A part of Dothaven, this temple stands behind the waterfalls at the base of the Dothaven Living Quarters' river. In it are statues and murals depicting various wizards and monsters, with the Malufel appearing dozens of times through out. It's almost like a shrine.

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Dothaven Living Quarters

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For some reason, the healing has left Skye rather quiet. His light is slowly coming back, but he still feels a bit weak.

Mi'ehna enter this temple silently, just watching him for a moment, analyzing him in her way. In a way, she hates people like him... off to theirselves, refusing to let others in. In a way she respects the solidarity of it. So... she's unsure.

"The murals in this room depict its creation, Skye. The failures that came before. The creation of it," she points to a picture of a man standing next to a man who... isn't exactly a man. "It was made from a person."

Skye regards her for a long moment before looking at the murals. "That makes sense," he says finally. "When I look at it, I can see bits of light clinging to it, but they don't seem to belong to it." He puts his book - which he's been writing in - back into his pocket and examines the walls. "Someone made the beast to gaurd this place..." he cocks his head to one side, thinking it over. He keeps forgetting he is in an alternate dimension.

"That is correct. To the best of my knowledge, it has no soul. No higher meaning, save for the hunt." Mi'ehna runs her hands along the wall, regarding everything that's going on. "What else do you need to know about it?"

"Is there any way to destroy it?" he asks hesitantly. He's a bit uneasy about destroying something that has no evil motives whatsoever.

"Just legends. Stories." She leans over, blows the dust off of a partially hidden section of the mural. "Here. This one is a picture of the beast being destroyed, but... it looks like it is being pierced by a sword. We know that does not work." She looks at him, eyes twinkling with traces of held-back pink. 

Skye grins, hand lightly stroking Fairfight's hilt. "You said some people believe those consumed by it aren't really killed. That they just go somewhere else. I believe that." He is silent for a long moment, examining the picture. "By the way," he says quietly, off-handedly, "I lied. The pink suits you better."

She just blushes, looks away, for a long moment. "I believe it, too. But I have been wrong about beliefs before." Looks back, but only slowly. 

"As have I," he answers. "I want to get her back... or at least know that she's still alive." He grins. "But I guess trying to get myself eaten wasn't a good idea?"

"Maybe not. But, look." She walks over to him and points up, just to his right and above his head. "See? Here, the men are running, and the monster is chasing them. Then," her hand moves to the right, "the monster engulfs them. Here," she lowers her hand to her own eye level, "the men stand, instead of running away. The monster does not engulf them. It teaches us that escape is its motivation." 

Skye nods. "That's why it tried to attack Momo that first time, because she was trying to escape." He has a sudden idea. "Do you think maybe he's trapped in here, too?"

Mi'ehna glances at him, brow creasing a bit. "I never thought of that. But... I would have to think so. I have never seen any exits, and the beast is always near..." she ponders this, looking over the murals.

"Do you think that Radish Moorn made the beast? Or does this place belong to all sorcerers?" Skye asks.

"Please," Mi'ehna lifts a hand, as if to ward off a blow. "Please do not say his name." She takes a slow breath, eyes twinkling like distant, pink stars amidst a violet sea of space. "I do not think he did. His palace is Moren Aiga, somewhere else. This place has proven to be communal."

Skye lets all of this sink in. He needs time to mull it over and decide on another approach at getting Momo back. Time, sleep, and prayer. Out loud he says, "I just want to leave this place..."

Mi'ehna looks to the ground, eyes cast away. "Me, too. I would have killed myself long ago, but... that is the easy way out of here. And it will not save the others."

Skye looks rather horrified at this news. "Why did you get sent here in the first place?" he asks cautiously.

"I do not want to talk about it," she answers, pleading more than declaring. Tiny sparkles of half-formed tears refract the light of her eyes, casting tiny rainbows along her cheeks, and she takes a half step back. "It is an unhappy story."

