Chidori Draconid
07-26-06, 07:20 PM
(closed)
“I have to say that statement was a little close minded of you, Sir Tailwind”
The beautiful Avakra Ambul followed her statement with an evasive sip of her Coronian Pinot Gris. Chidori didn’t have to be able to hear thoughts like his love did. He was pretty sure she was thinking some regretful thoughts as the long table of ten couples partially consisting of Raiaeran High Elves and Raiaeran sympathizers fell silent to her accusation. A few seconds of said silence passed as the table awaited Sir Lorban Tailwind’s reaction. The Raiaeran diplomatic aid did not rejoin. Instead he stared down Chidori with his jade Elven eyes. The message was clear. Lorban wanted Chidori to put his woman in her place. The young deity stared back at Lorban with his starburst grey eyes with only one thing to say.
“…Ditto.” The dinning hall of the Ethiopia Estate erupted in gasps and words of astonishment. “I happen to agree with Avakra. We really don’t know if the best of Alerar’s technology could have been effective against the likes of Xem’Zund. Why is that? Well Alerar’s forces were struck with tunnel vision. They wanted to defeat Raiaera instead of presenting a united front against the necromancer, but why try? You wouldn’t let them support you ten thousand years ago in the War of the Tap, so why would you allow them to support you now?”
“They claimed that our magic was ineffective against the Forgotten Ones.” Tailwind said with restrained frustration. His pointy ears seemed to twitch with every word.
“What? You High Elves can’t take constructive criticism? And this isn’t just an issue of tactical preferences that differ between the two cultures. It’s a matter of general wellbeing. Your forefathers could have been a little more open minded not just to see if the Dark Elves had effective tactics ten thousand years ago, but also to keep the peace within the ranks. But they insisted on having things done their own way, which only postponed the advances of the Forgotten Ones, and made it easier for them to get as far as they did only two short years ago. Imagine how things might have gone if this entire continent was under one Elven banner, or at least two allied Elven banners.”
“This is preposterous!” The Raiaeran noble said as he began to push his decorative wooden chair out from behind him. He rose and bundled up his cloth, and his wife followed suit. She was just as offended, while Chidori and Avakra looked at them with polite smiles. They had won. “I will not sit here and have my nation and it’s people criticized by two young… What are you?”
“Complicated.” Avakra said as she received a delightful peck on her honey tone cheek from Chidori. “And it was you who criticized Alerar and the Drow first by saying ‘Alerar’s technology is useless.’ Let me tell you something. The extravagant architecture of Eluriand and Velice Arta is technology, the saddle on a horse’s back is technology, and that mage’s robe on your back is technology. So if you truly object to Alerar’s drive to further our world just like our ancestors did to get us where we are today, then strip naked.”
“That is it! Mark my words, the both of you! When I…”
”Lorban!” The voice of the Goddess Nu Gua echoed throughout the room. As Raiaerans they did not recognize her as a deity, but they knew that she was above mortal and the mistress of the Ethiopia Estate. “I’m all for a healthy debate, but you don’t want to go saying something you’re going to regret.” The Elven man and his wife sat down calmly almost like children who were being placed in time out. They all turned to see Nu Gua stepping into the golden light provided by the giant lit fireplace. She was holding a bottle of red wine in one hand and its quark in the other. It had been a long time since Chidori had seen his hostess dressed so extravagantly. She was wearing a pearl white dress that fit her body so snuggly that one could see the curvature of her flat stomach.
Oh my! Chidori thought upon catching glimpse of Nu Gua’s figure. The young deity almost immediately covered his mouth. Avakra could hear auditory thoughts, and that certainly was one if he’d ever done it. Like Chidori, she had divine origins. She was the daughter of Apa, the godly personification of the ocean, who dreamed of her for a few hundred years until her infant self washed up on the shores of Corone twenty three years ago. Her abilities came from her father and the way he conceived her. She was a master manipulator of water, and she had a variety of psychic powers which were working against Chidori at the moment. He turned to meet the condemning gaze of Avakra’s amber eyes. Yup. She heard that, and she knew he didn’t like red wine so it had to have been something about the goddess hostess. She sat there in silent interrogation until he finally admitted to it.
“She looks better than I thought she did.” He said in quiet shame. Avakra kept waiting for more. He knew what she wanted, which was exactly what it was about Nu Gua that caught his eye. This was a loosing battle for Chidori. She had always felt unconfident about her looks when comparing herself to Nu Gua. They both had a beautiful figure-eight shape, but Avakra was more petite and tone built for dancing and fighting, while Nu Gua was voluptuous and curvy. Nu Gua had a bigger or prettier everything, and Avakra felt like a little girl that shrunk in her shadow. It didn’t matter that she had caught him thinking the same thing about her countless times since they had met. There was nothing Chidori could say that would result in a happy mate for the rest of the evening. She was a good actor though. She would save her disappointment and frustration with him for when they were in private, but knowing the consequences were right around the corner would make the evening worse. Nevertheless the young deity decided to give her the truth. “I didn’t know she had such a flat midsection.”
