Rivin deftly caught the flask, glancing down at his now flame-less hand with a smirk.<span style="color: #00FF00">"Oh, I'm so <span style="font-style: italic">impressed</span>! You managed to extinguish a fireball the size of a pea. I'm humbled by your power, <span style="font-style: italic">master</span>,"</span>he said as he offered a mocking bow, bending at the waist then quickly rising back up.<br/><br/>At the corner of his eye he noticed that the youngest of the Elves was searching for something just beyond the limits of the clearing. Perhaps they<span style="font-style: italic">weren't</span>hiding another group member after all. Strangely, the thought did little to ease his concerns.<br/><br/>He returned his stare to the male Elf; the Liey'n was annoying, there was no doubt about that. And that smug look on his face was nothing if not unnerving- although come to think of it, there was something vaguely familiar about the man's features, though it was impossible for him to identify. Then he realized the Elf, annoying or not, had asked him several questions. He supposed there was no harm in answering them.<br/><br/><span style="color: #00FF00">"As for my friends over there,"</span>he indicated the corpses off to one side that the Elf had pointed out to him,<span style="color: #00FF00">"there <span style="font-style: italic">is</span> a better term for them. I prefer Imperial garbage. Or perhaps spineless cowards, if you're seeking some variety."</span><br/><br/>He held up the hand not clutching the kavodrum, indicating the brand located at the center of his palm.<span style="color: #00FF00">"When I reported for enlistment they told me I was unfit for duty. Too dangerous for the field,"</span>he said as he pointed at the eyepatch covering up the spot where his right eye should have been.<span style="color: #00FF00">"Those two soldiers didn't believe me. Which is why they decided to bestow upon me the love of the Empire." </span><br/><br/>His monologue was met with momentary silence as the group undoubtedly pondered on his words; he glanced west, remembering the next question he'd been asked.<span style="color: #00FF00">"A village burned and killed, eh?" </span><br/><br/>He took a deep breath in through his nose, inhaling slowly. The scent was mostly gone now, but earlier it had been unmistakable.<span style="color: #00FF00"> "I thought I smelled it. Destruction,"</span>he added thoughtfully.<span style="color: #00FF00">"But I was unaware of any villages being attacked. If it was around here, I presume it was a Liey'n settlement? Which means,"</span>he deduced as he studied the two Elves standing in front of him,<span style="color: #00FF00">"you have suffered losses."</span>He could see in their faces that they had- they had undoubtedly seen death, and much of it.<br/><br/><span style="color: #00FF00">"Death brings an end to pain, at least,"</span>he said softly, almost as if speaking to himself but still loud enough to be heard.<span style="color: #00FF00">"At times it can even be considered a kindness. Preferable to living,"</span>he added with a joyless grin.<span style="color: #00FF00">"As for why the Empire would do such a thing, I've given up asking myself that question a long time ago,"</span>he finished sadly, abruptly forgetting his anger.<br/><br/>They had no idea- no one did. For all he knew Rivin was the only Dark Elf in all of Argonafht to be thrice-branded- the only one constantly under attack from every direction, met with hatred and distrust at every turn. There was no safety, not for someone like him.<br/><br/>Then he remembered the last thing the Liey'n Elf had asked him for, and felt his annoyance return.<br/><br/><span style="color: #00FF00">"I thought <span style="font-style: italic">I</span> was the one missing an eye. Are you blind? I am a damned Dark Elf! Full blooded! You expected me to wake up, tied up, and assume I was amongst long-lost friends? How long would I have lived with such foolish thoughts in my head? My corpse would be nothing but dust by now, my name remembered by none. I am what I needed to become, in order to survive. I am what this world has made me."</span><br/><br/><br/>Rivin didn't know anything about this Elf or his purposes, but at the same time he figured someone trying to trick him would try harder to be less irritating. No, this one was annoying as only an honest person could be. Also, he hadn't taken anything from his flask, not even a sip. Rivin could appreciate that, at least.<br/><br/><br/><span style="color: #00FF00">"You want a reason to trust me? I hate to disappoint you, but there exists no such proof. And you would be a fool to accept any I tried to offer you."</span><br/><br/>Rivin sat down on the ground, crossing his legs under him. He stared down at the soil, wondering if today was the day he would find peace. Perhaps he should've been more trusting of others in his youth. Then he would be dead, without the need to worry about anything.<br/><br/><span style="color: #00FF00">"You speak of trust and friendship as if they are cheaply bought and easily granted- tell me, how long have you been on the road, in the wilderness? My guess is not long at all, for there is much you have not yet learned. Trust earns the knife. The roads are treacherous, and contain more dangers than only the Empire." </span><br/><br/>He fingered the long scar running down his right forearm; years before, a beautiful, smiling Liey'n girl had befriended him and eventually taken him to her bed, promising him a night he would never forget. Later, he had awoken to find the girl and her brother standing over him, seconds away from slitting his throat. The gash he received on his arm instead healed in time, but he just barely escaped the town with his life after being accused of murdering the siblings in cold blood when all he'd done was defend himself.<br/><br/><span style="color: #008000"><span style="font-style: italic">But it was my mistake</span>,</span>he thought bitterly.<span style="color: #008000"><span style="font-style: italic">I chose to trust, fool that I was.</span> </span><br/><br/><br/>His head was throbbing slightly, the pain pulsating across his skull from the point where he'd been hit. Joh'wat… he regretted not being conscious when the man was killed. Would've been nice to see it.<br/><br/><span style="color: #00FF00">"Perhaps if I cared more I would try to convince you that I can be trusted. But I'm tired,"</span>he said as he uncorked the flask and took a swig. The liquor burned its way down his throat, warming him from the inside out. He reluctantly replaced the stopper, deciding it wouldn't be prudent to drink it all in case he lived another day. Just in case.<br/><br/><span style="color: #00FF00">"I'm tired, and I feel that a man trying to deceive you would probably do a better job of persuading you than I could. I can only speak the truth as I see it. However, I think your other offer sounds acceptable,"</span>he said as he glanced up at the female Elf, smiling as he glimpsed the knife hanging at her side.<br/><br/><span style="color: #00FF00">"If, what was it? Era? The Si'akt. If she wishes to behead me then she's welcome to it, although my only request would be that she avoid messing up her pretty finge-"</span><br/><br/>Rivin stopped mid sentence, his eyes widening and his mouth opening as a sudden realization dawned on him.<br/><br/>The fireball had been very small, but a full Liey'n Elf would have been burned at least a little bit. This Elf, however, had snuffed it out as if he hadn't felt it at all. And there was the fact that the man had seemed vaguely familiar to him…<br/><br/>He stared up at him, having finally figured it out.<br/><br/><span style="color: #00FF00">"You're a Dark Elf." </span>