Mother Knows Best

Elle directed Drax to the moss and vine covered bungalow that hid seamlessly in the Versade estate's vast, succulent gardens. As he knocked, Elle cautiously hid herself so she could not be easily seen once the door opened. Her heart pounded in her ears and she chewed on her lower lip trying to anticipate how her mother would receive the news. Would she believe it?  Would she be in shock? Would she get angry, and threaten to never let Elle leave home again? Would her heart break over losing the face of her baby? Either way Elle looked at it, it was going to be messy.

After hearing a familiar voice call from the inside, Elle watched the door nervously as it opened-slowly revealing a lithe, blonde elven woman. Her hair was bundled up on the top on her head and held in place with a couple of polished sticks. The elf looked up, her large pupil-less amber eyes squinting at her visitor in a quizzical expression. There was a smudge of dirt accenting her left cheekbone, drawing redundant attention to the flawless lines of her symmetrical face. Her garb was a simple cotton shift covered with a brown apron, though her quick, easy smile made it seem like she was dressed in Magnimar's finest fashions.

"Well, you are an unexpected visitor," her voice was light and airy, and sounded like it was just on the verge of laughter. "Have you come for a consultation? How can I help you?"

Drax smiled at the lovely woman.  Elle wasn't kidding when she said her mother was beautiful.  For his part Drax had attempted to dress up.  A rare occurance for him to be sure.  His armor, almost like a second skin, was covered by a decorative tabard and he had styled his hair to cover his horns.  His tail was wrapped around him like a second belt.

"Hello ma'am, my name is Draxthious.  I am a....good friend of your daughter Bri'ellyith's.  She is my partner in the Pathfinders."  He took a deep breath before continuing.  "I was wondering if I could talk to you about her."  His eyes trailed back to where he thought she was hiding herself.  "May I come in?"

"Oh, you're one of Elly's little friends? How sweet of you to come and see me!" Glawarthiel's face broke into a shining smile, as she gestured with a welcoming hand to her visitor. "Of course! I should have known. You are dressed to well to be a serving any of my clientele, but you are a little too wild to be clientele itself. What a delightful change of pace! The last time I had the privilege of a visit from one of my daughter's friends, she was only yea high!" The elven woman held up a narrow hand to the height of her hip. Every one of her long fingers was brown with dirt.

"Her friends seem have grown up since then." She winked knowingly at Drax.

"Now would you like to come inside, or walk the grounds? It looks just a tad cloudy, but I don't think we have any fear of rain. A walk about in the sweet flora does good for body and soul.

"How is my daughter doing these days? Is she still hell bent on ridding the world of undead? Don't ever let her near Ustalav, my dear. Nothing would ever be left once she was done."

"Thankfully we have no plans to visit there any time soon" the teifling responded, running a hand through the hair on the back of his head.  "We can talk where ever you are most comfortable ma'am.  I wish this was just a social visit but Elle herself asked me to come and talk to you."

He looked around the garden taking in all the scenery and greenery.  "You do have a lovely house." he said truthfully.  He had never before seen so many or varied, how did she put it, flora and fauna?

"That is the second time you have called me 'ma'am' in the span of three minutes. I think it is two 'ma'ams' too many, if you ask me." The elven woman scolded teasingly, her golden eyes a twinkle. "Please do not stand on ceremony with me, my dear. Call me Glawarthiel, or if that is too much of a mouth full, you may simply call me momma.

"Come, and sit over by yonder pool, under the forsythia, and we can have a talk." The elven woman directed Drax over to an ornately carver cedar bench just beside a crystal clear pool of water. A tall bush with long hanging branches covered in yellow star-like flowers leaned over the pool. Bunches of little blue flowers shaped like clustered grapes dotted the pool's edge. "I have always found the little muscari to be particularly beguiling, and the stillness of the water soothes even the most ruffled of feathers." Glawarthiel smiled encouragingly as she gracefully seated herself, motioning for Drax to follow suite.