He had taken too long to say it. “I have a question. If there was any part of me you could change, what would it be?” How the hell was there a right answer to that one? To be honest Chidori never thought of anything like that. He didn’t have the time to. He was busy loving the parts of her that he did like.
“What? How could you ask me to do tha…” An idea struck him. This idea would make up for his thoughts and more. “Why don’t we wait until we’re in private for me to answer that question in great detail?” The young deity had to hold in a chuckle, knowing that his love was filled with fearful speculation, but he made sure to think visually for the rest of the evening to make sure she couldn’t hear his plans.
The rest of the evening was an obstacle even for Chidori. Even after the altercation between them and Tailwind, people found themselves drawn to the two young deities. Chidori was still embracing and affectionate, and Avakra was still very much receptive to him. They would see no more than a half an hour go by without at least a quick kiss. If the opportunity arose, Avakra would lean on Chidori’s shoulder and wrap her arm around his silk black suit. The two of them danced with such precision and grace that others would stop just to observe Avakra’s sparkling green dress float about. They were a beautiful young couple, and even married pairs admitted to considering them the epitome of romantic unity. Surely the two of them succeeded in igniting old flames among the seasoned couples. Chidori could only imagine what they were capable of if Avakra was all there, but she wasn’t. That’s why Chidori was so excited to see the last couple wave goodbye as their carriage took them through the peach orchard in the front of the property.
Chidori hastily led Avakra hand in hand down the long white corridor of the Ethiopia Estate until they finally came to his bedroom, where he practically kicked open the door. Just as they crossed the threshold Avakra broke his grip and walked over to his mirror with crossed arms. She looked back at him through the mirror as he approached and wrapped his arms around her.
“Now to answer your question. If there was any part of you I could change, what would it be? Well I wouldn’t change your eyes of amber. I wouldn’t change your skin of honey for it tastes wonderful.” Just then he gave her a light bite on the neck. She couldn’t help laughing as her cheeks became cherry red.
“I wouldn’t change your silky black hair.” Chidori said as he ran his hands through her hair. It used to be very long reaching down to her calves. Now it only reached the small of her back.
“I wouldn’t change your lips,” He gave her a peck quickly before she could object.
“To be honest I really don’t know if there’s anything about you I would change. So here’s what I’d like to do.” He slowly pulled the straps of her dress down her shoulders. “I’d like to inspect every inch of you and kiss every part that I like starting with your left shoulder.” He did so kissing her left shoulder.
Starting there the young deity made good on his promise not missing an inch. He went down both arms before he kissed her collar bone behind the pearl necklace she had on. Then he went down her torso, down each leg and everywhere else. It took a good three hours to make sure that there was no part on Avakra’s body that hadn’t been touched by his lips. Chidori knew good and well that he was a king, a divine creature, a God, and Avakra was a Goddess. It was his pleasurable obligation to bring her back to such a realization every time she forgot, just as it was hers. Together as one the body was gone, although it hadn’t disappeared. They settled down, demonstrating the love and beauty of it all, and leaving value and virtue behind. As far as the eye could see they could see no light but each other. It seemed as though the sun waited to rise just after the divine couple dimmed out. After all was said and done Chidori laid there in his white cushioned bed gazing upon Avakra’s sweat glazed silhouette in the light of the rising sun.
“You’re not going to be here!” Chidori was blown back as she suddenly sat up. He thought she had fallen asleep a good hour ago, but apparently not. “You’re not going to be here when I wake up! Why? Were we not in a good place together?”
Her involuntary precognition was hitting her, and hard. Her visions were never wrong. Everything that she saw would inevitably happen, so there was no convincing her otherwise. Chidori tried thinking of something to say as Avakra ran through the possibilities as to why he would leave her. Then he figured out what to say. It was the truth once again.
“I don’t know why I wouldn’t be here when you wake up. I could be cooking your breakfast, or lunch it may seem.” He rose to meet her gaze and embrace her. “But one thing I can guarantee you. If I’m not here it’s not because I don’t love you. I do love you.”
