes scrunching in concentration, lips pulled down to one side. Then, as a crooked grin spread across her lips, she set up an imagined scenario. __retend we__e down on the planet with this King Wennergren when he graciously offers to walk us through his cherished garden. While we__e there he begs me to touch his favorite, award-winning flower, hoping my powers will make it thrive and blossom. But for some strange reason it doesn__ respond to me the way plants do on our world. Instead of thriving, the flower withers and dies right before his shocked and furious eyes. Now pretend he__ easily offended and has a horrible temper_ Derian cut it. __ou have no idea what his temperament is li

And what about your brother, Agus? Will he be entertaining us with his pipes?_ __hgg,_ Shanks rasped, wrinkling his nose. __ didn__ tell you? He ain__ with us no more._ A heavy fist slammed on the arm of the Viidun__ chair as he growled, __he idiot went off and got himself killed!_ __hat?_ Derian and Eena replied in unison, both horrified by the news. __ou heard me,_ Shanks bellowed. __he crazy fool should__e known when to duck. He died in a bloody challenge with some brainless Deramptium! A downright disgraceful way to die! I__ ashamed to say he was my brother!_ __hat__ a little harsh, isn__ it?_ Eena muttered, mostly speaking to Derian. __hat was that?_ the Viidun dem

Eena!_ Recognizing Ian__ voice, Eena turned to find him approaching her from behind. He was entirely clad in body armor and gauntlets, cradling an open-faced helmet in one arm. Painted on his chest plate was a flaming, gold sword. From his side hung a leather sheath, a golden hilt peeking from the top. ____ glad you__e back. You are going to stay and watch us play, aren__ you?_ He looked hopeful she__ say yes. Eena smiled brightly. __ didn__ know you were talented enough to be on a dueling team. Nice sword,_ she t

Then what is true love?_ she asked audaciously. Derian leaned forward, his focus powerfully fixed on her. His voice turned delicate and compelling as he spoke. __ove is so much more than a feeling. True love, Eena, is something that develops over time. It__ not that initial infatuation nor the shivers and butterflies that take your breath away when you__e first attracted to someone. Those things are nice, but they are barely the beginning of what could become true love. The emotions you speak of are temporary and unreliable, elicited when two people come together. The power I speak of grows ever stronger over time until it is steadfast, even in separation. Then, reunited, it solidifies unshakably._ She shook her head. __ don__ quite follow._ The captain inched closer, fixing her with the sincerest of gazes. His hands cupped as if he were holding his very heart within them. __rue love is a developed and intense appreciation for someone. It__ that perfect awareness that you are finally whole when she__ with you, and that hollow incompleteness you suffer when she__ gone. True love takes time, Eena. It__ an earned comfort that tells you she__l be right there beside you no matter what you do, not necessarily happy with your every action, but faithful to you just the same. Love is knowing someone so deeply, understanding her so completely, that you can finish her thoughts without hesitation, confident in reading her face, her body, even her slightest gesture means something to you. Love is years of devotion, sacrifice, commitment, loyalty, trust, faith, and friendship all wrapped up in one. True love does more than cause your heart to flutter, Eena. It upholds your heart when the infatuation no longer makes it flutter._ __ow.

When you do fall in love with me, Eena, I don__ want it to be because I gave into your demands, but because your heart gave into its desire to truly be loved._ With an injured frown he uttered goodnight and left the room. She stood alone, chastised and bruised. It seemed right to apologize for her insensitive words, but not now. Not while a room full of people remained out there.

Thanks, Ian, but sometimes there__ just nothing you can do._ Her feet moved forward again towards the center of Lacsar Forest. __hat__ not true, Eena. I can always listen.

True love takes time. It__ an earned comfort that tells you she__l be right there beside you no matter what you do, not necessarily happy with your every action, but faithful to you just the same.

Hindsight is always easier than the dreadful moment of decision.

The captain put his fingers to his temples as if he had a headache. __o, let me get this straight. Edgar, an immortal, who I assume is as unscrupulous as his sisters, tried to take that bracelet from you

That was the coolest thing ever._ Eena smiled at the fact that she__ been lucky enough to touch the wings of a real crioness. __hat was highly unusual. I can__ believe they came right up to us__o you._ __hey were hungry, I__ sure._ __till, crioness are cautious. They always avoid people. To let you touch him like it did_.._ She grinned with pure satisfaction. __ild huh? Derian__ not going to believe me when I tell him._ Eena cocked her head when Ian laughed out loud. __hat?_ she asked, a note of offense in her

Tell me you didn__,_ she groaned, knowing it would not be the truth. __lease tell me you didn__ take advantage of these poor people._ __ didn__,_ he chirped. __iar._ With an irritated sigh he tried to convince her. __mora, you__e not seeing things from an immortal perspective. The people who built this temple_ __emple?_ she cried, cutting him off. __ou forced these people to build you a temple? Why? Because all of a sudden you__e God now?_ Perturbed by her interruption, he raised a warning finger. __o, no, Amora, not God. But from their viewpoint I may seem a bit_..god-like._ She rolled her eyes in an exaggerated manner. __f you would let me finish,_ he went on, __hese particular individuals had no part in the construction of that monument; it was their ancestors who erected it. And I must say, they did a fine job. My likeness has weathered the centuries quite well._ __ou__e despicable._ He frowned at the insult. __obody was forced to build us a temple, Amora. They chose to do so._ __ou were that impressive to them, huh?_ __pparently._ His eyes twinkled at the memory. He took a few steps toward the distant city, pulling Eena along. __ome on, let__ go have some fun._ __o way._ She planted her feet, refusing. Surprisingly it put a stop to him. __nd why not?_ __ecause your sudden appearance will upset them! No doubt you__l want to show off with some shockingly grand entrance. I__ not going to take part in a game of deceit._ ____ not deceiving anyone,_ Edgar disputed. __ can__ help it if they happen to think I__ perfectly magnificent._ His pompous view of himself earned a nasty look as well as a lecture. __ can__ believe you__e okay with selling people lies that affect the way they live and think! You__e not even close to being a god, Edgar, and yet you allow them to accept you as some sort of deity because of your unusual abilities. For centuries now you__e abandoned this world and a population who probably looked to you and your lousy sisters for help. It__ all a big, disgusting sham!_ Edgar pouted like a child. __ine__poil all my fun. We__l go do something else. Something that doesn__ include your poor, fragile, stupid mortals._ __hey__e not stupid._ __hey think I__ a god,_ he sn

Despair is not for the living but for those unable to rise and continue; they are the only souls with a right to it. It is an end where breath and strength and will have vanished, leaving no way to persevere. To sink into the abyss that is despair is to suffer an existence far worse than death; therefore, cling to its enemy, our ally__ope. For life goes on, and we must not live in despair. We must not.

You know the story._ The Nalnom rotated his hand in the air as if she should recall it. __ don__. I__e never heard the story._ Joshlon summarized it for her. __rometheus was turned into a dragon by his angry lover, Naradite. She refused to turn him back into his manly form. He became the first fire-breathing dragon__aga the Terrible._ Eena dropped her lower jaw. __hat?_ __aradite turned Prometheus into a dragon,_ Joshlon repeated. __aga._ __nd Prometheus is Edgar__ father?_ She was sure the surrounding stares were the result of her virtually shouting out the question. Joshlon answered with some hesitance in his voice. __ don__ know who Edgar is, but Edgarmetheus was supposedly the son of Prometheus, the illegitimate child of him and his lover, Naradi