"Now my dear Draxthious, tell me, what is this thing my daughter wants me to know that she could not tell me herself? That she would saddle the burden of the telling on your broad, nervous, and impulsive shoulders?" Before the teifling knew what she was doing Glawarthiel reached up and deftly undid all the work he had painstaking gone through to hide his horns. "Let us not have any pretenses here, my child. I know what you are, and your hair is much more happy when it is allowed to dance in the wind."

To his credit the teifling didn't actually blush.  He could have and in fact almost did when the lovely elf started to play with his hair though he had never before considered his hair to be happy in the wind or otherwise.

"No ma..mom.  Elle didn't saddle me with anything, I volunteered." he said with a small smile as he sat next to her.  "See, um, on our last outing something happened.  We were fighting this....thing and it struck her down.  Killed her."  Drax's face flashed with anger at that for a brief second before returning to his normal, nervous face.  "However there was....a trap? of sorts.  When Elle was....killed" This time the emotion flashing across his face was sadness before again returning back to normal.  "She was..that is her....essence?  The soul or spirit or what ever it is you believe in that makes a person who they are.  That was transferred to another body.  She is alive, healthy.  It's just..."  He grinned sheepishly, "Well, her body is that of a young beautiful human woman who just so happens to be the physical twin of an ancient wizard who terrorized the land in ancient Thassalon and she was worried about coming to see you without letting you know first what was going on and I am rambling again."

Draxthious took a long deep breath.  "She is her, and she is perfectly, mostly, fine.  She is scared and worried but physically she is unharmed."  His grinned ruefully, "I'm sure I'm not explaining this properly.  I've never been the most clever person and due to my....heritage, I don't have a lot of experience talking with people about serious issues."  He placed both hands in his lap, mostly to stop from nervously running his fingers through his hair.  His tail however did unwrap itself from his waist and swish slowly behind him, a clear sign of his unease.  "So, if you have any questions ma...mom, please ask and I will try and answer as best as I can."  The fire wielder coughed nervously.  He was making a serious and conscious effort to meet her gaze and not look away nervously.  For some reason fighting demons and powerful beings was easier for him than this but he did promise Elle and he would never willingly break a promise to her.

Sadness and concern creased the elven woman's face. She sat there, waiting for the tiefling to finish his nervous rambling, waiting to make sure she heard everything he had to say. The look in his eyes spoke volumes. She wanted to rush him, to tell him to stop rambling, but she knew that would only scare him more. Poor soul. He was trying so hard to make a good first impression, too. His love for her daughter was unmissable. She wondered how much Ellie loved him in return...

"I knew there would be dangers," she spoke in a hushed tone once Drax had finished, "there always are when you are an adventurer. But I had hoped something like this... I had hoped it was a long way off yet..."

She laid her hand on top of his nervous ones and gazed at him with worried, pleading eyes. "Where is she, my dearest girl? Will you take me to Bri'ellyith? Please?"

"She is close.   She came with me."  He smiled in what he hoped was a reassuring manner before turning to look around them.

"She is scared, worried you will reject her because of how she looks now."  He turned warm eyes to the lovely elf before standing up and holding out a hand to help her rise.  "Elle." he called out in the direction he knew her to be in, "Come give your mother a hug."

In truth he wanted to hold off, speak with this woman some more but the look in her eyes spoke volumes even to the socially awkward man.  So he called out for Elle.  It was something they both needed, though he was definitely planning on slipping away once they were together.  A reunion like this didn't need an outsider like him butting in and he was sure they had a lot to talk about.

Draxthious was easier to read than a book. Glawarthiel could see him calculating how best to exit the situation. She understood his intentions and was grateful. Still she grabbed his hand before he could slip away.

"If you must go, please do not go far," she begged winsomely. "This is merely a small pause in our visit. Come back when the sun is setting and I will feed you dinner. I still have so much to speak with you about."

Then her attention was drawn to something over his shoulder. Her breath caught in her throat. There she was standing just a few feet away. The magnificent contrast of pale skin and dark hair. And the curves! Those were new. All of her features were a bit softer, more shapely. Gone were the angular lines of her elven heritage. Gone were her father's brown eyes. They had been replaced with wide, worried emerald spheres that were begging to know if she was still loved. Glawarthiel couldn't help herself. She let go of Drax's hand and rushed over to envelope her daughter in a tight embrace.

