After iXi had confessed her love to Dannae but she ran away before the shocked Nolthrir responded. This was the day before Dannae responded and the rest almost never happened. Back home, revolution had changed all that iXi had known.


    The cool air felt good as it gently blew past the wooden bins full of various fruits and vegetables in the market place. Flags, of all colors,  gently flapped and the tarps over head shaded the goods for sale. iXi squeezed gently on a large avacado to see if it was ready to eat for lunch, when she noticed the light gleam off of the gold ring she had just purchased, hoping to one day give it to the love of her heart. She pondered a moment about whether or not a woman with webbed fingers could wear this ring...how did she ever become such a dreamer? ...   but then, out of the corner of her eye, she noticed someone glancing her way. With out reacting, she continued with what she was doing, as if she had not noticed, but, inadvertently maganged to pass her gaze across that person. It was a demorian male in typical peasant clothes, apparently looking over some melons. Yet upon closer inspection, she noticed the shoes were refined leather.
     Feeling cautious, she acted very uninterested in the man, and made her way in the other direction, when she noticed, yet another similar one at the end of the aisle. She knew from her own past that teams of two were all that was needed to stalk and overcome any unsuspecting victom. Not knowing if this had anything to do with her, did not matter, but she did know,  however, that something was up, and it was time to leave.
     She casually walked down the aisle and past the demorian she was facing and gave an innocent smile as she inspected his face. His eyes gave him away... he recognized her. With out reacting, she managed to look over some apples just around the end of the aisle, and slipping off her golden ring. Making it look as much as she could like an accident, the ring fell out ahead of her onto the stone floor of the Hydlaa street, and it rolled. 
    "Ahh no!" , she exclaimed as she innocently chased after it, and picking it up as it came to the corner of a building, she vanished beyond view of the mysterious demorians. She was not going to wait around for them either. Taking off in a dead run, she made her way around the first turn, ..... only to run face to face with two more male demorians and one female.
    iXi came to a complete stop in total surprise. The red haired woman was dressed in red an black fine silk dress, with cream colored lace and high collar that framed her face like royalty. She extended two black , silk covered arms and hands  saying:
   "Debonara...  how I have missed you !"
 
     "DRAKKU?"
 
     The refined demorian smiled and answered, " My... look what has become of poor iXi.... you are dressed like a pauper...  I imagine you must miss all your finery." She lifted her long flowing skirt to show shiney boots and layers of petticoats.
iXi was stunned.
     "What are you doing here?, she stammered.
     Drakku smiled again as her guards stood by her.
     "I am here to make you an offer, dear, lost Debonara."
     "YOU don't get to call me that name anymore....  ever.", answered iXi firmly, while eyeing the personal guards. " Only people close to me may use that name."
      Drakku faked offense.
     "Oh, you wound me.... have you forgotten when you used to come to my chambers?"
     "I clearly remember how desperate I was..." iXi answered, "... just to have some one warm that did not have a 2 day beard and smell like wine.  I was so lost then, even you were better than nothing."
      "Temple whore is what I would call it.", Drakku answered with a smile. " That first night you came to me... you had nothing on at all."
      iXi's face pained at the memory, "Molested by that fat friar Jestin. I just could not be alone that night. I was dying in side!"
      " Well he's dead now, so feel better,....  Debonara", Drakku quipped , repeating the name to hurt iXi with even more memories.
      iXi closed her mind to the pain and changed the subject...  "So, tell me... who was left standing when the blood stopped flowing?", iXi asked thinking about events and rebellion back home.
     "You rememeber that little worm, Efrek ?", Drakku answered, "Well after the warlords all killed each other... he was left standing.  In fact... Debonara... that is why I am here... Efrek thinks you can be of value to us...  those who followed the ideas of your father, need to be brought in to the mainstream with us. You have the dedication, the charisma and are just wild enough to do it.  You have your father's name.
   Just think ..... you live in the castle again.. only.. not as Highfather's whore, but as a Lady of power and influence... luxury... clothes... baths... even servants...."
     iXi blurted out," I have renounced Dakkru and grounded my life in Xiosia and her love! "
    Silence fell as the two women stared at each other. Drakku leaned her head to the side and squinted her eyes. She spoke first.
    "iXi Veno...  Xiosia...... are we talking about the same iXi that hung a farmer upside down in his well for a day until he converted to serve Dakkru?  ... The same iXi, who herded sixteen cattle into a rancher's house while he was away.... locking them in, because the rancher was late on his taxes?  The same iXi, who burned barns, left slaughtered pigs on porches, had relations with every member of the Supreme Cult several times, who started drinking sacrificial wine before learning to spell ,  ... "
   "ENOUGH!", yelled iXi covering her ears with her hands.
   "Oh and I am not even half way through the list of wonderful imaginative things you did for the faith, How many did you kill? How many did you maim? ....  and who was it that took my innocence....  Debonara ?"
    "I have confessed all those sins to Xiosia.", iXi answered in a quiet tone.
     "NO not sins....", Drakku snapped back, " Service and dedication to your faith and state. Believe this... I once admired you for it."
     iXi had no answer. Drakku was thinking about how a person like iXi could ever come to this pitiful state of mind. Then it hit her.
    "Xiosia... hmmmmm....  the same thing that got the last Highfather.....   oh... oh....  oh no.... do NOT tell me....  you are with that same preistess he was!"
     "No, I am not.", answered iXi honestly.
     "What a strange look you have on your face, iXi Veno..... I have never seen that look on you before...  did you kiss her?"
     "Not even once."
     "Sleep with her?"
     "No."
     "Feel her body upon you?"
     "NOTHING has ever happened.", yelled back iXi.
      "She's a Dammned Blue Gi...", shouted back Drakku, just as iXi's hand smashed across her face, sending her to the ground.
The two guards instantly had knives at iXi's throat and belly, but Drakku actually began to laugh as she stood back up , rubbing her red, swelling face.
      "Oh, it is obvious now.... you LOVE her....iXi,  don't be a fool!  There is nothing for you here... and back home... a real life awaits you.... forsake all you have here in this place and come home.  Come back now. Efrek will choose a good man for you for children, and as it always was, you can still love anyone else you want.
         iXi's eyes filled with tears and she started to shake.
       "Look at you.....  lost... alone.... grasping at desperate straws to find meaning in this empty life you lead here....  Forget it.... leave it...  Come back to us, now.  We can't wait forever."
        With that, Drakku snapped her fingers and two more guards came up from behind iXi, and Drakku and her personal guard departed down the alley.
     
