sigelphoenix

Title: Drabbles
Characters: Nexus, Margodah, Lyson, Vilda, Drannor
Word Count: 500
Summary: Snippets from various points in the campaign.
Notes: These are bits that never became larger fics, or are parts of fics that are unlikely to be finished. The Margodah dialogue came from ratzeo.


I. Nexus and Margodah, soon after Malcanthet gave her to it as a gift (adventure 35)

"Do I need to eat my vanquished enemies? I don't digest so it's kind of a waste."

"..........

"..........................................

"... Maybe feed them to someone who does?"

"I don't know if many of my friends would want to eat enemies. How about Princess? She's Lyson's fiendish dire wolf, and she might want to. She already bites enemies a lot."

"... Are you mocking me?"

"No, I actually think they won't want to eat enemies. But I've seen Princess swallow the chunks she bites off sometimes, so she at least kind of eats people already. I don't want to force anybody."



II. Nexus and Lyson, the Iron Summit (adventure 36, specifically "Life on the Moon")

Nexus notices something odd about Lyson's behavior during the Iron Summit, but it isn't able to figure out what exactly it's noticing. The young man is quiet and seems stressed, but then again, all of them are.

Later, Nexus realizes that it hasn't seen Lyson all evening. But between meeting the Ordermaster of the Broken Blades of Tempus and accidentally bringing Urbanus to life in the temple, it doesn't get to look for him for awhile. Eventually it finds Lyson is absorbed in conversation with Princess. She seems to be keeping him company, so Nexus decides to leave them alone.



III. Nexus and Vilda, after she asks it out (adventure 39)

"I think I was a little bit in love with Kershach," Nexus tells her, and if Vilda doesn't think this is quite what a person should expect in response to her confession of love, she also knows that Nexus doesn't ever do quite what a person should expect.

"And I think I'm starting to be in love with you," Nexus continues. It takes her hand, touching palm to palm in the way that Vilda once called a 'nexi kiss,' since most of them don't have lips; and she feels the impulse to make her adamantine, lipless, bizarre, beautiful face grin.



IV. Nexus and Vilda, sometime after Luth breaks up with Jhaer (adventure 46?)

"Come on, Nexus! Everyone else on my team is using their partners' inside information for the betting pool. If you don't help me, I might as well kiss my gold pieces goodbye."

Nexus stared at Vilda, confused. "But Luth never talks to us about his and Jhaer's relationship. Well, except to Sid."

Vilda's glowing eyes flicker, a gesture she adopted when she lost the human ability to roll them. "Of course he's not going to tell people - that's why we're betting."

"If you need gold pieces, I can give you some," Nexus says.

Vilda makes a sound like sigh.



V. Nexus and Drannor, in between battle planning sessions (adventure 58)

"Why do you think she gave up?" Nexus asks.

"Pharaoh Erazema?" Drannor guesses, since the Company had just spent several hours discussing tactics against Mulhorand. When Nexus nods, he says, "I'm not sure we can understand what went through her mind."

"I can understand," it insists stubbornly. "I can understand being a slave, and worrying about your people, and losing your god. We ..." It remembers the sight of her in bloody Crusader glory, wielding Faithful Avenger in techniques more powerful than Nexus had known, but which it recognized instinctually as Stone Dragon. "We're the same," it finishes quietly, "I thought."