The sun was just starting to set over the western horizon.  Drax slowly made his way back through the garden to the little house where Elle and her mother were.  He had spent the rest of the day simply wandering aimlessly while debating with himself if he should actually go back.  The argument was won,in his mind at least, when he remembered his promise to always be there for Elle.  True he didn't know if she was planning on going back to the house, and if she was she would need an escort.  Yes, that was it, he was simply going back to see if she needed an escort.

And, he had to admit to himself, he kinda wanted to try Glawarthiel's cooking.  Purely out of professional curiosity of course.

So as the shadows grew across the garden, covering flowers of all shapes and sizes in dulled colors, a nervous teifling approached the door to the elven groundskeeper's house.  Though he did stand there for a few minutes, hand raised in a ready to knock gesture but hesitating.  "Come on you stupid son of a cow, you're just checking on her.  No reason to be nervous, if it looks like you'll be interrupting you can leave." the man said in a quiet voice attempting to work up the nerve.  Finally after taking a deep breath (and holding it) he knocked on the door to the small but beautiful house.

The arched doorway opened once again revealing the beautiful elf. Only this time the surprise on her countenance was replaced with serene expectancy. She smiled sweetly, like a mother to her child, and welcomed him in. She led the nervous tiefling through the small living room, around the corner to what appeared to be a small kitchenette. On one wall were a few shelves, most of which housed a plethora of potted plants. A short stack of shiny red clay dishes graced the bottom shelf, while a few matching covered pots filled in the rest of the space. There was a window in the adjacent wall, below which was situated a large polished granite basin sunk into the counter over a long wooden cupboard. A handful of ornately carved utensils hung above this, as well as several pitchers of differing sizes. At the center of the room was a round cherry wood table and two ornately carved cherry wood chairs.

Glawarthiel pulled a chair out and motioned for Drax to sit. Then she took a little cup off the shelf and filled it with something from a tall oak pitcher that was sitting on the cupboard next to the granite sink. The pitcher was carved on the outside with the motif of assorted fruits and berries.

"Have some lemonade, my son," she spoke kindly as she handed him the red clay cup. "I made it just before you arrived. Sit down and relax a while. You look as though you have worn your feet out with worry today." Glawarthiel poured herself another cup and sat in the chair opposite him.

"I'm glad you came back, because now we can talk and I can ask you all the questions I wanted to ask you before you delivered your urgent message. Now that I am assured that my dearest Elly will be well I can afford to entertain my curiosity.

"So tell me, my boy," Glawarthiel folded her hands under her chin, her elbows propped on the table like a school girl, her smile holding a hint of mischief as she posed the question, "how long have you loved my irradiant daughter?"

With every ounce of willpower he had, Draxthious did not spit out the lemonade he was drinking when Glawarthiel asked her sudden and highly surprising question. Slowly, stuttering all the while, the teifling set his glass down. "Um...I..uh...wha...why.." He coughed lightly, bringing a hand up to cover his mouth. His eyes showed a strange combination of panic and relief as he sat back in the chair and timidly asked, "What makes you say that?"

The young man looked around the small house, particularly the kitchen area taking in his surroundings and noting a distinct lack of the so named daughter. "Where is Elle by the way?" he asked suddenly far more nervous than he should be at the thought of being alone with the mother of the woman he did in fact have feelings for.

"Elly is resting," Glawarthiel breezed nonchalantly, before fixing a kindly gaze on the fidgeting tiefling.

"Don't choke on your lemonade, dear. You shouldn't be so surprised. Your affection for her is written on every fiber of your being. There are no secrets here and I don't wish to waste precious time with pretense. I wish to know you. Now please, do me the honor of answering my question."

Draxthious sighed, his face visibly relaxing upon hearing Elle was resting. The teifling gave the elf woman a thankful smile and took a long drink from his lemonade before setting the cup down.