That’s all he had for her. That stroke of genius that led to a romantic evening was only temporary. Chidori pulled the covers over them as Avakra was clinging tight to him. The young deity fell asleep hearing his love whisper over and over…
“Please don’t leave me…”
“Please don’t leave me…”
“Please don’t leave me…”
*****
It was cold. Chidori was shivering it was so cold. He curled to his side and reached for the covers around him, but instead of grabbing the soft satin cotton composite, he had in his hands an itchy burlap fabric. The hum of numerous passing conversations with the unorganized beat of footsteps could be heard beyond his walls. Quite a few people occupied the Ethiopia Estate today. Maybe Nu Gua was having one of her legendary parties tonight. That would explain the hustle and bustle of the staff and occupants. He struggled to lift his eyelids, which felt as heavy as anvils, and was surprised to see that his room was not painted in the fair Raiaeran sunlight. That would explain the cold, but where was the warmth of his lover’s body? Avakra had made the prophecy that he was going to leave her and she had the audacity to leave him? The young deity sat up in frustration. Then it finally hit him. He wasn’t in his room. She was right. He did leave her, but how?
Chidori’s spacious room had grey carpets, white stone walls covered with elaborate decorations, and a soft, tall, wide white bed. The ceiling of his room had a painting of himself. This room had no such thing. In fact this room was the polar opposite. Chidori put his feet on the cold hardwood floor and explored his tight quarters. This room was of minimal provision, with a small bed, a dresser, and a closet. It had no windows, but a dull grey light crept through the wooden structure of the building. The dresser had an impressive variety of clean neat clothes stuffed in its drawers, a variety greater than Chidori’s at home. That may have been because he had a limited sense of fashion, which he demonstrated here by picking a black cotton tunic and pants with a silver silk sash to hold it all together, his usual choice of color. Just out of curiosity, the young deity opened the closet to see what was in there. There was nothing but a mirror, but it showed him something that he wasn’t prepared for.
The young deity froze in astonishment as at what stared back at him. It had his starburst grey eyes and his short wavy orchid hair. The stature body of a dancing fighter, the long eyelashes, almost everything unique to Chidori Astram Draconid was there. His caramel skin was now ashen black, and his humble Human ears were now pointy and long. The young deity was now in a Dark Elf body, and just when he was getting used to his Human form. This had to have been the doing of a God Chidori knew, and if they went through all this trouble to transform him and take him away from Avakra they probably went the whole nine yards. At that realization Chidori ran down the small flight of stairs and rammed open the front door.
In front of him was a busy brick street dominated mostly by Drow. This was what he had heard moments before. It wasn’t the hustle and bustle of the Ethiopia Estate staff; it was the hustle and bustle of an entire city. Out here one could hear the sounds of metal clashing and smokestacks exhaling in the distance. The air was thick with humidity and carried the faint smell of sulfur. He looked up and there was no cerulean sky, just a grey cloud cover. A towering smokestack breathed fire into the sky like an angry dragon, and its flame carried through the low hanging clouds like a burning piece of paper. Wait. That wasn’t cloud cover. That was the signature smog of the Alerarian capital, Ettermire.
“!*@& $& #*@#?” The young deity covered his mouth. He just spoke in a different language. He assumed it was Drow, but he understood it and repeated in a whispered tone, “What the hell is going on?”
“APRIL FOOLS!” A Drow from in the middle of the street screamed. People stopped for a moment in reaction to the disruption, “Hahaha! I am good! I am good! This is a knee slapper right here, most definitely. You didn’t see this coming, Chidori, but your little girlfriend certainly did.”
That was it! Chidori didn’t care who this man was. He seemed to be responsible for this situation, so Chidori was going to burn him to a crisp with his Stellar Energy. A few seconds passed, but Chidori couldn’t feel the seven Chakras inside him tingling. There was no blue incandescent aura.
“Your mother has stripped you of your Stellar Energy, and your father has stripped you of your Dragon Tongue. This was their idea by the way. They believe you need a change in scenery if you are to return to heaven a full fledged God. I’m just the one that carried out their will.” The unnamed man was certainly a God. Chidori could sense it as he approached him from the street. “I’m Loki by the way. Nice to meet you… Again.”
Chidori certainly knew that name. He should have recognized Loki’s light voice and quick speech. Loki was in that crowd of shifty trickster Gods. They claimed not to take any sides, and only did so for self interest or amusement. If Althanas fell into a world war Loki would easily play all sides like pawns in a game of chess, making one move then running around to the other side of the playing board just to ponder the next move. For the moment the shape shifter God had silver hair to match his eyes. He was shorter than Chidori, which meant he was very very short for the average male on Althanas. He was dressed in what looked like a royal Alerarian suit. The young deity was silent; doing what his love had done to him the night before, staring at the target until they spilled the beans.
“C’mon, Chid Kid. Let’s walk and talk.” The two of them started down the busy street. Ettermire was cleaner than most people made it out to be, however the Dark Palace could be seen just a few blocks away. They were walking in that direction. “Do you know why you’re here? Silly me. Why am I asking you that? Of course you don’t know why you’re here. Well, you’re here to further open up your mind to other cultures besides Raiaera. You’ve been cooped up in Nu Gua’s Ethiopia Estate for too long, so they thought why not take you to the polar opposite of Eluriand, so you’re here in Ettermire.”
