[IC] Light in the Darkness (Ryu and Elvenqueen)

[RyuHll]

An armory? Now, that was interesting. The forest elves were rumored to be spineless cowards, hiding away in their forest. Most thought they had a few soldiers, but nothing to warrant a standing army. An armory would prove otherwise...the elves produce enough weapons to need a separate storage for them. Not that it was too surprising. By the look of Mel's swords, they had clearly figured out how to forge weaponry. The steel wasn't fine enough to be dwarven make and he doubted highly that they would do business with the humans. That left precious few others to provide them with weapons. He had always assumed these forests would discourage any sort of forge from being used, but it seemed he may have been wrong in that assumption.

As he was introduce, Nathe stepped forward, a wince coming as he felt his wound irritate again. Despite his earlier provocative comments, his knees bent and he all but collapsed to the ground, keeping himself upright on one knee, his other bent a bit too much to be a proper kneel. "Your..." He paused a moment. "My apologies. I don't know what you call yourself now. It is a pleasure to meet you, though, leader of the elves." It was said in a pained voice, clearly having trouble keeping this stance with the wound in his side.

[The Elvenqueen]

"And you." the leader responded in turn, inclining his head politely. His eyebrows rose as he took note of the wound in the Drow's side. "That's a nasty wound you have there, it's not usually our way to injure others in such a manner." at this Mel was given a rather scathing look of rebuke. Ducking her head in apology, the she-elf mumbled.
"He startled me, I did the best I could to mend it but it will probably take a few days."

"Which brings us to a point." the older elf continued. "Exactly what would a Drow be doing in our lands?"

[RyuHll]

Nathe hesitated before answering. What was the best option here? Honesty? There was a huge chance he just wouldn't believe him. Lying could dig him into a deeper hole, though. He honestly wasn't sure what he should do in this situation. Instead he bowed his head respectfully, deciding to test his luck. "I would ask that you not be so harsh on her. My people would have responded in kind, I'm sure," he stated evenly. "I'm honestly just satisfied that I was left alive. Traveling here had a very real chance of ending with an arrow through my head rather than a sword in my side." He didn't sound hurt by the thought. He was simply stating a fact.

With a small sigh, he offered a smile to the leader. "As to why I'm here...curiosity. I tire of our dark caves. I wanted to see what the forest elves had to offer," he explained. "That's the simple reason to it. I don't believe elves and drow have to be at each others' throat. I come alone for that belief. No armies or soldiers. I am fully and utterly at your mercy and I willingly put myself into that position."

[The Elvenqueen]

"You have strange views for a Drow." the forest elf replied, raising an eyebrow with some scepticism as to whether he was being fully truthful. It would be the first time a Drow had any interest in their way of life since the divide had happened all those ages ago in the days of Inioch and Elwyn. "Whether or not you speak the truth, you are certainly not fit to travel in your state. I propose that you stay here with us until your wound heals adequately. Then I will make further judgement on what we will do with you. If you give us little reason to believe you a threat, perhaps I will grant your request."

At length, after some further considerations and discussion between the forest elves present, it was concluded that they would not trust Nathe to have free reign to wander about their village unsupervised, for fear that there was a chance of him bringing harm to any of the other elves that dwelt there. Feeling somewhat responsible for his predicament, Mel immediately volunteered for the position.
"He's more likely to trust me." she explained in a hushed voice. "I helped him once. It may keep his mood a bit more...amicable."
"Very well." the leader agreed, waving a hand in Nathe's direction as if to dismiss them. "I will leave him to your caretaking, Meliya. Nonetheless, despite his surprisingly good manners I still caution you to be careful; Drow are unpredictable."

"I will keep my guard up, sir." the she-elf promised, bowing respectfully before she returned to Nathe, directing him back towards the door. "Come, I will take you to the infirmary."

[RyuHll]

The drow remained silent as the decision was made. He nodded to Mel, struggling back to his feet. He offered a half bow - as much as he could manage, at least - to the leader once more. "Thank you for your mercy, sir," he offered softly. This was going better than he had thought. He might be under watch, but they chose the one person who might actually relax with him. It was his best shot at getting an inside look at how the elves worked. Besides, the blond beauty was much better company than the distasteful soldier he had met.

As the two left the meeting room, he offered a small smile to his savior. "Thank you, for taking responsibility for me," he said softly. "I...don't know how your people work, but I was worried to the treatment I would receive from your soldiers..." Every now and then he would wince once more as a surge of pain hit him, following the woman to the infirmary. He was doing his best to ignore the pain, though. He had had worse. He wasn't going to let that stop him. "So...you're name is Meliya? It's a pretty name." Despite the hushed tones that the elves had used in discussing their prisoner, he had excellent hearing, just as all elves did. "My name is Nathe. I don't think I properly introduced myself back there."