        iXi stood shaking in the empty street. What had she forsaken for the love of someone who had not responded to it? Had she lost her mind?

The Winch Interviews

   “Hmmm…”, came the voice of the gray haired Ylian, from across the large oval table, as he studied the application through his gold rimmed glasses. After a moment, he looked up at the innocent appearing demorian lady, in her off white, conservative dress.
After a moment of looking her over, he glanced to an elder fenki to his left. Seeing this signal, she began to speak to the demorian.   
   “Surely, miss…. Ahhhh”, She paused as she glanced at her copy of the application, “… erm .. iXi Debonara Veno… Surely, you understand that we of the Winch Qualifications Society bear the load of consequences for our decisions and actions…. And that if we just let ‘Anyone’ join our society… well… soon we would be yet another Hydlaa…. And we all know the Dome does not need that!”
   All of the elders at the table chuckled and glanced at each other in agreement.
   iXi looked upon the judgmental board, remembering a time in her life that she had mercilessly tortured this exact type of people all in the name of her faith.  She did not fear them but she did understand their power over her at this moment. She returned an innocent and sweet smile and spoke in a soft tone.
   “Please, may I ask for some specifics that affected your desicion?”.
   “You have both questionable and mysterious history.”, came the quick retort from a gray haired demorian male.
   “You belong to a guild that excludes members of society.”, came another comment.
   “We have evidence of your intentions to marry, yet the Octarchs have no record of it on file.”
   “And there is the question of your origins… from where you came, and under what circumstances you are here…”
   “I Thank You, fine members of the Winch Qualifications Society, for your fair and reasonable considerations.”,  iXi responded before even more could be brought out.
   “Perhaps…”, she continued with a gentle tone and smile, “ Perhaps, I might obtain work papers for passage, with one of the trading companies.”
   A silence fell over the room.
   “Hmmm, good luck with that…”, came the response.

