With a low grunt, Rashar says, "What do you want here?"


You have emoted: Trager's nostrils flare at the sudden shift in surroundings.

Rashar stands upon the waters effortlessly, as if it was solid beneath his feet. Much to your
surprise, you too seem to stand effortlessly upon the waters.

Rashar says to you, "Why? What's it matter to you?"

You have emoted: Trager fixes Rashar with a blank stare, his head shaking slowly. "Forgive me, I was
momentarily worried for both your sake and mine," he states calmly, "Perhaps I should not take the
time."

"You were worried for my sake?" Rashar queries in response, an obvious air of disbelief evident
amidst his tone. "That would make a first as of late, brother."

You have emoted: Trager offers a derisive snort of before kneeling down and attempting to scrub
himself clean from the awful stench clinging to his body.

You say, "I have -never- stopped caring for you brother. To say anything else would be to lie to
yourself."


Eyebrow raising as he disregards your last comment, Rashar says, "Lord says you're having some
issues with fellers around here. You going to take care of that?"


You have emoted: Trager narrows his eyes slightly as his lips twist upwards to reveal something akin
to a snarl. "What exactly am I supposed to -work- out here, brother."

Rashar steps towards you, his footsteps leaving light imprints upon the water as he approaches.
"There it is," he declares with a wistful nod, lips parted in a sarcastic smirk. "It's coming out."

You have emoted: Trager backpedals slightly, attempting to keep the distance between himself and the
larger Yeleni. "I-I'm fucking fine, Rashar," he spits out, "Just back the fuck away from me."

"Are you though?" the Yeleni coolly spits back out with little hesitation. Rashar takes another step
forward to match your step backward before he pushes a finger to prod you in the chest. "You keep
asking for distance, running away like a hound with its tail between its legs," he remarks, head
tilting to the side as if to watch for a visible reaction from his words. "Do you really think
running away is going to fix your problems?" he asks harshly, his voice booming as it echoes across
the surface of the water around you. "Are you really -fucking fine-?"

The latter question escapes the Yeleni's mouth far louder than his frame would otherwise allow him
to do, a visible ripple of energy pushing outwards that causes tremors in the water as the words
push from his lips.

You have emoted: There it is, the beginning, the tell-tale glint of something wild, animal-like, in
nature. Goose flesh ripples into existence over Trager's skin, accompanied by a soft shudder that
spasms through his form. "You know I'm not," he rumbles hoarsely, his breath hitching in his throat,
his chest beginning to rise and fall with an increasingly quick tempo. "But you don't -care-," he
snarls heavily, "You have your perfect life, your perfect woman, your perfect -family-!"

"I don't care," Rashar spits back remorselessly, his hands lifting in a sort of 'woe is me' gesture
as they tilt towards the heavens. "The blame is on me, -I- don't care, Gods forbid Trager does a
damn thing wrong," the Yeleni chides. His flint-colored eyes flare to life in a fiery hue, auburn
shifting to be the dominant color of the orbs as their scrutinizing gaze is leveled upon you. "Is
whining about what you don't have going to make that of which you wish most for magically fall into
your lap?"

And then, ironically enough, figures begin to appear behind you. A lovely-looking Tsol'aa woman that
bears a ring upon her middle finger identical to one that seems to have mysteriously appeared upon
your own. A child runs upon the water's surface behind her - a boy in the spitting image of yourself.
 He runs forward to tackle at your legs from behind before releasing a mischievous giggle.

"Daddy, I got you!" the boy triumphantly declares.


A young boy says, "I win, right! I got you this time daddy!"


You have emoted: Something twists in Trager's eyes, a stab of emerald green attempting to push
through his now thoroughly dilated eyes, drowning into the empty black of them. His gaze flicks
between the figured appearing before him, back to his brother, then back to the little boy once more.
 "No," he whispers hoarsely, "N-no, don't dangle something that could never hope to be in front of
me. It's not real, it's not real, it's not real..." Again and again he repeats those final words,
falling to his knees as his hands reach up to clutch the sides of his head. Finally his head snaps
up once more, his eyes finding his brother's once more, "I TRIED TO CHANGE!" he bellows, the sound
ripping forth from his throat nearing a scream, "But you -ignored- me brother, you all but said you
were DONE with me!"