"Honestly, I don't know." he answered, leaning back in his chair. "I'll be honest, I've always thought she was beautiful. When I met her in the academy she was vibrant, full of life. Outgoing." he shrugged. "After the academy when we were all adventuring together, there was an occurrence where she fell into sewage. Her clothes were ruined. I think I literally gave her the shirt off my back then. It was at that moment, seeing her wear my shirt for the first time, that I think my heart skipped a beat." He shrugged. "I couldn't tell you when exactly but sometime after that, despite everything else, I started to care for her more than a friend."

He took another sip of his drink, holding the cup between his hands and looking pensive for a minute. "If I may ma...mom as a question in return? How is she doing? I've a feeling she may share more with you then she is comfortable sharing with me."

"We will get to that soon enough," the elf promised, smiling a moment as she reached over and patted his sinewy forearm in comfort. Comfort gave way to a quick and gentle prodding of his muscles, her eyes becoming intent, as if she were trying to size him up.

"You seem quite strong of body, and yet you're lacking in confidence... like one who fears the rejection of others. I do not know what made you thus, but this I do know," Glawarthiel locked her earnest amber eyes with his, grabbing his chin with her hand.

"It does not matter what people say about all of this," she motioned vaguely at his demonic features before releasing his chin and pointing to his heart. "No one controls your heart but you.

"So tell me, what kind of man do you wish to be," she tapped his chest, "in here?"

Never before had anyone confronted Draxthious like this. Combat and violence he was ready for. Direct questions about his life while being....inspected though and the poor boy was way out of his league. The teifling was nervous and definitely entering uncharted territory though he despite how uneasy he was he couldn't be upset at Glawarthiel. She honestly wanted to know more about him and was directing questions, and roaming hands, to do just that.

"Um ma..mom. It's honestly not something I've ever really thought about. I mean, I have plans for the future yes. I never thought about myself. I guess....I want to be strong. I want the power to protect those I care about. I mean, before this group I never really had anyone I was close with or who was close with me." He shrugged before continuing, his eyes finally breaking from hers and turning down to the glass of lemonade. "I want to be the kind of man Elle can be proud of." he nearly whispered. For some reason he knew that hedging his answers or giving half truths would not work on this woman. Her amber eyes saw too much.

"Hmm, yes, it's a good start," Glawarthiel murmured thoughtfully as she patted him on the arm. She reached for his cup as she gracefully arose and filled it once again from the pitcher by the sink. She paused a moment, letting her gaze wander out the window. "It is important to show love to those good people who have earned such appreciation. It does not do to take loyalty for granted... but I digress."

She turned back to the table and placed the cup down next to the tiefling's hand again. Though her effervescent smile had returned, her cheeks were tinged with the slightest flush.

"You mentioned something a moment ago, when you were explaining to me how you have come to love my daughter. You said, 'despite everything else' you had come to care for her. What did you mean by that? Were there some obstructions to your love? How have you overcome them?"

"Your daughter has a very....biting sense of humor." Drax said slowly as he took a drink from the recently refilled glass. "Some of the things she was saying, while she believed them to playful, were actually hitting rather close to home." His grin turned rueful. "Apparently she mistook my frustrations as returning the playfulness of her comments. Ahh, I must admit to some fault myself in that regard." He shook his head before his gaze went out over the small room, his brain idly noting the locations of all the various cooking utensils he could see. "For the longest time I truely thought she didn't like me at all. Over time however, as we risked life together, I began to notice that she wasn't being as serious as I thought she was." He shrugged, his eyes once again turning to meet Glawarthiel's. "Recently however she and I had a long talk and came to an understanding about them. Where she didn't realize how accurate and painful her words were, and I the same."

The young man leaned back in his chair, the wood creaking lightly as his weight shifted. "So despite our mutual misunderstandings, my feelings for her continued to grow. Though you do have the right of it, when it comes to personal relationships, I have no confidence. Give me monsters and demons to fight and I'll be the first one in the fray. Give me a beautiful woman who may or may not return my feelings and I am like a peasant farmer fighting a dragon."