“That’s ridiculous. It was my mother who brought me to that place, and it was she who told me that I couldn’t leave Raiaera after my encounter with the immortals. They’re treating me like a child!”
“Remember she lifted that rule like three weeks ago. Anyways I have more to tell you. As you know you have been stripped of your Godly powers, but you’ve been given something much more critical to your place here.” Loki pointed at a classy pub across the street from the two of them. “There’s something wrong with that structure. Tell me.”
A chaotic storm of numbers ran through the young Drow’s head. Parameters, angles, and pounds interacted with each other in equations. It was crazy and strange. If he were to put it all on paper it would be a slapdash combination of numbers and signs, but Chidori somehow understood it all. He knew the exact height, width, length and volume of the building to the nearest inch. Then the cracked pillar second from the left of the front colonnade began to glow in his vision.
“That pillar.” Chidori pointed. “If it were hit just above that crack at the right angle with the right force, the entire façade would go down blocking the entry way. It might actually pull the rest of the building down with it.”
“Good job. You’ve been given fifteen years of detailed knowledge in physics, geometry, chemistry, aerodynamics, and architecture.” That explained why the young Drow deity knew that what he smelled was sulfur. “You’ll need it for when you go in there every day.” Loki directed Chidori’s attention to a three story red brick building in the distance. A large number of royal guards stood at the front of the building, tending to those who entered and four cannonades.
“Am I to infiltrate that place?” Said Chidori with a faint smirk of excitement.
“No. That’s the venue for the Ettermire Royal Convention. It’s the first one ever. The Queen’s court has called fourth some of the greatest minds in Alerar to provide a ground to improve the nation, from civics to military. You, my friend, are one of the greatest engineers never to build an airship, so you have been invited. Just give them your name, follow suit and you’ll have your living here in Ettermire.”
“When will I get to see Avakra again?”
“In one week. Oh yea I almost forgot!” Chidori’s signature cane appeared in his right hand. “It’s no longer a sword. It’s a different type of weapon; a combination of two blades on opposite ends of the small pole. You actually may have an easier time with this than a sword. That’s all I got for you. Enjoy Ettermire.”
“Wait what if I choose not to…” Chidori turned to see that Loki had already disappeared. When he became a God he would never do that to anyone. Oh who was he kidding? Yes he would. He really didn’t want to do this. He wanted to be back in Raiaera with Avakra. That’s the real reason why his parents, particularly his mother, put him here. He knew that his mother, in all her omniscience couldn’t stand to see Avakra taking her place as the main woman in Chidori’s life. He was sure that that was the cause of all this.
At least Loki allowed him to sleep before taking him to Ettermire. The young deity was refreshed, and it was almost night time. Not that he could tell where the sun was through the thick smog of the city, but the public workers were walking down the street lighting the tall black street lamps as they passed. The small yard in front of the building of interest actually had grass, which was something he didn’t expect to see for a long time. He walked past carriages that dropped off individuals that made this place their destination as well.
“Name?” A soldier said as Chidori stepped onto the property of the convention building. He was dressed in what looked to Chidori like a Kyorl uniform. “This convention is invitation only. If you haven’t been invited you’re going to have to move along.”
“Chidori Draconid.” He had taken too long to respond again. That was a bad habit that he needed to break.
“That’s a strange name.” The soldier said as he flipped through the pages of the guest list. “Where are you from?”
“A suburb of Kachuck originally. A lot of the Trolls and Dark Elves gave each other cognomen and it kind of mixed.” Did that pass? Chidori hoped to the Gods that I passed. This would be a disaster if it didn’t.
“Oh yea. I know someone from there. He has a unique name as well. I hope you’re not offended by my calling it a strange name earlier. Ah here it is. Chidori Draconid. Please proceed to the atrium. The main meeting will begin in a few moments.”
The pair of giant wooden doors led into a large room of approximately fifty Dark Elves, and Alerarian patriots conversing and eating small snacks available at the concession table. Surprisingly Chidori didn’t feel out of place here. It was probably the social interaction that kept him comfortable. That’s what warmed him up to Raiaerans when he first encountered them. There was something about conversation that made him feel good. He was coming in just as the chandelier was being lit and the tall window curtains were being opened. They would probably get more light from the fiery stacks outside than from the chandelier inside. Chidori squeezed between the narrow passes between bodies and ducked under high arms carrying snack trays. He simply looked for a seat near the wall and sat there. The conversation outside with the Kyorl solder made him realize that he needed to keep his mouth shut until he got his background stories strait.