And then... there is no Rashar. He's gone. Whisked away without so much as a sound. The woman at
your side offers a comforting rub of your back as the boy tilts his head to level a concerned peer
in your direction.

A young boy says, "Daddy? Why are you sad? Stop it, you're making me sad."

A gorgeous Tsol'aa woman says, "Stop it love, shh. It's alright. I'm here for you."

A gorgeous Tsol'aa woman's fingers continue rubbing at the top of your back, her touch quite real as
she attempts to soothe the pain from your form. Her fingers trail upwards to lightly rub at your
neck as she whispers soothing words.

You have emoted: Some sudden shudder inside of Trager heralds the sudden stream of tears that begin
pouring shamelessly down his face, dripping slowly into the water below. "You aren't -real-," he
chokes out as heavy sobs begin to wrack his form, "You can never be, I will never allow it to happen.
." The normal hue of his eyes have returned, that animalistic demeanor appearing to have been ripped
from his body, "I won't ever hurt you, -ever-, I won't let myself, I won't let this happen.." His
head falls once more at the woman's touch, huge, wracking cries still shuddering through his body.

Just like Rashar, the woman and little boy are blown away with a breeze, their forms dissolving in
the air like the smoke of a cigarette, the black wispy forms curling and twisting before dissipating
in their entirety.

The waters begin to ripple before you, churning and rippling as slowly they begin to rise into a
humanoid figure that's revealed to be after a few moments the Maelstrom. As He appears, the water
beneath your feet no longer feels quite so solid, and you're sent to plunge down under its depths.

You have emoted: Trager offers one single, choked cry before plunging into the water. Immediately
his legs begin a furious kick, his arms swaying out beside him in an attempt to swim back up above
the surface.

You're quite capable of swimming. You know this - and yet your body hardly seems to want to bring
forth the action necessary to bring yourself up towards the surface. The water is so cold here,
frigid even as you're dragged further and further below. The lower you go, the darker it gets, yet
all the while the Maelstrom's face is quite visible above the water, watching you as you sink into
the tempestuous depths.

He offers no hand to you. No assistance. Nothing. He watches.

His voice seeming to rumble from the waters as a whole that surround you, loud - almost deafeningly
so, Slyphe, the Maelstrom says, "This is what you're forsaking Trager, if you do not reign in your
emotions. All of it. Gone."


You have emoted: "Why, Father? Why, why, why, why... What have I done, no, NO! I am not done!"
Trager's thoughts ring out inside of his mind. Gone is any of the taint that ruled his thoughts
before, his voice simply a mass of trembling, terrified thoughts.

His voice softening, yet still seeming to come from every direction at once, Slyphe, the Maelstrom
says, "Tell Me what you want Trager. What do you want to do?"


You have emoted: Trager's attempts to reach the surface are swiftly starting to die out, to fail.
His lungs scream for air, and little pinpoints of darkness begin creeping up along the edge of
vision. His eyes offer one more glint of desperation as he hears your words and then they are calm,
as he resigns himself to the fate. One final, burst of air from his lungs, all of it vacating into
the words that come out muffled and dim beneath the water, "TO LIVE."


The very moment the words escape your lips a forceful rush of energy pushes you up towards the
surface at an almost dangerously-rapid pace. You burst above the surface in less than a handful of
seconds, your body suspended above the water - above the Maelstrom even as His gaze is locked upon
your form.

Slowly, pointedly, Slyphe, the Maelstrom says, "When the body is pushing you for something so badly,
it is ultimately the mind that will make the decision, Trager. Listen to your mind and your heart,
not your body."

You have emoted: Trager erupts amongst a riot of coughing, choking and heaving breathes. His eyes
flick to meet your form, even as his body tries to expel the water he had swallowed on his swift
decent into the ocean. "I-I, ye-yes, Fath-.." he chokes out, his breath short, but ladened with
weariness. No fight remains as he lies suspended in the air, just the occasional dribble of water
trickling out his mouth, down, across his chest.

Slyphe releases an exhalation of breath as He studies you, then offers you a somber nod. "Things
must first be broken down before they can be built up again," He states. "You will understand My
actions, and maybe even come to appreciate them in time My son."