Hug 


"Hello, Adaz."  
	"Sutekh!" Turning, Adaz threw her arms around the dark elf, 
squeezing him tight.  Although taken back, he returned her hug.  
	"Did you get chased out of Greyhawk?" Sutekh inquired with a 
smile.  
	"Does it show?" she asked lightly, though her smile was weak.  
	Shaking his head, Sutekh slipped his arm around her waist and 
led her from the courtyard.  "Master Bravos isn't home, but I might be 
able to convince Caleb to extend some of his hoarded hospitality to 
you."  

"I controlled both the River Quarter and the Strip."  Adaz sipped from 
her glass, letting the cool liquid roll over her tongue.  The 
high-backed chair was comfortable and the fire she was seated before 
drove off the chill of the night.  For the first time in several days 
she began to relax.  "In one night a few dozen murderers undid what 
took me six years to build."  Her surroundings made her recent narrow 
escape seem distant.  
	"Don't worry, you're safe here."  Sutekh was also seated 
before the fire, enjoying some after-dinner wine.  "I know what it is 
like to be hunted."  
	She smiled at his words.  "It took a lot of digging, but I 
came up with some stories about you.  You have an interesting 
reputation among those in Greyhawk who remember you."  
	"I don't doubt that," he said with a chuckle.  
	Adaz turned her gaze from the glass of wine in her hand to 
Sutekh.  He was staring into the fire, his drowic eyes catching and 
enhancing its glow while his ebony skin seemed to absorb the 
firelight.  "It seems I have fallen in love with a demon," she thought 
with a sigh.  Frustrated love was the reason she had taken on 
Greyhawk's guild of thieves; she had needed an outlet for her 
energies.  Controlling the guild was impossible for her now and she 
had fled the city to the only friend she had.  Now, as she watched 
Sutekh, she realized that she had also come here to try once again to 
win his love.  She knew he cared for her; Adaz had been told by others
that Sutekh suffered from a depression that her presence chased away.
However, Sutekh had some foolish notion that, for him, love could only
lead to tragedy.  
	"But then, you don't know how stubborn I am," Adaz thought 
outloud.  
	"What?" 
	"Ah, it would probably be a good idea for me to get farther 
away from Greyhawk.  Planning on doing any traveling soon?" 
	"As a matter of fact, I was to leave in the morning.  If you 
wish to come along I can hold up for a few days and let you rest."  
	"Where are you going?" 
	"South and west.  A mountain tower due west of Celene."  
	"South and west?  Directly away from Greyhawk."  She smiled 
and took another sip of wine.  "I will be ready in the morning."  Then 
a thought struck her, "Sutekh, Celene is a land of elves."  
	He grinned and held his glass high.  "Watch."  
	Adaz looked at the glass of wine sparkling in the firelight.  
Her keen ears caught the whisper of magic--and the glass was held in a 
fair hand.  It was lowered and swirled to release its bouquet, a fair 
Sutekh inhaling the aroma.  Adaz laughed as Sutekh shook his white, 
shoulder-length hair, making it golden with another word.  Smiling, 
Sutekh raised his glass to her and drained it.  
	"Why not go around like that all the time?" Adaz inquired.  
"You would avoid a lot of problems."  
	"I don't like to; if folks don't like me because of my race, 
that's their problem.  However, this is a business trip and I won't 
have time for hassles.  This disguise will get me past casual 
inspection, as long as they don't notice that there is no variation to 
my skin tone.  Simple apprentice tricks do have their little 
drawbacks."  
	They sat in silence for a while, then Sutekh spoke.  "You 
realize that there won't be much civilization on this journey."  
Before meeting Sutekh, Adaz had lived most of her life in the 
Pomarjian city of Stoneheim.  Since then she had lived in Greyhawk.  
Their trek between the two cities was both her only extended 
experience with sparsely populated areas and the longest time she had 
ever spent with Sutekh.  
	"Sutekh, I've had all the civilization I care for.  Just get 
me out of here."  
	"Very well.  I need to finish preparations, then I'll be 
retiring early.  Sleep well."  
	"Good night."  Adaz stayed a long time, staring into the 
flames.  


							Jeff Stehman