“I have to say that statement was a little close minded of you, Sir Tailwind”
The beautiful Avakra Ambul followed her statement with an evasive sip of her Coronian Pinot Gris. Chidori didn’t have to be able to hear thoughts like his love did. He was pretty sure she was thinking some regretful thoughts as the long table of ten couples partially consisting of Raiaeran High Elves and Raiaeran sympathizers fell silent to her accusation. A few seconds of said silence passed as the table awaited Sir Lorban Tailwind’s reaction. The Raiaeran diplomatic aid did not rejoin. Instead he stared down Chidori with his jade Elven eyes. The message was clear. Lorban wanted Chidori to put his woman in her place. The young deity stared back at Lorban with his starburst grey eyes with only one thing to say.
“…Ditto.” The dinning hall of the Ethiopia Estate erupted in gasps and words of astonishment. “I happen to agree with Avakra. We really don’t know if the best of Alerar’s technology could have been effective against the likes of Xem’Zund. Why is that? Well Alerar’s forces were struck with tunnel vision. They wanted to defeat Raiaera instead of presenting a united front against the necromancer, but why try? You wouldn’t let them support you ten thousand years ago in the War of the Tap, so why would you allow them to support you now?”
“They claimed that our magic was ineffective against the Forgotten Ones.” Tailwind said with restrained frustration. His pointy ears seemed to twitch with every word.
“What? You High Elves can’t take constructive criticism? And this isn’t just an issue of tactical preferences that differ between the two cultures. It’s a matter of general wellbeing. Your forefathers could have been a little more open minded not just to see if the Dark Elves had effective tactics ten thousand years ago, but also to keep the peace within the ranks. But they insisted on having things done their own way, which only postponed the advances of the Forgotten Ones, and made it easier for them to get as far as they did only two short years ago. Imagine how things might have gone if this entire continent was under one Elven banner, or at least two allied Elven banners.”
“This is preposterous!” The Raiaeran noble said as he began to push his decorative wooden chair out from behind him. He rose and bundled up his cloth, and his wife followed suit. She was just as offended, while Chidori and Avakra looked at them with polite smiles. They had won. “I will not sit here and have my nation and it’s people criticized by two young… What are you?”
“Complicated.” Avakra said as she received a delightful peck on her honey tone cheek from Chidori. “And it was you who criticized Alerar and the Drow first by saying ‘Alerar’s technology is useless.’ Let me tell you something. The extravagant architecture of Eluriand and Velice Arta is technology, the saddle on a horse’s back is technology, and that mage’s robe on your back is technology. So if you truly object to Alerar’s drive to further our world just like our ancestors did to get us where we are today, then strip naked.”
“That is it! Mark my words, the both of you! When I…”
”Lorban!” The voice of the Goddess Nu Gua echoed throughout the room. As Raiaerans they did not recognize her as a deity, but they knew that she was above mortal and the mistress of the Ethiopia Estate. “I’m all for a healthy debate, but you don’t want to go saying something you’re going to regret.” The Elven man and his wife sat down calmly almost like children who were being placed in time out. They all turned to see Nu Gua stepping into the golden light provided by the giant lit fireplace. She was holding a bottle of red wine in one hand and its quark in the other. It had been a long time since Chidori had seen his hostess dressed so extravagantly. She was wearing a pearl white dress that fit her body so snuggly that one could see the curvature of her flat stomach.
Oh my! Chidori thought upon catching glimpse of Nu Gua’s figure. The young deity almost immediately covered his mouth. Avakra could hear auditory thoughts, and that certainly was one if he’d ever done it. Like Chidori, she had divine origins. She was the daughter of Apa, the godly personification of the ocean, who dreamed of her for a few hundred years until her infant self washed up on the shores of Corone twenty three years ago. Her abilities came from her father and the way he conceived her. She was a master manipulator of water, and she had a variety of psychic powers which were working against Chidori at the moment. He turned to meet the condemning gaze of Avakra’s amber eyes. Yup. She heard that, and she knew he didn’t like red wine so it had to have been something about the goddess hostess. She sat there in silent interrogation until he finally admitted to it.
“She looks better than I thought she did.” He said in quiet shame. Avakra kept waiting for more. He knew what she wanted, which was exactly what it was about Nu Gua that caught his eye. This was a loosing battle for Chidori. She had always felt unconfident about her looks when comparing herself to Nu Gua. They both had a beautiful figure-eight shape, but Avakra was more petite and tone built for dancing and fighting, while Nu Gua was voluptuous and curvy. Nu Gua had a bigger or prettier everything, and Avakra felt like a little girl that shrunk in her shadow. It didn’t matter that she had caught him thinking the same thing about her countless times since they had met. There was nothing Chidori could say that would result in a happy mate for the rest of the evening. She was a good actor though. She would save her disappointment and frustration with him for when they were in private, but knowing the consequences were right around the corner would make the evening worse. Nevertheless the young deity decided to give her the truth. “I didn’t know she had such a flat midsection.”