[The Elvenqueen]

"Nathe?" Mel echoed, smiling faintly back at him. "That's an interesting name. Well, it's good to meet you, Nathe." she paused as he winced again, concerned that he was hiding most of his discomfort, though he seemed to manage to hobble along fine enough. They were nearly there, after all. His thanks surprised her, she hadn't thought Drow were awfully fond of politeness, in truth it was the last thing she'd expected from him.

"You're welcome. Most of the soldiers aren't too bad," she assured him, holding the door to the infirmary open for him when they reached the building. "They've been drilled to be wary of your kind, we all have. But for the most part we try not to resort to violence, if it can be helped."

[RyuHll]

Nathe offered a small shrug. "I cannot say I blame them," he replied. "We have never been the most peaceful with your people. You have had every right to be wary of us. Though, I think that is true on both sides." He returned her smile. "We have both been taught to be wary of the others, but I believe it foolish for us to decide how an entire group will act without any type of communication. An...unpopular opinion on both sides, I would think." He paused a moment, seeming to decide how much he should share with the woman. "If someone doesn't take that risk, no one will. I just happened to decide to."

He nodded in thanks as they reached the infirmary, entering in first and waiting for her to follow. A drow walking in alone would be a cause for alarm. He did not need their medical teams being put on edge by his presence. It would at least be a little more bearable with his guard accompanying him.

[The Elvenqueen]

"And quite the predicament it has put you in, hasn't it?" the she-elf pointed out with a raised eyebrow as she slipped in after him, letting the door swing shut behind them. She wasted no time in finding an unused chair for him to rest on, sure he would be glad to take the weight off his side as it was clearly ailing him still. Her head turned as another familiar voice spoke and one of the healers approached them.
"So, the rumours are true then." a soft chuckle escaped her. "For a moment I was unsure whether to believe it, but then I had to remind myself that you do take after me."
"Mother please." Mel grumbled in embarrassment, turning her head away. "Don't make a scene."

[RyuHll]

Nathe's eyebrow rose in curiosity as he heard the exchange. So her mother was a healer. He suppose it made more sense then. Why this one elven woman was out in that clearing so early in the morning. He hadn't expected anyone to find him when he passed out in the woods. Though, now that he was here, this conversation was starting to interest him for entirely new reasons.

"Does she, now?" he asked curiously, a pleasant smile coming back to his face as he eased himself into the seat offered him. He was grateful for the weight being taken off his side. "Is that a reference to her patching up a stray in the woods or talking to the unsavory sort of people?" He knew it was a shot at his own race, but he figured the elves would appreciate that. He wasn't so full of himself that he couldn't make these jokes. Most drow were unsavory, in truth. It's why he never fit in well there. It didn't mean he thought them the monsters that he assumed the elves made them out to be.

[The Elvenqueen]

"The former." her mother confirmed with another light chuckle. "Although I suppose the latter could be debated upon, I would not put it past her."
Mel scowled and mumbled something under her breath in protest, she had more common sense than that even if both her parents seemed to think otherwise. Perhaps that point of view was due to her constant unwillingness to simply accept facts given to her by her mentor (or indeed her father) as a youngster, but she tried to brush it off as simple curiosity.

"Curiosity indeed." her mother scoffed. "If that is what you wish to call it, then I will not argue with you."

[RyuHll]

Nathe listened quietly to the two, the same smile on his face. Such a different dynamic than he was used to. He was used to more yelling and harsher words. Of course, that wasn't typical of the entirety of his race. Years of hatred had turned them harsher than their nature really was. He was just glad to see the same softness that they had lost in their exodus from the forests that once protected them.

A wince came on from a separate source than the pain in his side. He couldn't think of his home now. He was in a new environment. He had to adapt to this. With any luck, his people could adapt to. He could return them to the fold of their forest dwelling brethren. That was his hope at least. He couldn't leave his brothers and sisters to fight a never-ending war. "Well, hopefully your leaders will see I wasn't a mistake on her part," he offered. "I, for one, am grateful for her kindness in not putting an arrow through my head." He offered a small laugh that quickly turned into a grimace as he felt the surge of pain once more. "Right...can't do that..."

After a moment of pause, he looked up to Mel. "If it's not too much trouble...do I still need these bindings? Since your leader agreed to let me stay, for now?" he asked.