      *      *      *      *      *      *       *      *      *      *      *      *       *      *

   “iXi Debonara Veno”, spoke the well dressed demorian woman, extending her hand to the work force coordinator for the Mikana Trading Company. He was a dwarf with bright eyes that scanned her every curve faster than lightning. His scanning gaze stuck on one spot in particular… her exposed cleavage, made ever more obvious by the crushing force of the corsette she had forced her body into.
   “Forgive me, miss Veno, but as charming as you are, I don’t see sales rep experience here on the application… just how is it that you can represent the Mikana Trading Company?”, he asked with a smile and  gleam in his eye.
   She pulled up a large pack full of items and set it on the desk. After taking a close look at her interviewer, she smiled and began reaching into the bag.
   “Perhaps you remember back when the Octarchs decreed that all vendors would be on a new system… and all the old items in transit were simply declared unfit for trade… well… those are all still good items and products… they just don’t have the new official seal on them… other than that, they are all new. Ahh, forgive me for this, but… in case you need some hair dye, rug dye,  and some special soap, maybe ink and paper for your desk, not to mention a nice bottle of expensive wine… I just happen to have many of those items left over from before the big update to the trading laws.”, she said, placing all the items she mentioned on the desk.
   The dwarf quickly examined each of them, getting a gleam in his eye and a slight smirk on his face. He understood the street value of these items quite well.
   “You do seem to have a fairly good understanding of business. We could start you out at the office in Oja…”
   “Winch.”, she answered emphatically, meeting her eyes with the dwarf’s.
   “Oh, …. Well… for that….”, he grinned as he leaned forward on top of his desk, “special arrangements might need to be made…”, reaching his hand out towards her cleavage.
   A hand moved with the speed and accuracy of a trained assassin and the dwarf found his hand being held at the wrist and deflected off to one side.
   “Oh, not on the first day…”, she smiled as innocently and well practiced as any spy, batting her eyes.
   As she held the wrist, she leaned towards him, showing a better angle for him to view.
   “Oh and look!”, she spoke with a grin, “ I seem to have a Dark Circle ring in the pack .” She carefully laid the valuable and hard to obtain treasure in his hand.
   “I have Winch papers right here!”, the delighted dwarf muttered looking at the splendid view. “No problem at all… and allow me to welcome you to the employment of the Mirkana Trading Company.”
   

  For over a week, the small herd of rivnak had been grazing the sparse fields of grass, as the days had be unusually dry. Unseen by the alpha leading the herd, was a still figure in the bushes nearby.
   iXi's eyes had come to focus on only one of the herd...  it was a smaller one, with one horn shorter than the other. It always fell behind the others as they grazed and it only got the scraps the others missed. This demorian, raised in an opportunistic world, saw a chance...
  The rest of the herd had moved to the nearby lake, which had shrunk to a muddy pool. The little runt of the rivnaks sniffed the ground in search of food.
   Slowly, and deliberately, iXi made her way out from the bushes with an apple in one hand, and a big handful of juicey green grass, that she had picked from around the Hydlaa Temple of Lanx when no one was looking. She did not approach the animal directly, but, made an arc, always sure to look away and show no direct interest in the animal.
   Closer and closer she came, until it suddenly jerked it's head up in surprise to see her.... and a hand full of lush, green grass being held out to it.
    "Hello, baby...  ", came a voice almost singing, " you are soooo pretty... yes you are...  pretty little baby ... Momma's got some grass for you,  .. yes she does... hmmmm !".
    The rivnak stiffened and looked unsure whether to run , or to look at the grass in the stranger's hand. Then out came the apple.
    Making kissing noises, she slowly came closer, as smoothly as any predator ever stalked.
    "Here...  Hmmmm.... pretty baby, you are sooo cute... yes you are... you are soooo sweet...  Momma's got a sweet apple and some grass.. cmon..   here it is... cmon little baby.... hmmmm..."
     The rivnak flared it's nostrils and became interested in the offering. The musical tones of the stranger did not seem aggressive, nor threatening.... so it ventured a step closer.
     iXi's heart almost jumped out of her chest and she stiffled the urge to smile... she knew that showing teeth might not be wise at this time.
     "It's ok... oooo kaay....  baby baby..   come on... now...  smell this wonderful grass.... hmmmmmm".
      The animal swayed and sniffed at iXi, which showed clear interest. iXi's other hand slowly reached behind her, where she had, hanging from her belt, a hand made bridal that she had fashioned from bendable branches.
      "Come on, my little baby baby, sweet thing. Momma's gonna take good care of you, and feed you, and ride you until those short little legs fall right off,.. yes she will...  yes she will."
     The rivnak took one last sniff of the grass and bit into it. iXi could hardly stand the excitement, and yet was as poised as a statue. Slowly the apple came up with the bridal, and the rivnak sniffed it, but returned to the grass in her hand.
     She started humming softly and let the beast lick her hand as it forgot all fear, and began to bite into the grass again.
    "That's good little baby baby.... yes.. momma loves you... yes she does."
    It was then that she realized this animal was too well kept to be wild... it must have been tamed at some point, though it did seem to follow the herd. She wondered if it would take the bridal with out a struggle, and so she began to pet the animal's neck and the little rivnak allowed it. Reaching up to the ears, she began to gently scratch... and the beast leaned into her.
    She could not help it...  laughing out loud, she brought the bridal up and tried to fit it on... and the rivnak did not resist.
 
