Hi guys,

Here is Jill's intro post. I'll send her bio also. For the timeline
consider that Talitha arrives in Marrid the same night Ailill wakes up
having breathing trouble (Day 2 - on my last timeline). hmm, I hope our
Healer can save her :) I'll be working on my marrid post this weekend.

Kris
**************

[Talitha]

Talitha rubbed her cheek against the soft velvet of Maelwith's favorite
dress doublet, letting the faint, musky memory of his scent fill her
nostrils.  Only a few months ago, he had worn it to the last Hatching
party, and they had danced the day -- and night -- away.  She could
remember his dark eyes flashing as he laughed, telling jokes and twirling
her around the dance floor.

A tear seeped into the shimmery, grey-green fabric before she folded it
gently, laying it in the small pile of things she would keep.  The last
memory she had of Maelwith before he had been assigned a stint with the
plateau's Protectionary Force, the politically neutral force that protected
the Eos Plateau from the stray *creatures* that sometimes made it over the
mountains or up the passes.  They had had brief visits, but never more than
a night or two before he had to return to duty -- or she did.

<Gor'd is here, 'Lith,> Prisma said quietly, and Talitha managed a slight
smile.

"Hey, traveler..."

"'Lith."  He held his hands out to her and Talitha took them with a
slightly more real smile.

"I'm so sorry.  I meant to come by sooner..."

"Given the dragon gossip, I'm not surprised.  I imagine Rhia has been
grilling you in her copious free time."

Gor'd grimaced laughing, and she laughed with him, surprising herself.

"You're right about that.  If it weren't so dangerous, I think that Rhia
would just jump on Queri's back and go visit this pocket...  It's amazing,
'Lith...  There are so many cities, and they don't --"  His voice trailed
off.  "They don't need the PF... They aren't constantly plagued by Wastes
creatures."

Talitha's full lips took on a wry twist.  "Sounds like an advantage over
Eos."

"Yeah...  Here, let me tell you a few stories..."

-----
[Next Morning]

Everything of Maelwith's was packed ready to take down to Supply, which
would decide what to do with most of it, and the apartment felt... empty.
Very empty.

'Lith's eyes scanned across it with an odd detachment, realizing, suddenly,
without Mael's belonging's that it wasn't *home* anymore.  More than that,
*Xylian* no longer felt like home.  Every rock and tree seemed to come to
her with a strange double vision, one that recognized it as being home, but
another, more dominant part, that did not care.  Mael's spirit -- or lack
of it -- seemed to infuse everything, and Talitha found it hard to generate
enough energy to care about it, or about protecting it.

She found herself standing alone on the snow-covered Green, without memory
of bringing Maelwith's belonging down, and 'Lith knew that she had to make
a change.  She wasn't useful to anyone in this condition.

^They aren't constantly plagued by Wastes creatures.^

'Lith wondered if any of the Warren's there could use another dragonrider.
She had to go somewhere that...  that didn't have that particular danger.
She walked slowly over to Lady Rhiannon's office and knocked on the door.

"Come in!"

Rhia's gentle voice immediately made Talitha feel better.  Rhia had many
talents, and one of the best of them was her ability to put a person at
ease with a simple phrase.  'Lith walked in, closing the door behind her.

"Good morning, Rhia."

"Talitha!"  Rhia's head came up, her expression one of slightly astonished
joy.  "How are you holding up?"

'Lith nearly broke down at the compassion in Rhia's voice.  Given her
usually cheerful demeanor, it was sometimes hard to remember that Rhia had
come to the Warren after losing her husband, father, and lands, all in one
night.  If there was anyone who would understand 'Lith's need to go
somewhere -- anywhere -- it was Rhiannon Landress of Xylian.

"I -- I need to get away."

Rhia nodded, running a finger across the bridge of her nose.  "You want
some time off?"

"No...  I...  I have to get away from this place...  From Mael.  I want to
go to this new pocket, the one that doesn't... doesn't..."

"Have random, rampaging hordes of unidentifiable things?"  Rhia's
understanding humor startled a laugh out of Talitha.  Rhia bit her lip,
placing her fingers on her temples and rubbing slightly.  "I can understand
that.  If I'd had the option..."  The WarrenLady sighed.  "...but I didn't
and I wouldn't exactly trade Queri for anything."  Her lips quirked for a
moment as her head tilted a bit, listening.  "Ah, the sounds of reproach...
 But all I can do is give you a letter of recommendation and see if Gor'd
is ready to leave again."

"Did I hear my name taken in vain?" Gor'd asked cheerfully as he walked
unannounced into Rhia's office.

"You did indeed.  'Lith wants to leave us and go to that new place.  I'm
inclined to grant her request, but she'll need you as a guide."

"Well, it *is* about time for the fall reports to start going around..."

"And you're eager to be off, as usual."  Rhia's easy smile lit her whole
expression, making it easy to forget her blindness for a moment.  "S'dan's
got the usual communiques ready.  I'll write that letter of recommendation
and S'dan will do the calligraphy for you.  It will be ready in the
morning."

Talitha nodded to herself.  "Yes.  There's... there's not much left here
for me to pack..."

"I'll help you," Gor'd offered and she smiled gratefully.

"Now, let me get on that before the next disaster strikes."  Rhia waved
them off and 'Lith walked back out into the world with a renewed sense of
something...  Hope?  Life?

Whatever it was, she was going to enjoy it.

<...>

True to her word, S'dan had a letter of recommendation for her, written in
his beautiful, masculinely elegant script with Rhiannon's delicate,
feminine signature at the bottom.  Talitha read it, blushing slightly at
the glowing terms of praise that Rhia had heaped upon her and then smiled.

"I'm going to miss you S'dan."

"I'll miss you too.  Come back and visit us occasionally, okay?"

"I will.  I promise.  And I'll bring you stories of an alien world..."

Gor'd laughed.  "Let's go, 'Lith.  It's a long road."

They took off and 'Lith said a silent goodbye to the only world she'd ever
known.


<...>

They arrived at Marrid near nightfall, having rested several times on the
way.  Inter-pocket travel was dangerous at the best of times and one never
knew how much the unstable borders had shifted.  It was draining, to say
the least, and 'Lith was glad that they were at their destination.

"Follow me," Gor'd said.  "I think that WarrenLady Waylene will still be in
her office..."

Obediently, she trailed after him, wondering how this WarrenLady would
compare to the one that had been left behind...

[Tag, Kris :)]

Respectfully Submitted,
Jill E. Flansburg
Talitha and Prisma
Marrid Warren
DragonLands

                 X-FILES                         DRAGONLANDS

  Assistant Director                     Rhiannon, WarrenLady  *Xylian*
  Sterling Kincaid, Team Leader, ECHO    Elswyth and Aedra   *Keldarra*
  Damien Cunningham, UD DELTA            Katla and Satinka *Whiteriver*
  Xan X. Xavier, Trainer, Classroom A    Zera and Mazel       *Norwall*

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			      Vasaris, the Fuzzy Dragon
       Jill E. Flansburg	    |		            vasaris@az.com
       CS HMC 1994	          |		jflansbu@muddcs.cs.hmc.edu
       History, WWU 199?          |		vasaris@divcom.umop-ap.com
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