He had taken too long to say it. “I have a question. If there was any part of me you could change, what would it be?” How the hell was there a right answer to that one? To be honest Chidori never thought of anything like that. He didn’t have the time to. He was busy loving the parts of her that he did like.
“What? How could you ask me to do tha…” An idea struck him. This idea would make up for his thoughts and more. “Why don’t we wait until we’re in private for me to answer that question in great detail?” The young deity had to hold in a chuckle, knowing that his love was filled with fearful speculation, but he made sure to think visually for the rest of the evening to make sure she couldn’t hear his plans.
The rest of the evening was an obstacle even for Chidori. Even after the altercation between them and Tailwind, people found themselves drawn to the two young deities. Chidori was still embracing and affectionate, and Avakra was still very much receptive to him. They would see no more than a half an hour go by without at least a quick kiss. If the opportunity arose, Avakra would lean on Chidori’s shoulder and wrap her arm around his silk black suit. The two of them danced with such precision and grace that others would stop just to observe Avakra’s sparkling green dress float about. They were a beautiful young couple, and even married pairs admitted to considering them the epitome of romantic unity. Surely the two of them succeeded in igniting old flames among the seasoned couples. Chidori could only imagine what they were capable of if Avakra was all there, but she wasn’t. That’s why Chidori was so excited to see the last couple wave goodbye as their carriage took them through the peach orchard in the front of the property.
Chidori hastily led Avakra hand in hand down the long white corridor of the Ethiopia Estate until they finally came to his bedroom, where he practically kicked open the door. Just as they crossed the threshold Avakra broke his grip and walked over to his mirror with crossed arms. She looked back at him through the mirror as he approached and wrapped his arms around her.
“Now to answer your question. If there was any part of you I could change, what would it be? Well I wouldn’t change your eyes of amber. I wouldn’t change your skin of honey for it tastes wonderful.” Just then he gave her a light bite on the neck. She couldn’t help laughing as her cheeks became cherry red.
“I wouldn’t change your silky black hair.” Chidori said as he ran his hands through her hair. It used to be very long reaching down to her calves. Now it only reached the small of her back.
“I wouldn’t change your lips,” He gave her a peck quickly before she could object.
“To be honest I really don’t know if there’s anything about you I would change. So here’s what I’d like to do.” He slowly pulled the straps of her dress down her shoulders. “I’d like to inspect every inch of you and kiss every part that I like starting with your left shoulder.” He did so kissing her left shoulder.
Starting there the young deity made good on his promise not missing an inch. He went down both arms before he kissed her collar bone behind the pearl necklace she had on. Then he went down her torso, down each leg and everywhere else. It took a good three hours to make sure that there was no part on Avakra’s body that hadn’t been touched by his lips. Chidori knew good and well that he was a king, a divine creature, a God, and Avakra was a Goddess. It was his pleasurable obligation to bring her back to such a realization every time she forgot, just as it was hers. Together as one the body was gone, although it hadn’t disappeared. They settled down, demonstrating the love and beauty of it all, and leaving value and virtue behind. As far as the eye could see they could see no light but each other. It seemed as though the sun waited to rise just after the divine couple dimmed out. After all was said and done Chidori laid there in his white cushioned bed gazing upon Avakra’s sweat glazed silhouette in the light of the rising sun.
“You’re not going to be here!” Chidori was blown back as she suddenly sat up. He thought she had fallen asleep a good hour ago, but apparently not. “You’re not going to be here when I wake up! Why? Were we not in a good place together?”
Her involuntary precognition was hitting her, and hard. Her visions were never wrong. Everything that she saw would inevitably happen, so there was no convincing her otherwise. Chidori tried thinking of something to say as Avakra ran through the possibilities as to why he would leave her. Then he figured out what to say. It was the truth once again.
“I don’t know why I wouldn’t be here when you wake up. I could be cooking your breakfast, or lunch it may seem.” He rose to meet her gaze and embrace her. “But one thing I can guarantee you. If I’m not here it’s not because I don’t love you. I do love you.”