His eyes turned downcast briefly before looking back at the lovely elf and leaning forward, "Please mom. How is she really doing?" His eyes held earnest worry for the young woman cared for by the two of them.

"Yes," Glawarthiel nodded with motherly understanding. "Elle did mention something about a mutual frustration when she and I talked earlier. I am very glad to hear that it has been resolved. She isn't the best at communication. Be patient with her, Draxthious, my son. It is good to hear that she is growing. Maybe it is her relationship with you that is helping her do so.

"Since you have asked twice now, I will indeed tell you how I think my daughter is doing." The elf gazed pensively at the door behind where Drax was sitting for a quiet moment. She sighed slowly and deeply before continuing on. "Bri'ellyith is struggling, my dear. Not only is she grieving her loses, but some of her philosophies, some of the things she has come to identify herself by are coming into question. Even better, some of them are being stripped away. I believe most of her pain isn't really about her grief as much as it is about coming to terms with the fact that she was wrong, about a lot of things. And I'm sure you know how much my dearest hates admitting when she is wrong.

"This is a good pain, though. Necessary to make her into the person she has the potential to become. None of the ideals that are falling away are valid or true. It is necessary for her to shed them. They need to be pruned away. Like the crocus in spring time, when the ground is still half frozen, she needs to push through this difficulty to come out with greater beauty then she ever had before. You speak of her beauty now, and while I do not deny that she is quite remarkable, I know where she is lacking. If she is directed correctly, all these things she is struggling with will produce in her a most enduring beauty." With half a smile, Glawarthiel fixed compassionate eyes on the young tiefling.

"I can see how much it worries you, her pain. I see how much you wish to remove this pain from her, but you must listen to me. Don't. If Bri'ellyith avoids this catalyst it will only serve to embolden her delusions. If you truely love her, you must come along side her with encouragement to move forward, through the pain, so that the cleansing work may not be wasted. So she may become even better than she is now. You must help her prune. Can you do this? Can you lay your fears aside and be a strong hand to guide her through? For this is what she needs most."

When Glawarthiel mentioned how much Elle disliked losing a small knowing smile crossed Drax's lips. It vanished quickly as he listened to the rest of her words. It reminded him of being back in the pylon, of Colin being correct in his belief that keeping Elle focused on something would help her. He was right and the teifling knew it. However it was against what Drax wanted to do. Were it up to him he would coddle her, protect her from anything and everything and indeed that was the wrong thing.

Drax knew where his desire to protect Elle came from. He never before had anyone he cared for like he did for Elle. He wanted to protect her, shelter her, lock her away just because of how precious she was to him. Though if he did that, he would destroy everything that made her, her. No, Elle's mother was correct. He couldn't coddle her, prevent her from going through this. She needed to go through it, experience it and come out the other side, how did her mom phrase it, pruned?

"I have already promised her I would be with her no matter what. By her side through everything." His eyes, cat slitted though they were still filled with emotion. Fear, Hope, Even strength shone through. "I will make the same promise to you. To the best of my ability, I will help her through this, through everything. No matter what she needs, I will be there." He grinned ruefully, "For as long as she wants me there."

"Well, you have me convinced!" Glawarthiel gushed, beaming like a child who knows end of a good story but has been instructed to keep silent. The gleam in her eyes barely contained her excitement. After staring at Drax for just long enough to make it awkward, the elf stood with joyful resolution and asserted, "You must be famished. It's high time I made you something to eat! I need to go out into the garden's greenhouse and harvest a few things for the meal. Be a dear and move a chair from the other room in here, and set the table for three?"

Then quick like lightening she turned the corner and very nearly flew out the door. Being careless in her haste she let it swing in on it hinges, letting it bang on the interior wall. The noise was enough to wake Elle who had been sleeping just on the other side of that wall in her mother's bed. Elle sat up slowly and wondered what time it was. Hearing some movement in the kitchenette, she decided to wander out from her minor hibernation. Blinking bleary eyes she noted the three places set around the table, as well as the absence of the third chair. Thinking her mother was bringing in the chair from the other room she called out,  "So, did you decide to invite Uncle Telwin to dinner?"

