Torshael and Tayne's Story, Part Two: A New God for a New Mission

Waiting in the hall past the first gate wasn't much better than waiting in the alcove containing the first gate, but at least for a moment Torshael had something he could do. "Irithin?" he queried, looking up at the seer after his conversation with Tayne and blinking at the red thread he toyed with. He hadn't seen that before. Irithin had it twined around and between his fingers, but he loosened it and tucked it away when he was addressed. "Irithin, I'm sorry to bother you, but could you tell me where Tekasynos went? He teleported somewhere...."

"He went right where he needs to be," Irithin said with a too-innocent smile. Torshael looked at him narrowly a moment.

"Is he all right?" he asked finally.

"As well as can be expected," Irithin answered.

Torshael sighed. "Should someone go after him? If just to apologize?"

"That would defeat the entire purpose of his leaving," Irithin replied calmly. "I would advise against it. Of course, there is really nothing for any of you to apologize for. Within the hour he will have forgotten what set off his anger or why it did so."

"Forgotten?" Torshael blinked. "What-- how is that? He'll forget fighting with Tayne?"

"My apologies for not being clear," Irithin corrected himself. "The fight he would remember. The words exchanged, or why he took offense and became angry, he will not."

"Why not?" Torshael asked, torn between worry for the infernal, indignance on his behalf for forgetting things again, and a tiny kernel of relief that perhaps, when they found him again-- if they found him again-- Tekas wouldn't hate his brother.

"That is generally what occurs when one is unaware his emotions are changed or nudged in some manner."

The relief vanished and the indignation took the fore. "Who was doing that?" Torshael demanded. "Irithin, what is going on here?"

"You needn't use such a tone," Irithin said, sounding somewhere between rebuking and put out, a little like a child trying to sound like an adult. Torshael was tempted to be angry. "I told you, he's exactly where he needs to be now. If it makes you feel any better, he was coming along quite nicely. He might have even said something pleasant to your brother otherwise... but he wouldn't have left of his own accord, as it was, which would have caused a far larger problem for you."

For a moment, Torshael shared Tekasynos's dislike of seers and he told him wearily, "Irithin, if he needed to be somewhere else, or do something else, you could have simply asked him. Manipulating people like that isn't kind, or right, and now Tayne is upset, as well."

"I'm sorry your brother is upset, but if I had told him what was necessary, he wouldn't have done it," Irithin said, though he didn't sound particularly apologetic. "At least not in the entirety it requires. And I'm sorry you do not approve, but manipulating people is essentially my job. And whether or not you realize it now, this path has a far better end result than you might want to think."

"I've met diviners before who didn't have to force people to be angry just to bring about a more positive end," Torshael replied stiffly. "I don't doubt that whatever end you have in mind is a good one, but that doesn't mean you had to do what you did to achieve it. There had to have been another way, one that didn't require toying with people without their knowledge or permission."

"I'm sorry you feel that way," Irithin said blandly.

It wasn't likely Torshael would get any kind of concession from the seer, so he just huffed and turned away, pacing the length of the hallway and explaining things to his brother.

::Oh, I doubt he would have been pleasant with me,:: Tayne snorted mentally back at him. ::Tekas is never pleasant with me. But I suppose it's nice to know it wasn't entirely my fault, and that I'm not crazy thinking he was being totally irrational and blowing things completely out of proportion.::

::No,:: Torshael said bitterly. ::I can't believe Irithin would manipulate him like that-- I trusted him!::

::Well, seers're tricky, I guess. Just make sure he doesn't do anything to you, brother, and we'll be fine. I'm just glad Tekas won't remember much, myself. If we're lucky he'll forget he doesn't like me, too.::

::I'm going to be paranoid now, I know it.::

::Well, maybe it will teach you to think before you act. Now are we going after Haiiro anytime soon, or can I take a nap? I'm hoping I won't feel sick anymore when I wake up.::

Torshael cast a thought in Haiiro's direction tentatively, and it seemed as if his bond was busy. ::Go ahead and sleep for a bit, Tayne. If we need you, I'll wake you.::

::"If". Heh. Tell Irithin that I want to strangle him, but I'll be good and keep my paws to myself if he does the same.::

::Ha ha.::

Torshael let his brother go, but didn't pass on the message. He wouldn't have put it past the seer to have known it already, anyway, given Irithin's glance his direction and murmur to himself before lapsing into silence again. Torshael supposed he should have felt guilty for making the youth feel bad, but he couldn't convince himself to see past the manipulation. Tekas had been through enough; he didn't need someone twisting his feelings around like that.

So he just paced, restlessly, wishing he were doing something useful instead of waiting.