In a few words

“Hey, how are you feeling?  That was quite the hit you took back there.”  Morrie tried not to laugh at the new face he added to Stygian’s armor.

“Fine.”  The Teifling stood, dusting himself off from the magic missile he took.  “Okay, let's move on.  We are done here.”

“Sure, frowny.”  Morrie started purring and pulled out his flute as the walked out of the dungeon.

“What?  No, not again.”  Stygian looked for any still water nearby once outside, when he found it he looked himself over.  There on his breastplate was a frown face with a tear.  “Morrie!  I’ve told you before, no drawing on me!  I’ve had it with your smart mouth and ever changing personality and these drawings you do when I am unconscious!”

“Yeah, sure you are.  You’ve threatened that before.  What are you going to wave your hand and poof off I go.  I’ve been there, done that, it was actually one of the children's favorite tricks back when I did stage shows.”

“Cat!”  Stygain throw a stick at Morrei as if with it all his wrath would come down upon the cat.  He gave up some time ago trying to catch Morrei when he smart mouthed, Morrei always escaped.

“Hey, whoa, what’s with the name calling?  I’ve told you to save that for the enemy, it's more fun.”  He put his flute away.  “But if you want to stop using names we can, you are hereby known as Horny-Boring.”

“I was a king!  You have no right to speak to me like that.” He thumped his hand into his chest as if it would emphasize his authority.

“It’s called freedom of speech and as a bard I use it liberally.  You just enjoy being lazy and telling others to do things for you.”  Morrei took a few steps back.  He knew he was getting close to invoking the wrath of the once great warlock.  

A common conversation after any missions these two undertook.  It was often just the two of them, there have been others, but most only stayed a short time.  Usually getting irritated with either Morrei-Tylerin Reach ‘the cat of ever changing personalities'  or with Stygian Vrag ‘the Teifling who was king’.  Yet somehow these two have stayed together.  One or the other was always close to crossing the line.  Morrei’s part he enjoyed provoking Stygain, waiting to see if his outburst would ever stop and accepted that not everyone would bow to him.  As for Stygain, he thought little of the cat and if he could, would have had him vanquished long ago.  The cat ever mocked him, even in a fight, and never showed respect.  Drawing faces and other things on him while unconscious, was getting aggravating.  Yet there was something that kept them together, unspoken and growing until one day by surprise Stygain started a conversion as they traveled to another town.

“Why do you stay?”  His voice was quiet and almost unheard, yet in the silence of the forest, it seemed to awaken a peace and uncertainty Morrei never had heard in his companion.  

“The same reasons you do.  The hope of one day returning home, and that neither of us belong to Faerûn.  Yet in a land not our own, we have found a brother in soul.  I have not shared my story, not the beginning anyways.  Like you I was taken from my home against my will, though I was a cub at the time.  Stygain,'' The cat looked at him, “I have never seen my home land, my only memory of it is a small dot of brown in a sea of blue.  Though they have taken my body from there, my heart has never left.  As I know your heart has never left your son.  That is what you seek, even through the yelling and cursing, your heart has always spoken.  It is why I stay, so that one day we both may return to our heart.”

They walked on together for a time, soon the sky turned gray and rain began to pour.  Stygain was deep in thought and did not notice at first, it was Morrei who brought himself back to the present.  Stygain learned to love the rain, for it was when Morrei was in misery and truly looked helpless, but for the first time the feeling of seeing someone helpless sickened him instead of bringing him joy.

“Morrei, thank you.”  He took off his enchanted clock and put it around Morrei in hopes to lessen the cat's misery of getting wet.

Morrei looked at the cloak than Stygain, “You will see your son and I my home land.”  Morrei wasted no time taking the cloak and covering his head and they continued their travels.

From this point on Stygain began to change his heart, and that changed his body and his skills grew.  Years went by and they had many conversations about Stygain and his heart.  This Tiefling did indeed become a king in heart.  Yet in all this growing and changing, Morrei never did stop drawing on Stygain.  

Prompt, Tenuous heart-to-heart conversation between Stygain and Morrei.  Idea by Molly Kantz.

Note from the author, “I hope this was along the lines of what you were thinking.  If not, we can rewrite it.”