That’s all he had for her. That stroke of genius that led to a romantic evening was only temporary. Chidori pulled the covers over them as Avakra was clinging tight to him. The young deity fell asleep hearing his love whisper over and over…
“Please don’t leave me…”
“Please don’t leave me…”
“Please don’t leave me…”
*****
It was cold. Chidori was shivering it was so cold. He curled to his side and reached for the covers around him, but instead of grabbing the soft satin cotton composite, he had in his hands an itchy burlap fabric. The hum of numerous passing conversations with the unorganized beat of footsteps could be heard beyond his walls. Quite a few people occupied the Ethiopia Estate today. Maybe Nu Gua was having one of her legendary parties tonight. That would explain the hustle and bustle of the staff and occupants. He struggled to lift his eyelids, which felt as heavy as anvils, and was surprised to see that his room was not painted in the fair Raiaeran sunlight. That would explain the cold, but where was the warmth of his lover’s body? Avakra had made the prophecy that he was going to leave her and she had the audacity to leave him? The young deity sat up in frustration. Then it finally hit him. He wasn’t in his room. She was right. He did leave her, but how?
Chidori’s spacious room had grey carpets, white stone walls covered with elaborate decorations, and a soft, tall, wide white bed. The ceiling of his room had a painting of himself. This room had no such thing. In fact this room was the polar opposite. Chidori put his feet on the cold hardwood floor and explored his tight quarters. This room was of minimal provision, with a small bed, a dresser, and a closet. It had no windows, but a dull grey light crept through the wooden structure of the building. The dresser had an impressive variety of clean neat clothes stuffed in its drawers, a variety greater than Chidori’s at home. That may have been because he had a limited sense of fashion, which he demonstrated here by picking a black cotton tunic and pants with a silver silk sash to hold it all together, his usual choice of color. Just out of curiosity, the young deity opened the closet to see what was in there. There was nothing but a mirror, but it showed him something that he wasn’t prepared for.
The young deity froze in astonishment as at what stared back at him. It had his starburst grey eyes and his short wavy orchid hair. The stature body of a dancing fighter, the long eyelashes, almost everything unique to Chidori Astram Draconid was there. His caramel skin was now ashen black, and his humble Human ears were now pointy and long. The young deity was now in a Dark Elf body, and just when he was getting used to his Human form. This had to have been the doing of a God Chidori knew, and if they went through all this trouble to transform him and take him away from Avakra they probably went the whole nine yards. At that realization Chidori ran down the small flight of stairs and rammed open the front door.
In front of him was a busy brick street dominated mostly by Drow. This was what he had heard moments before. It wasn’t the hustle and bustle of the Ethiopia Estate staff; it was the hustle and bustle of an entire city. Out here one could hear the sounds of metal clashing and smokestacks exhaling in the distance. The air was thick with humidity and carried the faint smell of sulfur. He looked up and there was no cerulean sky, just a grey cloud cover. A towering smokestack breathed fire into the sky like an angry dragon, and its flame carried through the low hanging clouds like a burning piece of paper. Wait. That wasn’t cloud cover. That was the signature smog of the Alerarian capital, Ettermire.
“!*@& $& #*@#?” The young deity covered his mouth. He just spoke in a different language. He assumed it was Drow, but he understood it and repeated in a whispered tone, “What the hell is going on?”
“APRIL FOOLS!” A Drow from in the middle of the street screamed. People stopped for a moment in reaction to the disruption, “Hahaha! I am good! I am good! This is a knee slapper right here, most definitely. You didn’t see this coming, Chidori, but your little girlfriend certainly did.”
That was it! Chidori didn’t care who this man was. He seemed to be responsible for this situation, so Chidori was going to burn him to a crisp with his Stellar Energy. A few seconds passed, but Chidori couldn’t feel the seven Chakras inside him tingling. There was no blue incandescent aura.
“Your mother has stripped you of your Stellar Energy, and your father has stripped you of your Dragon Tongue. This was their idea by the way. They believe you need a change in scenery if you are to return to heaven a full fledged God. I’m just the one that carried out their will.” The unnamed man was certainly a God. Chidori could sense it as he approached him from the street. “I’m Loki by the way. Nice to meet you… Again.”
Chidori certainly knew that name. He should have recognized Loki’s light voice and quick speech. Loki was in that crowd of shifty trickster Gods. They claimed not to take any sides, and only did so for self interest or amusement. If Althanas fell into a world war Loki would easily play all sides like pawns in a game of chess, making one move then running around to the other side of the playing board just to ponder the next move. For the moment the shape shifter God had silver hair to match his eyes. He was shorter than Chidori, which meant he was very very short for the average male on Althanas. He was dressed in what looked like a royal Alerarian suit. The young deity was silent; doing what his love had done to him the night before, staring at the target until they spilled the beans.
“C’mon, Chid Kid. Let’s walk and talk.” The two of them started down the busy street. Ettermire was cleaner than most people made it out to be, however the Dark Palace could be seen just a few blocks away. They were walking in that direction. “Do you know why you’re here? Silly me. Why am I asking you that? Of course you don’t know why you’re here. Well, you’re here to further open up your mind to other cultures besides Raiaera. You’ve been cooped up in Nu Gua’s Ethiopia Estate for too long, so they thought why not take you to the polar opposite of Eluriand, so you’re here in Ettermire.”
