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[Galathan]

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The increasingly familiar feeling of lightheadedness rampaged up through his nose and spread to every corner of his mind. The white powder disappeared from his finger, but was replaced by the feeling of softness, like being wrapped up in a giant blanket. Tingles danced along the length of his spine and his body shuddered, letting him know that the feeling of euphoria had come again.
The light trickled into the caves through the distant entrance. The caves were becoming an ever more popular place for Galathan. The darkness hid him away from any prying eyes, and not too many travelers took the time to explore behind every stalagmite.
The beating in his chest resonated loudly in Galathan’s ears. His breathing became ragged and labored, but each breath was more delightful than the last. Everything that had happened in the past hours melted away in a hazy cloud of comforting bliss. The taste of damp air lingered on his lips as the sensation of coolness enveloped his skin. Those were the things that most people took for granted. Feeling gradually crept through his toes, up the arch of his foot to his ankle and further up his legs. His fingers flexed and wiggled, enjoying their newly restored sensation of leather surrounding them. The hardness of the dirt beneath his feet became almost overwhelmingly apparent.
Galathan kneeled on the ground, small and pointed rocks digging into his knees as the weight of his body rested upon them. “We’re gonna have a good time now, right?” A familiar voice asked next to his ear.
“We sure are, Bubbles. We sure are!”


* * *


Tatiana Alexi’s house always looked warm and inviting. The sandstone bricks and pavers glowed wondrously in the afternoon sun as brown and green vines crept silently up the front walls, as if attempting to conceal the little sanctuary from sight. Rows of brightly-colored flowers adorned the front steps in neatly organized lines. Each flower had a healthy aura to it, as if each and every one of them was individually loved and cared for. On the steps, next to the flowers, was a small bust of a resourceful blacksmith. Galathan chuckled at the statue, thinking of Tatiana’s skillful manipulation of metal.
However, the house appeared particularly warm and inviting due to the petit, buxom woman sitting on the balcony, who glowed even more wondrously in the afternoon sun than the sandstone. Galathan knew who she was, as he had met her before, if but briefly. From the floor below, he could hear her soft, content breath and the sound of her blonde hair brushing against her milky shoulder in the comfortable breeze. Her dress was the color of Sanctus.
“Quite a fair maiden. Such a lovely can not resist a charm such as yours. I bet she is very, very soft indeed.” Bubbles quacked secretively into Galathan’s ear. The little green baby duck nestled himself into the folds of Galathan’s dark cloak.
Galathan could only nod in response. Rays of sun soaked into his skin, every inch feeling as if in a blaze of fire. He stepped onto the stairs leading into the house and made his way towards the balcony.


* * *


The sound of banging pots and pans lingered on the outskirts of Galathan’s mind. He wiped his nose on the back of his gloved hand as he took stock of where he was. The trees were dark, as if the life had been sucked from them over the course of centuries. Their skeletal limbs waved with a certain menace in the air, as if they were fingers beckoning to the damned, pointing out the intruder full of life, threatening to drain him of his very essence and become just like them. Every building was made from blackened stone, giving each of them the look of a burnt-out remnant of a once glorious structure. Some of the buildings were adorned with cryptically grey pillars which pointed to the nebulous sky. There was not an ounce of sun light coming from up above, but instead black, wispy clouds circled overhead against the dark-grey backdrop of the sky. Umbra was not the most inviting place in the world.
Every time Galathan asked a local where he could find the tavern, he was rewarded with a glare that would melt ice, or a barbed comment that would sear flesh. Sometimes both. For the most part, he was treated like a foreigner who had absolutely no business there in the first place.
The chilled wind picked up, making the macabre tree limbs dance, the branches clacking together like chattering teeth. The howling did not help the pounding in Galathan’s head any, and only reminded him of his purpose there in the first place. His eyes welled up from the chilliness, and his cheeks became a deep red.
One of the locals’ tongues loosened enough as gold coins greased his palm to part the location of the tavern to Galathan. The tavern was not even a building, but a tent made out of dark bluish-black furs and hides. The roof rippled along with the breeze, threatening to offer no more protection to Galathan against the elements than his own cloak would.
Inside, two large tables took up the bulk of the space, only faintly illuminated by several small candles. The surly, dark-skinned proprietor was busy messily cleaving meat from a dead animal.
“Hello Tall, Dark, and Handsome.” The words were less than sincere as they pushed past Daeynaries’ lips. Almost sarcastic. The redhead sat at one of the tables, her fingers playing absently with the locket around her neck. Her demeanor could not have been more different than when they first met. Her warmth, sweetness, and seeming innocence had all but gone. Instead she was cold, distant, and calculating. Her poise was that of someone who truly did not care what happened, as she already had exactly what she wanted, and she had exactly what Galathan needed.