[The Elvenqueen]

"No, I suppose you don't." Mel agreed softly, drawing from her belt a small dagger which she used to slice through the ropes that bound his wrists together. He had promised not to do harm to her people, and it wouldn't be fair to expect him to remain bound during his stay. The longer he remained bound, the more strain it would put on his shoulders, and by extension, his wounded side. "Does it feel any better?" a glimmer of worry flickered in the she-elf's eyes as Nathe again grimaced in pain when he laughed.

"As hard as it may seem, you need to try not to aggrevate it." Mel's mother advised gently. "It's quite a severe injury, it will take time to heal."

[RyuHll]

Nathe gave a small nod of understanding. "Easier said than done..." he commented. "Pretty sure...talking and breathing aggravate it." He brought his hands together, rubbing his wrists lightly with the restraints removed. The roughness hadn't really been as bad as he had expected, but it was still uncomfortable.

With feeling back in his wrists, he brought his hand down to his side again. "I don't suppose any of those herbs you have can dull the pain?" he asked. "Or...what's usually the next step with these kinds of injuries?" He wasn't much of a healer and he did his best to avoid getting wounds like these. So, he wasn't quite sure where he was supposed to go with this next. He didn't know if he was supposed to be bedridden, given that he couldn't walk without pain, or if there were more herbs they could give him.

[The Elvenqueen]

"I'll see what I can put together." Mel nodded, not wanting to leave him in pain, no-one deserved that. Heading across the room to what appeared to be some sort of work station for the healers, she rummaged through the supplies there as she searched for the appropriate herbs and then mixed them up together in the correct quantities to form a poultice that she could apply to the wound.

"Sit still." she warned softly as she peeled the bandages back gingerly. "This will hurt at first, but once they start to work you shouldn't feel much pain for a while."

[RyuHll]

Nathe obeyed the instructions, staying still as she applied the ointment directly onto his wound. He winced in pain as he felt the new salve go over it, her fingers prodding where all this pain originated from. However, as she continued to smooth on the ointment and replaced his bandages, the pain slowly began to fade away. For the first time that day, he was able to move without a shooting pain going up his side.

With the bandages replaced, he placed his hand gingerly over the wound. He wasn't going to test his luck with it. It may numb most of the pain, but he was sure enough irritation would bring it back just as badly. Even if it didn't, the wound would simply get worse regardless of whether or not he could feel it. He smiled at Mel gratefully. "Thank you," he said. "It feels much better already." He leaned back in his seat, regarding the woman for a moment before continuing. "So, what exactly are you supposed to do with me? Do I stay here? I don't really know what the procedure is for random vagrants stumbling into your city."

[The Elvenqueen]

"It is safest and most practical for you to stay here." Mel explained as she finished re-wrapping the bandages. "After all if I recall you aren't much of a tree climber at best, and with that wound it would not be wise." wiping the residual herb salve from her hands on a spare cloth, she returned any other unused supplies back to where they had been found. "As far as infirmaries go, you will be comfortable enough here. Perhaps when your wound is better we can consider finding you somewhere better to stay."

[RyuHll]

Nathe offered a small shrug, smiling a bit. "This is fine, honestly," he said. "Better than I expected from coming here." It was clear that he had been expecting to be imprisoned. Any level of trust they showed him was a wonder. "Besides, I'm sure few elves get to be watched over by such lovely ladies." He grinned a bit at that, though it was more playful than anything. He had been doing a good job of keeping his uncouth mannerisms and sayings to himself since he woke up. He even went as far as watching his language, not wanting to be seen as the ignorant fool that most elves would think he is. He needed to present himself in a more professional manner. A more peaceful manner.

That didn't mean he couldn't have some fun with it, though.

[The Elvenqueen]

Letting out a peal of laughter of her own, Mel raised an eyebrow at him and took a jab back at him in an attempt to cover up the flush of colour that had entered her cheeks at his compliment on her beauty. "Afraid of climbing, are you?" came her retort, it amused her to think that the Drow would be so comfortable with descending downwards into the very earth itself, to live underground and away from the light, and yet it seemed that they were all afraid to be more than an inch or two above the ground, while it was really no different at all, if not easier and less nerve racking, she thought, to climb up into the canopy.

[RyuHll]

Nathe snorted in amusement at that, his grin returning to his face. "Afraid? Whatever gave you that idea?" he asked. "I think climbing solid rock is a bit harder than trees. I'm just a bit unable to move properly right now."

Despite the caverns he lived in, it was a misconception that drow didn't know how to climb. In the depths, there were plenty of cliffs and drop offs for their darker skinned counterparts to deal with.

[The Elvenqueen]

"I do believe I clearly made the distinction of after your wounds had healed." the she-elf snorted in amusement, shaking her head as a light twinkle danced in her pale eyes. "But very well, if you so insist." she conceded, not wanting to over aggrevate the Drow.