   "I beg your pardon, mi Lady." came a rough, male voice from behind somewhere.
    Surprised, iXi turned her head around to see an einki, old and leaning on a rough made crutch. Looking down, it was clear the one leg was not well, perhaps scarred. She did not know what to say.
   "I am sorry to bother you.", the feline face went on, " but can you show me the way to the Bronze Doors?"
    Still surprised, it took iXi a moment to respond.
   "Wow.... that is a long way from here... down this road...but... ( looking at the cripple leg )... it is gonna take you a while...  you are not in a hurry are you?"
   "How did you know?," the greying einki answered. " I am going to meet my son and his new bride, but I got the days mixed up and I am already very late."
 
   "Right....", answered iXi thinking way too fast. Looking at the leg and hearing the story, she knew what she had to do. She smiled at the stranger and said in overly pronounced syllables...
"Day emm it ..... ", closing her eyes in frustration. " You need a ride...  one you can keep and help you with that leg thing... don't you....  doncha doncha doncha...".
   "Mi Lady??" , came the elderly response.
   "Guess who is smiling on you today!", she said openly, but under her breath saying, "not me."
   The old enki looked confused.
 " I just HAPPEN to have what you need...  a well fed... already trained, with bridal.... rrrrii...", she could hardly say the word. After all , she had spent weeks trying to catch one. "Rrriii...  rrriv...."
  "Rivnak." said the enki matter of fact.
  "Yes.... that....", answered the deflated demorian as she handed the bridal to the elder. "Take it... you need this..... and remember, that Xiosia loves you and may she bless you every step of you path... and ah...     you know.".
   The eyes of the old one lit up for joy.
   "REALLY??? "
   "Sure... we who serve her, show her love through us.", she answered, wanting to believe it. " And you should go now... because some of us weaker followers just might in some challenging and frustrating situations unexpectly thrust upon us by what i used to call piss poor fortune might actually change their minds.... so... let me help you up."
   "Oh I will never forget Xiosia for this!", the old einki exclaimed accepting the assistance to mount the animal.
    " Oh, I won't forget it either.", iXi responded trying not to sound sarcastic. "It's just down that road that way...".
 
    As iXi watched her hope and dream walk away with an old enki on it's back, a yellow bird flew down and landed on the ground in front of her, pecking at the dirt and chirping happily.
iXi looked down with squinting eyes and said :
 
  "Oh Shut up!"

I would like to suggest and introduce some terms that we may all benefit from.. unless this has already been done.

1.   Immersion Emotion - this is what all stories can do for us... movies, plays, books, ... all allow us to experience events and emotions of characters... we can cry at the pain and sorrow, we can laugh at the joy, we can feel the love and passion, ache for revenge, and know the fear... and so much more.   These are things we need and love in our lives.  For me, I keep certain movie moments alive in my mind as if they were part of my life...  jokes from Young Frankenstein, for instance.

2. Spill Over - When the IE ( immersion emotion ) lingers into the next day or so... i call that spill over... several times I wake up for work and still have something from a movie or even a RL event still in my emotions, and it carries over into my next day. Motivational speeches, Sermons, Political Rallies and such depend on this.

3. Spread - When spill over becomes more long lasting than usual , and affects the underlying emotions that we have during non-related events.    Do the underlying emotions happen during work?  ... times with family?  ... sitting in traffic ?

4. Saturation - This relates to the degree of all the above. Do we think of our lives In Game even when we are tying to live  Real Life instead?  Do we have much of life that is not In Game?

  I would love to share discussoins on this... being new to it, I am learning... for me.. I have experienced Spill Over, that has Spread into my work days... at one time with heart ache and other times with loving joy.... wow.
  ... a few times I even hit Saturation levels of IE
   OK, I have way too much respnsibility to let that get too far out of control.. but I would appreciate others sharing their experiences, so perhaps , we all can benefit and keep healthy as we enjoy this wonderful  and involving form of entertainment.

 La Crank

thank you all for the wonderful emails and posts....  nice to know folks have a good spirit.... 


   I will be taking the stream down soon....      just wanted to say that I appreicate you all..     especially since we spend so so much time together online.


La Crank