* * *


“Oh!” She exclaimed, giving a startled jump from her seat.
“Surely you remember me.” Galathan said softly as his fingers touched the top of her arm.
“Oh, yes. You just startled me. Unexpected touch always does that to me.”
“I didn’t mean to startle you.” Galathan’s words poured from his mouth like honey. His fingertips stroked the side of the blonde woman’s arm. She shifted her body slightly. “Am I making you uncomfortable?”
“No . . . it’s just not many people get this close to me. It’s like they think blindness is contagious. I am not used to it.” Galathan’s fingers did not leave her arm, but instead stayed fastened in place, touching her skin. She did not shy away. “It is just strange being touched without being asked.”
“In that case, would you give me the honor and pleasure of touching your hand?”
Ivory Wright smiled. “My hand? Sure.”
Galathan smiled, a titter escaping his lips as his fingers gently wrapped around the woman’s soft hand. The touch of warm, smooth skin against his hand sent a small shiver through him. It seemed like forever since he had felt such a sensation. “It’s just a hand. Why do you want to touch it so?”
“You are blind.”
“Yes, I am. I have been for as long as I can remember. Probably from birth.”
Galathan leaned close to the woman, whispering to her ear. “What if you had one day in which you could see? Wouldn’t you want to see everything?” Galathan remembered the analogy from speaking with Daeynaries.
“If I had just one day?”
“Yes. Just one day.”
“I would want to see the faces of my friends. I would want to see the faces of my parents. That is what would truly matter to me. But, my parents are dead so that would not be possible. If I had but one day, I would like to gaze upon a field of flowers, and watch the water glisten as it tumbles over a waterfall.”
Galathan caressed Ivory’s arm, making her startle from the unexpected touch. “Your hand is my field of flowers. Your skin is my waterfall.”
Ivory cocked her head to the side and lay rest her hand on his arm. “Did something happen to your hands?”
Galathan started laughing, a bit more so than was appropriate or necessary. Ivory continued. “I am a healer.” Her hands moved down Galathan’s arm and came in contact with his bare wrist. Galathan’s laughter stopped and he closed his eyes, the sensation of warm fingertips flooding his mind. “Did something happen to them?”
“Yeah, something happened to them.”