She turned her back on the opening to the living area. Grabbing a cup off the shelf to her left, she bent over and opened the cupboard beneath the granite sink.

"I bet you're feeling guilty for spurning his love all these years..." she muttered smugly to herself as she inspected a strange apparatus connected to the lowest point of the basin. Whatever the thing was, it seemed to drain out into another equally large basin in the cupboard below it. The basin was half filled with water. Elle sniffed the water, stuck a finger in and took a quick taste.

"You're still using spells to purify your water, aren't you, momma?" She exclaimed with disappointment. "It's no wonder. Your filter needs to be changed. I thought I showed you how to refresh the crystals last time I was here? How is this supposed to save you time and energy if you don't ever use it?"

Hearing the thud of chair legs hitting the floor, Elle reached her left hand up over her shoulder, open palmed. She found it odd that her mother had not yet shot back a witty response, and she couldn't help but wonder why.

"Here," she softened her tone, trying to erase any trace of disappointment in her voice, "if you'll give me the crystals, I'll change them before I go.

"I don't think I'll be able to stay for dinner. I really should go find Drax. I really don't want him to worry..."

"While I appreciate the concern, I have a feeling if we left now your mother would only track us down and make us come back for dinner." Draxthious said softly, his eyes traveling over every inch of Elle making sure she appeared unharmed. Though honestly how or why she would have come to harm in her mothers house he couldn't say.

He stepped up behind her looking at the contraption she was referring to. "Your mother went out to the garden to get some vegetables for the dinner. She is a very ..... direct person isn't she?" he asked, though not really expecting an answer. "What is that thing and how does it purify water?"

Hearing the familiar gravel of Drax's voice startled Elle so badly that she knocked the back of her head on the cupboard as she tried to scramble out from under the sink.

"Drax!" She squeaked in surprise, her cheeks flushing with the most brilliant rouge. Why couldn't she be graceful like her mother in times like these? Feeling defeated she sat down on the floor and rubbed the growing knot on her scalp. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh!" exclaimed Drax in what could only be described as mix of worry and amusement. With a wry grin the teifling lowered a hand to help Elle up. "Your mother insisted I come back and have dinner with you guys. I couldn't refuse." He winced as she rubbed the knot on her head though light laughter shone in his eyes. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'll live," Elle chuckled lightly when she caught the twinkle in his cat-like eyes. "Thank goodness, right? I mean, I've got to try and keep this body around for a little longer." She faltered, realizing that her joke was probably in poor taste. Embarrassed she broke eye contact with Drax as she grabbed his hand to stand up.

That was when it dawned on her. She was wearing Drax's shirt! The one he had given her in the Light when she had come back in less cloth than a curtain to cover herself. She had just picked up some new clothes at the Bazaar yesterday in light of the fact that all of her old ones didn't fit anymore. This time she had purchased a couple of dresses to travel, instead of purchasing her usual uniform of pants and shirt. Sorshen's curves... No. Elle stopped and reminded herself that she needed to take ownership of her new anatomy. Elle's new curves seemed to suit a different style of attire then she was used to. But as nice as the dress looked and as well as it fit her new shape she still didn't feel quite at home in it. And so when faced with the prospect of sleep, Elle had removed her dress, hung it over the foot of the bed and reached into her haversack for something much more comfortable.

The former half-elf fiddled nervously with the cuff of the shirt that dangled down to her fingertips. How thankful she was that she had kept her thick tights on. And yet, even though Drax's shirt reached well past her knees she still felt exposed. It didn't help that Drax's questioning gaze seem to examine every inch of her.

"So, uh, dinner huh?" Elle bumbled. "Well, that's really nice. Did you chat? You two must have had a good chat. That's nice. I, uh, I'm not really dressed for dinner... Wait. Did you just say my mother is making you dinner?!" The realization of the implications of his words pulled her out of her stupor, the shock written all over her face.