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Bai pulled the bow taught, taking aim at the target. ~Nothing. Surrender yourself to the void. There is no self, just the arrow and the target. Drawn irresistibly together. Together.~ Bai became aware of the target once more as he lowered the bow, his shot having split the arrow he had previously placed in the target. ~Together.~ Bai pulled another arrow from the ground, drawing the bow once more. "You would have been spared this pain if you'd only listened to me Bai." "And if you had listened to your siblings we wouldn't be having this conversation Mirgianne." Mirgianne stepped forward, her sky blue robes swirling around her, the sunlight glittering off of her short cropped red hair. "Why do you insist on contending with me? It should be obvious that I'm wiser in these matters than you can ever hope to be." "Because you want me to rip my heart out, so that you can use it for your own purposes." Bai released the arrow, missing the target by a wide margin. "A few words and you lose your hard won focus Bai. She's returned your weapons to you, renounced her pledge. She lays now with another man, unthinking or feeling of you. And you stand here, struggling to believe in a future that can not be, hoping to be a father to her estranged daughter, whose only redeeming quality is that she tried to kill you outright rather than the slow torture her mother seems to prefer." Bai pulled another arrow from the ground and took aim once more, "She hasn't chosen him yet. She said she needed time alone with him to know her mind." Mirgianne snorted, "And you believed her. Why did I grant you the power to know truth from falsehood if you refuse to use it when it matters most?" "Because sometimes you simply have to have faith." "She seems to have faith in her ability to lead you on for as long as she desires. To keep whatever secrets she choses, all the while berating you for your honesty in your love and caring." "I have faith in Lini'leah." Once more the arrow missed the target by a wide margin. "Truly? And how do you intend to keep faith with her and still protect Yb? Or have you foresworn your duty to Yb?" Bai clenched the bow in his hand, his shoulders tense with restrained blows, "We will discuss the matter. Right now she's recovering from her ordeal in the Underdark." Mirgianne's glared at Bai with her hazel eyes. "So you would abandon your sworn duty to Yb for a woman who sees you as little more than a lapdog?" "She has not asked me to abandon Yb." "Is that how you're justifying this? That she can use you and then toss you aside as she sees fit because it means you no longer have to feel guilty about your true feelings for Yb." "We swore an oath as swordmates." "But you want her as your mate. You want her to bear your children and carry your heart. But how will you ever know if the child is yours or his. How can she carry your heart when she so casually tosses it aside to pursue him." "She has not tossed me aside. And as you pointed out earlier, I already search for her daughter that I might be a father to her. Any child she bears will be a delight to me." "Don't lie to me Bai. You should know better by now. And if you truly believe what you're saying then you're too far gone for my purposes." "It is your prerogative to strip me of my position at any time that you see fit. It would make any number of people happy." Mirgianne sighed, "And once more we come to this impass. I need you because you are unique in all the worlds...And you refuse to surrender your hopes and dreams, no matter how much we try to show you that they can never be." Bai pulled an arrow out of the ground and took aim, "It's my hopes and dreams for Yb that make me unique. You can't destroy my hopes and dreams for Lini'leah without destroying the very reason you chose me." "I could have her destroyed. Or curse her lover so that she leaves him." "It's within your power, but not your nature. You've been a god too long. You've lost the flexibility and creativity you had as a mortal." Bai released the arrow, striking the center of the target. "So be it Bai, I will permit you to continue to walk the path you've chosen. But remember, eventually I will stand in judgment over you. Consider in what light you wish to be portrayed when that day comes." Bai pulled an arrow from the ground, "Consider who I can bring down with me if you continue to threaten me Mirgianne." Mirgianne turned an angry gaze on Bai, "I will destroy you if you become a threat Bai." "I know Mirgianne, I know." Bai released the arrow, splitting his last shot down the middle. |
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