A Ranger Visits the Orphanage

*Ardylan sends a letter to the orphanage, addressed to all the children in general. It reads as follows.*

Quote :

I'm sorry to say that it may be a long time before I am able to come visit all of you again.

Some very serious things have happened in a place far from where you all are, and I have to work hard now to make sure those things stay far away. Not everyone always agrees with me or how I work, but trust me when I say I am doing it to protect people.

I hope to come and see you all again as soon as possible. I will try and send some gifts as often as I can. Remember to behave and stay out of trouble.

Love,
Ardylan

The Abbot arrives at the orphanage one morning and sees Ardylan's note. The children swarms around him, eagerly anticipating the day's lesson on martial arts. Elijah tousles their hair and motions them away gently as he reads the letter. A look of sadness soon dawns upon his face and for a few long breaths, the monk looks out of the window pensively, the letter still in his hand.

Going into a quiet room of the orphanage, the monk paces about, occasionally sighing and pausing for long moments. "... rash act... good lad... cooperative in his role as a prisoner... did his part without a fault..." He can be heard mumbling to himself, as he is deigned to do when in solitude. Imagining himself stepping into the skin of another, seeing the world as they see it, has become a regular exercise in the monk's quiet contemplations of late.

As the sun climbs to its zenith, the Abbot returns to the main hall and carefully places Ardylan's letter back on the table, laying it down almost tenderly.

*Accompanied by Elijah, Ardylan vists the orphanage one night. A few of the children were up and out of bed and came running to greet him immediately.

After some visiting and hushed laughter, Ardylan helps put the restless children to bed. He makes his rounds through the bedrooms, making sure each and every child was tucked in snugly.

The pair of elven children that he had made the strongest connection with earlier were soundly in reverie, so Ardylan didn't wake them. He did, however, spend a few extra minutes at their bedsides, brushing hair out of their faces as they rested, and smiling down at them the same way a proud parent would.

Before he leaves, Ardylan inspects a few leaks in the roof, estimating what he'll need to gather to fix them.*

"Ah, those look fixable."

Elijah watches the ranger go about tucking the children snugly into bed. It has been a long conversation with Ardylan, lasting deep into the evening. A conversation that ended with the monk inviting the ranger to visit the children, many of whom he has not seen for a while. Ardylan is clearly delighted by the invitation, the joy palpable on his pale countenance, made paler still by the silvery moonlight.

Beneath the pallor of the elf's face is a loyalty fiercer than dragon flame... He is a good lad with a good heart, but oft torn by the yardsticks of those around him... Elijah stirs himself from his musings, half-stifling a yawn. He gives the ranger a wan smile and a nod before excusing himself from the orphanage. As the gleeful squeals of the children fade away, the Abbot pulls his cloak tighter around him, grateful for the warmth that the Morninglord has shown him that day.

Elric upon noticing this smiles and nods "Elijah morninglord bless your wisdom"

He then climbs up to the roof. remaining on the ladder and extends towards ardylan an apple
asking a simple question as he does this "Do you understand a little more now?" without a hint of sarcasm or mockery in his voice.

*Seeing Elric appear up on the roof with him, Ardylan instinctively flinches. When he sees the apple, he exhales slowly. Holding several nails between his lips as he hammers away, Ardylan merely grunts a greeting at Elric and shakes his head, declining the fruit.

Ardylan finishes the board he was working on, using up the nails he had on hand - or, more specifically, in mouth. He wipes the sweat from his forehead and takes a seat on the roof, balancing easily as he faces Elric. He allows the paladin enough room to climb up on the roof with him in case he doesn't want to stay on the ladder.*

"I... I understand... why you got as angry as you did. I can at least see things from your perspective - knowing that you have a strict code of ethics you have to adhere to, and anything or anyone that deviates from it.... violates that code.... and appears to be evil to you."

*He sighs a bit, brushing his damp hair out of his face.*

"I just hope you know that killing someone like that is the first time I have ever done that. I don't go around slitting throats all the time... and honestly, I don't want to do that again. I felt sick immediately afterwards... but everyone yelling at me only made it worse."

*He pauses, then rubs at his eye briefly, blinking afterwards.*

I just wish everyone would have remained calm... come to me afterwards with their complaints about what I did... instead of ganging up on me right then and there. It hurt to have people I thought were my friends act like I was their enemy - especially when I never had the chance to explain why I did what I did. I've never felt so pigeonholed in my life.... suddenly I had no say in the matter and I had an angry mob after me....

Doesn't my intent matter at all?"

*He climbs up on the roof and sits*

Best intentions often misle us into wrong decisions. being good does not start at first rays of the glorious dawn nor does it end come night... it is with every action we take that we further the cause of good.

You have felt sick because you know it to be wrong... we can be certain the other side is evil because they would relish these actions. believe me when i would desire nothing less at times but if we surrender to these impulses how can we ever claim to be good or selfless?