* * *


“When you lose something, be it sight, or touch, or . . .”
“Companionship.”
“Yes, even companionship. If you ever get it back, even if just for a day, you tend not to take it for granted so much as others might. You forget how truly precious such a gift is.” Galathan’s hand held Ivory’s lightly.
Ivory smiled. “Touch is very important to me as well.” Galathan looked at her, listening intently. The thought had not crossed his mind that she would find such a sense so important since she had it all along, but due to her blindness, it became apparent that it was probably just as, if not more, important. “I love the feel of cool water splashing on my face, or the touch of a downy feather, or the heat from one of Tati’s forges as it warms the chilly night air.”
Galathan thought for a moment. “It has been such a long time since I have felt grass between my toes, or the silkiness of warm bed sheets.”
“Or the feel of a woman’s touch.” Bubbles quacked with a bit of a chortle from his hiding spot in Galathan’s cloak.
Ivory gripped Galathan’s hand. “Come here, I want you to feel something.” There was a happiness in her voice, a musical quality that one gets when about to part with a secret. Galathan stood and was led by Ivory to the front porch which was scarcely decorated but for a large polar bear skin rug and a purple potted plant. “Stand on this.” She wiggled her bare toes on top of the polar bear rug.
Galathan grinned and knelt down, running his fingers over the fur. The softness was lighter than air and each little fur reminded him of a cushy cloud. He laughed as small sensations made their way up his arms. “So soft!”
Ivory grinned wide. “Here, touch this plant. It gives off a wonderful fragrance when it’s touched.” She motioned in the direction of the potted plant.
The leaf was smooth and cool between Galathan’s thumb and finger. Just as Ivory had said, the plant released a fragrance that was easy on the nose. The room became quiet and only the soft breeze of the wind could be heard, along with the gentle rustling of tree leaves. Galathan’s eyes began to sting a little as they welled up, tears trickling down his cheeks. A lone tear drop splashed on the ground, forming a little puddle.
Ivory opened her arms towards him in a motherly fashion. “Crying is a sensation, too. Tears are salty and warm and remind us of our emotions.”
“They are also bitter.” Galathan snapped, making Ivory jump at the sudden rise in voice. He stood up, tearing the leaf from the plant and discarding it absently. “Just for one day.” He said, almost to himself.
“Many things are temporary, including companionship and . . .” Ivory’s sentence was cut off by the sudden touch of Galathan’s hand on the side of her neck. It was not forceful, but it was not the touch of a true gentleman. The touch was greedy, the palm of his hand pressed against the lithe neck, and his fingers lightly digging in to the soft flesh. Ivory’s eyes widened, darting back and forth quickly but seeing nothing. Galathan could feel her pulse quicken through the veins in her neck.
“Yes, including companionship. What all of those things that we hold dear also have in common is that they are all incredibly fragile and can be taken from us in the blink of an eye.” He stepped close to Ivory, closing the distance fast, the front of his body pressing her back against the wall.
Ivory gasped. “Please don’t hurt me.” She said, barely above a whisper. Galathan’s eyes narrowed as he searched her face, as if looking for some sort of answer to a question he had yet to ask. Her lovely features were distorted by fear and her chest heaved almost in a panic.
Galathan’s fingers trembled and faltered, his grip on her neck loosening. Bubbles stuck his head out from the cloak. “She is very soft and fun to touch. Indulge yourself. After such a long time of deprivation, you deserve as much.”
“You’re right . . . You’re right.” Galathan said. However, a part of him screamed for him to stop. The part that was usually most bright and forthcoming reminded him that it was still there, even if buried beneath the overwhelming feeling of sensations and desires. He wanted to touch the world, to feel everything through his fingers, but not at the expense of harming someone.
Galathan’s hand fell from Ivory’s neck and laid by his side. A sound came from deep within his throat, a combination of sobbing and laughing. Tears of mixed joy, pain, and sorrow flowed freely like rivers. He did not know whether to laugh at the absurdity of it all, or cry because of the simple fact that he will never truly have his sense of touch back again.
“C’mon buddy, let’s go. We’ll go have some fun elsewhere.” Bubbles quacked reassuringly. Galathan gave a slight nod with his head, embracing Bubble’s consolatory tone, and walked down the stairs, leaving Ivory alone on the porch.
_________________
Galathan
"Survivor of Ormus"

[Starfire]

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As soon as Galathan left, Ivory fell to her knees trembling and shaking. She was sure he had been about to do violence to her and was not sure what blessing had led him away. Ivory took several deep breaths and called Dawg to her. She clutched him like a lifeline, burying her face in his fur. His very solidity, the familiar smell, drove her fears back. Ivory climbed to her feet, and gathered her staff from beside the bench where she had left it.

Cat, she needed Cat. When she was nestled between her pets she would feel better. That meant the long journey to Hanse's. Taking fortifying breaths, she took hold of the harness on Dawg. Tatiana had made the harness for her. It helped her feel Dawg's movements more clearly.

As she walked to the tavern, she thought back over Galathan's visit. He was acting so oddly, just as he had at the Odyssey. He kept acting so giddy over such small things.

Sighing a bit, she made the sharp left at the end of her house and continued along. But when he had held her throat, she felt true fear. It was the knowledge that just a small amount of effort would end her life. Menatlly, she chastised herself, "Stop, that Ivory, Mother taught you better than that. Stop moaning about might have beens, you are safe now." With a determined step, she finished her walk towards Hanse's.

She hurried around back and gathered Cat to her. With her beasts beside her, she felt better. She walked into Hanse's and heard Winzo about the place. As Ivory sat down, she felt her nerves start to unravel. There was something about knowing support was around that was always her undoing. It tended to make her weak and blubbery.

Winzo noticed her reactions and spoke to her about it. Ivory told him about Galathan's visit and how it had spooked her. She nearly bit her lip then as she knew it would spread quickly. She HATED feeling like a burden to anyone. Winzo rounded up Davaran and together they walked her home and saw her safely to her rooms.
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aka: Tatiana Thorn nee Alexi; Summer Kane; Ivory Skyfire; and others