Stunned, Skye just stands there, not knowing what to do but overwhelmed with that desire to comfort. "I won't ask you about it, anymore, then," he says finally. "I need some rest before I have another attempt at getting Momo back. Would you let me sleep on your floor?"

"My floor?" She looks at him quizzically, head tilting a little bit. "I have a hammock and a spare cot, if you would rather."

"I prefer floors..." he grins. "I just wish I'd remembered to bring my lambskin with me."

"I am sure that I have something to suit." A trace of a smile, apologetic, thankful, and warm in equal parts, just crosses her lips. "If there is anything else you need to know, though... now is the time to ask. Before we go."

"What do you think would happen if we set the beast free?" He's been thinking about it for the past few minutes, actually.

"I..." she blinks. "I have no idea. How would you do such a thing? Can..." blinks again. "Can such a thing be done?"

He shrugs. "I'm not sure. But I like it better than letting it swallow me whole. Besides, nor would I like to destroy it, even if there was a way. I mean, it's not really evil. It's just doing what it was made for, really. Maybe it wants to be set free?"

Mi'ehna has to stop and think about this for a bit. "You know... you may be right. Look." She points to the opposite wall, where similar murals lay, but to one in particular. This one depicts the monster sorrounded by people, apparently around a fire or a shrine of some sort. "The monster does not attack until someone tries to escape, or crosses that line. Once or twice, the creature has entered our village, Skye. Just like that." Her voice softens a bit, recalling. "Each time was the day of a particular feast, celebrating the harvest season. The creature did not eat, but it sat with us at our table. What do you make of it?"

Skye frowns a bit, thinking. "It was made from a man, right? So that means it is human, in a way..." He looks at the image of the beast sitting with the people. "So maybe it wanted to be accepted by others..."

"After so long, I cannot imagine that any humanity remains. But I have been wrong about that, too." Her eyes drop a bit, still thoughtful. "Skye. What is that sword?"

Skye absentmindedly strokes the blade. "Fairfight?" he asks, confused. "It was made especially for me."

"I always thought that a person's weapon told more about the person than their clothes. You do not fit those clothes, but the weapon..." She chuckles, softly. "A good fit. Is there history behind it?" That she feels the need to speak upon a less Malufel-related subject is fairly obvious.

"It was a gift," Skye says. "My adoptive brother can make all sorts of weapons, and he gave this to me before I left." He holds it up so that she can see the pommel. It is engraved with a pattern of what appears to be a grape vine. "Sometimes, I can channel my light through it. But that's only happened twice, by sheer accident."

Mi'ehna admires the blade for a moment, recognizing the grape vine but not attaching any significance to it. "It is a fine blade. If I am not being too forward, why is it called Fairfight?"

Skye grins. "Because when I first started sparring with Vern, he insisted I was cheating. Whenever we decided we were going to practice with the swords, he would remind me to make it a fair fight."

"That is sweet," Mi'ehna coos as only a woman can, in a manner that, if repeated by a man, would result in a beating in most parts of the universe. "So you are a prodigy?"

He laughs. "I wouldn't say that. But I was certainly better at handling the sword. Vern was just faster. And he hated it when I switched hands." He smiles at the memory.

"Switched hands?" Mi'ehna perks up somewhat at this, intrigued. "You are good with both?"

He nods. "With swordfighting, I can use both hands. But for some reason I can only write with my left hand."

"Have you ever used a two-handed weapon? A spear, perhaps?" Mi'ehna is practically giddy. She loves this sort of talk.

Skye shakes his head. "Once, though, someone tried to teach me to fight with a bo staff." He makes a face. "I appriciated the thought, but I just couldn't see myself in a situation where I'd have to fight with a stick. Of course," he recalls, "Sometime after that I was arrested for carrying a blade in public and was forced to fight for my freedom. They gave me the option of fighting barehanded or with a bo staff."

"And how did it turn out?" Her face is one of a little girl sitting upon a grandfather's lap, listening to a story. It really is a massive change from the oddly grim girl of a moment before. Even the pink in her eyes is more evident.

