Simple Sentences

[Glenn]

Another letter would arrive to the Broken Dagger, sent with the full knowledge of its potential pointlessness. It may never be seen by its intended recipient. If it is seen, it may never not be readable by the recipient. If it is readable, it still may not be read. Even if it is read, it may not be responded to. Still, it was sent and still, it would arrive.

Niall,

I heard your name mentioned the other day. It was not mentioned by a human. It was not mentioned as a name, but instead as a title. I looked in to what it might mean. Protector is a possibility. The person is meant to be a leader of her people. It led me to wonder if your name meant the same. I wonder if your names mean anything at all. That is a luxury. It is not a thing people just trying to survive care about. Or maybe they do. They do in Myrken because it's something they can control. It is something that has a meaning. It is something that they choose. They live in a place where they have few such choices. Would you tell me?

I hope you have survived. You may not believe me. I mean this. If you can and do read this, I'm sorry for what happened to the boy. It happened while I was away. You saw what happened when I came back. I was betrayed and imprisoned for trying to stop such more of the same. I let the situation develop in the first place. I caused it in many ways. You are the last person I need tell that life is not fair. This was not fair.

I wonder if you remain in Myrken. I wonder if you've hunted for him instead. I wonder things I should not wonder. I've left. I've gone where I cannot do more harm to a place we've both tried to protect. I cannot do more good for it either, but I think I'd know how you'd judge the amount of both I did. I would apologize for earlier things as well, but there seems little point to that now. For those, I did what I thought best to protect the people that i was responsible for. You'd understand that, I think, even if you would not agree with it.

Anyway, it is as I said. I heard something that was your name but not your name.

Glenn Burnie

[Jirai]

A letter sent is not a letter received, especially when the intended recipient drifted as much as this one did. There had been little enough to tie her to Myrken before and now... now what was there? When one wanders though, eventually such wanderings bring one back to places that had been familier, and so she'd returned to Myrken a few months ago - not that she bothered tracking time like that.

Returning to the Broken Dagger, however, was a different thing entirely. Most of the time she avoided it, and most of the time that was easy enough. But on occasion she had ventured through those doors. The result had mostly been quiet enough, save that first time, with one encounter that had served to still her wandering feet this long.

This time, though, there was a letter. She'd taken the letter, along with the glass of scotch, and set both on the table before her to be regarded with unblinking eyes and expressionless face. The letter is a surprise, for who, really, would bother writing to her? There were not many she could think of, and even fewer that she'd care to hear from. Three names, perhaps, she thought, as she finally leaned forward to open it, brown eyes flicking first down to the signature line.

That name was unexpected.

Slowly, she scanned the contents of the letter. Her scarred face remained impassive - except for one brief moment. Her face grayed, breathing grew irregular and one hand reflexively twitched towards her chest, as if there were some sort of injury that pained her.

It took her a few moments to recover, and when she did she rose, leaving the scotch untouched, and strode for the door.

It would be several days before the return letter was sent. As far as letters went, it wasn't much - but ever so much more than one might expect from talking to the taciturn sorceress.

~*~

Names always have meaning. Some more than others. Names are the center, the foundation. Everything builds off of a name. The name itself does little, but it supports everything that comes after.

I do not need your excuses or your explanations. I do not need your apologies. Your words are worth nothing. You let the situation develop. It happened. Your words fix nothing.

Do you dream, Glenn Burnie? You know what dreams in Myrken can be like.

You heard something that was my name but not my name. I have not heard your name at all.

[Glenn]

Niall,

I appreciate that you responded back (though you don't care). You told me that names have meaning. You did not tell me what yours meant. Fine. I haven't the slightest why I was named what I was named. Why name someone you've already sold in the womb? Probably as a way to assuage guilt. At least you're giving the child a name? At least the child will have something of you? I have no idea. Were I to have the opportunity, I wouldn't ask now. Again, you don't care, but if names are the basis of everything, what does that say about me?

Dreams are another matter. I've had reason to think about how things might have been different as of late. You knew me, for the most part, after I had suffered damage to either my mind or my soul, depending on what you believe. There was a bit with the Fiend before that, but ultimately, it was after I was dragged underground and pulled myself back up at the cost of much of my humanity. I don't think we would have been close, though. I knew Brown when he first ran away from home. Whatever he grew into, he started as someone who would come along for the ride. I never would have been that. You would have always found me an annoyance or worse.

But back before, I was, at least, open-minded. A dying creature came to Myrken in search for a last cure. His name was Valgar. He didn't find it but we became friends and he taught me things about dreams. Despite my healthy reluctance towards magic, Myrken was under an unseen assault by a dreamwaker, which is another story you probably don't care about. So, I learned. Then, I used. Ultimately, after I lost perspective, I used too much.

Now, the only way I can dream is by embracing a trap of potions and magic meant to obsess and addict me towards the dark-hearted witch that caused so much of my pain in the first place.

As you can imagine then, no, I don't dream. But I know about dreams and I would teach you what I know if you wished.

Glenn

[Jirai]

Names have meaning; the sharing of names has intimacy. I did not tell you what my name meant and I will not.

Rarely do parents raise their children in the place I come from. Children are named and given over to others. The parents provide the foundation; what is built upon it is left to others.

You owe a debt. To one who cannot collect on it. I will learn what you can teach, because it might help him. Certainly nothing else I have yet tried has.

[Glenn]

I intend to be back soon, only for a short time. If I see you, and if you allow me, I'll help you how I can.