We'll beat them don't you doubt... *smiling* but we'll do it our own way... a way that gives a better tomorrow for the children.

*He gets on the ladder again and starts to climb down* Oh and your not too shabby as a roofer *winks*

Strolling back to the temple from the Myth Drannor library, the Abbot spies two figures perched on the roof of the orphanage. A flicker of alarm flashes across the monk's eyes. The children!

Sprinting towards the orphanage, the monk whirls past the Lathanderite farms, fists clenched in a steely fury. As he draws near, the figures take on the familiar shapes of Elric and Ardylan. Blinking, he stops and stares at the two for a moment before giving them a warm smile and an approving nod.

"I better be more than "not too shabby" as a roofer. Let me know if the place starts to leak again. We'll know when spring rolls around and the snow melts."

*He sticks his tongue out at Elric as the paladin starts to climb down the ladder. Looking off into the distance, he sees Elijah and gives the monk a wave with one hand, then holds up his hammer in the other.*

"Fixed!" *He shouts out.*

*As he watches Elric climb down the ladder and walk away out of earshot, Ardylan gazes across the Morninglord's farmland and in the direction of the Temple to the Seldarine in Myth Drannor, far out of sight. He then mumbles something to himself quietly.*

"Do not doubt that we will beat them? .... Oh, Corellon, I have such doubts...."

Kraevis, sporting his black cap and red plaid shirt approaches the orphanage carrying a child over one arm. He gazes at the doors hesitantly and then knocks on them several times. Jimmy is unwary in his innocent youth, and merely glances around with great enthusiasm and curiosity...

...and it absolutely sickens Kraevis. He should have just let Jackal eat the scaleless brat and be done with it, a human child is a fine meal after all. No, no, strike such thoughts from your head. It is not our way. He shakes off his doubts and awaits someone's response.

The Abbot, who has since stationed himself at the orphanage after the gruesome incident involving Timmy, answers the door.

With his usual piercing gaze, Elijah studies the man in the red plaid shirt. "That's no way to handle a child. The poor boy isn't a sack of potatoes," the monk sternly admonishes the man.

He looks at him expectantly as though awaiting an explanation of some sorts. At the same time, he motions for the boy to be put down gently so that he can take a closer look at the child.

The scarred, tall man offers a smile and a nod as the door is opened. His gaze looks towards the child in his grasp at the mention and he forces a light chuckle while setting the boy down.

"Apologies, I've never really handled a child."

Jimmy seemed comfortable enough, as his disposition hardly changes upon being grounded. He continues to glance around curiously, oblivious of how close he came to slavery by the drow or the cruel denizens of Shadowdale or Free Haven. Or even how close he came to being eaten alive by the Jackal. Oh, the blissful ignorance of youth.

"About a tenday ago, the child was being held by leash and collar by a man many know as "Bernie", or Father McDouglas, who claims to run an orphanage in Shadowdale. He was accepting a charity of five hundred gold coins in exchange for the adoption of the child. It's... quite clear that his motifs were less than selfless. I humored the man and adopted the child, only that he may be given better care else where."

He gazes to the child again. This was not Kraevis's gaze, this was Jackal's. Months have passed since his last taste of human flesh, his lips almost twitched as he gawked at the would-be-meal. Kraevis managed to shake off the odd glare and take control before he began salivating.

"I... fear I'm no father, however. I was hoping he could be given better home here."

The monk spreads his arms in an inviting gesture as the boy, named Jimmy, runs towards him. For a moment, the child's youthful innocence seems to overwhelm Elijah as the vestiges of a smile creep across the wary monk's face.

Jimmy sneaks a peek around the Abbot's robed athletic frame and his eyes instantly light up at the sight of several other boys his age wrestling boisterously in the common room.

Not taking his eyes off the tall, scarred man, Elijah nods curtly, seeming to accept the man's explanation. "You have done the right thing. Shadowdale in its present state is the last place I would expect a truly charitable orphanage."

The monk watches the man's lingering gaze on the child. Many might have failed to notice the almost imperceptible twitch of the man's lips. Not the monk, however. For years, he has given himself to the study of human nature and self-control. Spotting nuances like this has been a favorite past-time; probing their underlying motivations a fascinating subject of study.

Elijah narrows his eyes for a brief moment, making it clear to the man that his odd glare has not gone unnoticed. "The boy shall be safe here."

Kraevis takes note of the abbot's threatening glare, but he retains his posture and tries not to draw much attention to the issue.

"Thank you. While I'm no longer the boy's caretaker, I'll make sure to... visit every so often, and perhaps leave some coin to help with his upkeep. His name is Jimmy, he's a mute and enjoys sweet rolls."

He gives the man an affirming nod and a faint wave to Jimmy and strolls off towards the boatman.