"Well," Skye smiles, noticing her light slowly come back to pink. "I hadn't learned anything with a bo, so I opted to fight barehanded, blinded my oponent with a light trick, got arrested again for using "sorcery", and eventually bailed myself out for a handful of gold coins that I had all along." It had been a rather pointless trip, really. But it was a fond memory, anway.

"Even where force fails, gold wins." Mi'ehna chuckles softly, glancing away, then at him again. "I still have my old war spear. If you like, I can teach you sometime...?"

"I'd like that," he says. "But for now, I think we'd better go find the dancer. I could have sworn she followed us? I wonder what she's been up to..."

"Perhaps she changed her mind." Mi'ehna nods, though, and looks to the entrance of the temple. "She is a death dancer, though. I am certain that she is fine, and will find us when she wants to." She had started to walk, but stops and turns to face him again. "Skye, before we leave, there's something I want to show you." 

Skye nods, even though he's both puzzled and curious. What could she want to show him?

Mi'ehna walks past him, towards the back of the temple, and stops in the small frame of a door. It's short enough that even she, at five feet even in height, has to lower her head to get in. She beckons to Skye with on hand, and disappears inside.

Skye, being taller than her, has to stoop considerably to get through as he follows.

"I have not been totally honest with you all since you arrived," Mi'ehna admits, her hands trailing over the edges of a worn-out trunk. The room is uncomfortably small... cubicle-like, and lightly decorated save for a single shelf. There's just enough room for about three people in there. "Look at this." The latches of the trunk pop open, and she removes from within an ominous-looking rapier. It looks brand new, but a sort of timeless energy flows within it's form... distinctly resembling of the Malufel's energy. She holds the weapon out to him, handle towards him.

He takes it carefully. Something about it unsettles him, and he's sure that if weapons had light, this one would posess an errie brightness streaked with dark. "Was this forged with sorcery?" he asks finally.

"Mm-hm. This is one of the weapons given to the temples, to defeat the Malufel. It can hurt the beast. I..." Mi'ehna breathes a regretful breath, uncomfortable with what she's doing. "I kept it from everyone."

Skye nods. "Wise thing to do..." he thinks for a long moment. "That picture on the wall where the beast was defeated by a blade... could this be it?"

"This is it, yes. But... it guarantees nothing. The monster's strength is unbelievable. Fighting it is folly, even with the weapon, and I just cannot let people try. I only show it to you because I think you might understand." She looks at him, eyes pleading again. "Please understand."

He nods once. His fingers tracing lightly over the rip in his shirt over his right shoulder, he starts to think that maybe he and the monster aren't so different. He hands the weapon back.

"Please hold it. I want you to." She smiles at him, cheeks lit with rainbows again. She doesn't know why, not really.

Skye grins. "Fairfight might get jealous," he says, but gently wraps his light around it. Maybe weapons do have light, because he feels less uneasy about it once traces of his light touch it. He glances at her sidelong, realizing he prefers her being this cheerful.

"Come on," Mi'ehna gives her eyes a quick swipe, and smiles again at him. "Let's leave this place for now. We have nothing but time, so we will consider such serious things later. I should... find you something to sleep on." 

"Sleep sounds good..." he says. It has been a long day.

Mi'ehna doesn't answer that, verbally anyway, and simply heads out of the temple, ducking where appropriate. "Do you want to come now, or should I wait for you at home? Either is fine, if you have something else to do or if you do not." 

"I'll come now," he says, ducking out of the little room. He's really very tired and has much to think about as he falls asleep. "All I need is a corner to sleep in."

"I think I can handle that. Just follow me, then." Mi'ehna heads out of the temple, on the way back to her house. She has a lot to think about, herself, but doubts that she will sleep well this night.

(OOC: We'll just keep play on this page, until everyone's together again. It'd be problematic for Mi and Skye's edits to happen in between Hadone and Eleris's.)