“That’s ridiculous. It was my mother who brought me to that place, and it was she who told me that I couldn’t leave Raiaera after my encounter with the immortals. They’re treating me like a child!”
“Remember she lifted that rule like three weeks ago. Anyways I have more to tell you. As you know you have been stripped of your Godly powers, but you’ve been given something much more critical to your place here.” Loki pointed at a classy pub across the street from the two of them. “There’s something wrong with that structure. Tell me.”
A chaotic storm of numbers ran through the young Drow’s head. Parameters, angles, and pounds interacted with each other in equations. It was crazy and strange. If he were to put it all on paper it would be a slapdash combination of numbers and signs, but Chidori somehow understood it all. He knew the exact height, width, length and volume of the building to the nearest inch. Then the cracked pillar second from the left of the front colonnade began to glow in his vision.
“That pillar.” Chidori pointed. “If it were hit just above that crack at the right angle with the right force, the entire façade would go down blocking the entry way. It might actually pull the rest of the building down with it.”
“Good job. You’ve been given fifteen years of detailed knowledge in physics, geometry, chemistry, aerodynamics, and architecture.” That explained why the young Drow deity knew that what he smelled was sulfur. “You’ll need it for when you go in there every day.” Loki directed Chidori’s attention to a three story red brick building in the distance. A large number of royal guards stood at the front of the building, tending to those who entered and four cannonades.
“Am I to infiltrate that place?” Said Chidori with a faint smirk of excitement.
“No. That’s the venue for the Ettermire Royal Convention. It’s the first one ever. The Queen’s court has called fourth some of the greatest minds in Alerar to provide a ground to improve the nation, from civics to military. You, my friend, are one of the greatest engineers never to build an airship, so you have been invited. Just give them your name, follow suit and you’ll have your living here in Ettermire.”
“When will I get to see Avakra again?”
“In one week. Oh yea I almost forgot!” Chidori’s signature cane appeared in his right hand. “It’s no longer a sword. It’s a different type of weapon; a combination of two blades on opposite ends of the small pole. You actually may have an easier time with this than a sword. That’s all I got for you. Enjoy Ettermire.”
“Wait what if I choose not to…” Chidori turned to see that Loki had already disappeared. When he became a God he would never do that to anyone. Oh who was he kidding? Yes he would. He really didn’t want to do this. He wanted to be back in Raiaera with Avakra. That’s the real reason why his parents, particularly his mother, put him here. He knew that his mother, in all her omniscience couldn’t stand to see Avakra taking her place as the main woman in Chidori’s life. He was sure that that was the cause of all this.
At least Loki allowed him to sleep before taking him to Ettermire. The young deity was refreshed, and it was almost night time. Not that he could tell where the sun was through the thick smog of the city, but the public workers were walking down the street lighting the tall black street lamps as they passed. The small yard in front of the building of interest actually had grass, which was something he didn’t expect to see for a long time. He walked past carriages that dropped off individuals that made this place their destination as well.
“Name?” A soldier said as Chidori stepped onto the property of the convention building. He was dressed in what looked to Chidori like a Kyorl uniform. “This convention is invitation only. If you haven’t been invited you’re going to have to move along.”
“Chidori Draconid.” He had taken too long to respond again. That was a bad habit that he needed to break.
“That’s a strange name.” The soldier said as he flipped through the pages of the guest list. “Where are you from?”
“A suburb of Kachuck originally. A lot of the Trolls and Dark Elves gave each other cognomen and it kind of mixed.” Did that pass? Chidori hoped to the Gods that I passed. This would be a disaster if it didn’t.
“Oh yea. I know someone from there. He has a unique name as well. I hope you’re not offended by my calling it a strange name earlier. Ah here it is. Chidori Draconid. Please proceed to the atrium. The main meeting will begin in a few moments.”
The pair of giant wooden doors led into a large room of approximately fifty Dark Elves, and Alerarian patriots conversing and eating small snacks available at the concession table. Surprisingly Chidori didn’t feel out of place here. It was probably the social interaction that kept him comfortable. That’s what warmed him up to Raiaerans when he first encountered them. There was something about conversation that made him feel good. He was coming in just as the chandelier was being lit and the tall window curtains were being opened. They would probably get more light from the fiery stacks outside than from the chandelier inside. Chidori squeezed between the narrow passes between bodies and ducked under high arms carrying snack trays. He simply looked for a seat near the wall and sat there. The conversation outside with the Kyorl solder made him realize that he needed to keep his mouth shut until he got his background stories strait.