Title: Contemplations within the temple of a foreign god.
Authors Stana/Kit
Date 11/14/01
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The boy lay quiet in her lap, face blank and shadowed with tiredness. 
The room was quiet, slight echoes of wind indicating ventilation system in effect. 

Stana brushed the sweat-dampened hair from his forehead for what must have 
been the 20th time. Her legs were cramping painfully at the way she was 
seated, but she blocked it from her mind, continuing to wrap the boys 
arm, spreading the salve liberally on the skin. 

She blinked rapidly every now and then, trying to get rid of the rest 
of the dancing lights in her vision. Of R-2, she had heard nothing, 
and Audion was standing guard at the door, chafing at the delay, 
but not able to offer any alternative that she would have agreed to.

They would not leave Shinji behind. And until she was sure he could 
be moved, they would not move him. 

A guilty part of her was enjoying the quiet time. Things had been 
in such a hellish rush the past few weeks, running from one location 
to the next, battling this or that, arguing with one person or 
another...

But now it was just silent. And she wasn't afraid of it anymore. 
She could stay here, and not try to fill it with noise, barriers 
of sound to hide from attempts of contemplation. Thinking was 
no longer synonymous with despair.. 

"Do you think R-2 is the Fire Chosen?" she found herself asking. 

"He has the affinity." Audion admitted. "But Fire did not shine 
as brightly as the other elements would."

Why that was so, he did not elaborate. She avoided asking deftly, 
changing tracks. It was almost as if someone was talking for her. 
Her own voice sounded strange in her ears, implacably calm and 
distant. "Could that power have been taken from her by force?"

"It is bestowed onto the Chosen by the Gods." he answered "the 
question would then become, could that simpleton balk the will 
of the divine?"

"I would take that as a "no"." she murmured, tying off the 
last knot. "so, if he is the Chosen, and has not taken the 
power by force, than something has happened to Teri that has 
rendered her incapable of continuing." A small frown creased 
around her eyes "it's strange though, the Jiy are - were used 
to channel and control empaths, to bond with them and grant 
stability. How is it that a non empath could use one.... . 
Mages corrupted the Jii, turned them "red", but this one 
was seemed to be functioning normally..."

The elementalist said nothing, though behind the clouded 
rancor of his eyes swirled fronts of debate and memory. 
*That is the Jiy from my lessons in the Tower, warned 
against as damned sorcery from the Legerdemain Slaughters, 
and its master empath was none other then the Avatar of 
Fire? The incidents in the tunnel and at the inn are 
dually explained...* Audion switched his weight onto 
one leg and leaned impassively against the wall. 
*What is troubling Resireghl that his favor has become so 
fickle? His strength of presence in this temple is uncontestable, 
but somehow distant compared to his halls at the Tower and the 
central Temple of his island. It would not be wise to call on 
him now when his dominations are so in turmoil. And that thing-* 
The dual coloured eyes came to rest on the Earth chosenŐs form 
and the boy who she nursed while his teeth bared faintly in a 
snarl. He was not looking forward to increasing the number of 
travelling companionŐs he had to deal with, certainly not when 
they were skilled fighters. No doubt the girl would want to be 
with him and the Fire Avatar should they return from their 
apparent stasis. Only more problems could come of all this 
and that boy, Audion hissed sharply his disgust through his 
teeth and tossed his gaze back towards the Temple with a 
flutter of his coloured hair. Just Like the problems had with 
the advent of that coward peasant. 

"We can't leave him." she said. "he's in pain, 
he's hurt and if- no, when he wakes up, he will need help." 
she looked down sadly "I wish wherever he had gone, he had 
given us a way to come with him."