Salinye

**Thanks to Gyrfalcon for helping me with how his character would respond.** :0) Salinye walked along the outskirts of the hostel property next to the forest edge with a large picnic basket floating along behind her. She took her time enjoying the warmth of the sun on her face. If fur face was right, Gyrfalcon should be along here shortly on one of his regular border patrols. Daryl usually knew where the ranger was, so she had no reason to doubt that she would happen upon her dear friend very soon. Her thoughts were rewarded as she saw his horse in the distance. By now, she knew is stance upon his horse even from a far distance. His half elven eyes had spotted her too and evidently he knew it was her because he urged his horse into a gallop and within seconds was jumping off of his horse. “Salinye! How long have you been back?” He asked smiling happy to see her after so much time apart. She ran up and embraced him in a warm hug. “Not too long. I came out to find you as soon as I could. Are you busy?” He pulled back from their hug and noticed the picnic basket floating behind her. “Nothing I can’t put off until later.” He offered his hand then helped her up onto his mount then skillfully climbed on behind her. “Shall we picnic at the pond?” “And you say you’re not a mind reader.” She smiled as the horse took them to their favorite picnic area not needing to be guided there. They chatted in friendly conversation excited to see each other after one of Salinye’s long journeys away. After a short while they reached what appeared to be a vine covered wall. The mage lifted her palm to it and whispered some words beneath her breath. The mirage obeyed its creator and parted to let them walk through. Inside was a lush clearing the centerpiece of which was a crystal clear pond. Once inside the area, one could feel the peaceful buzz of magic that permeated the air. Many a happy hour had been spent here when the two friends wished to get away from the hustle and bustle of life at Pen Castle or Custos Manor. After enjoying the homemade meal that Salinye had packed, the two relaxed enjoying the quiet comfort of their friendship. The ranger leaned back against a cozy moss covered rock and salinye lay upon the grass her head resting on the rangers leg. “So where were you this time or great wizardess?” Gyrfalcon asked with a slight hint of teasing in his voice. “Oh, you know I can never tell.” She retorted. “I missed you, though and everyone else at Pen Castle.” “You were missed too. You should come back more often.” “Yes….” Her voice trailed off as if she would have followed her response up with further explanation but changed her mind. The ranger knew her too well, it didn’t escape his attention. He gently stroked her hair absent mindedly. “Something bothering you, Sal? You know you can always talk to me.” “I know, GyrE. It’s just that I’ve actually been thinking about us a lot lately.” Gyrfalcon raised an eyebrow. “Really?” “Yes.” He chuckled slightly. “…and something about these thoughts has you bothered?” She crinkled her eyebrows trying to form her thoughts into words. “Not really bothering me, more well, you know how our relationship has always been an undefined confusing one.” “Sure.” He replied surprised that she could have this conversation without her standard blushing and awkwardness. “It’s just that I’ve become really, really comfortable with you like this.” He chuckled at her again. “Again, and this is a bad thing?” She couldn’t help but laugh herself. “No it’s just that…I don’t think I’m confused anymore.” “Well after two years that’s a good thing.” He replied. “I have a lot to thank you for, GyrE. I’ve been so lost…still am in so many respects.” “Yes, but we rangers are good trackers.” She couldn’t help but smirk. “Yes, you’ve helped me find much of myself and helped me make Pen Castle as much of a home as I’ve had in years. However, I still feel really…well lost. It’s occurred to me that I really need to finish healing past scars before I can open myself up anymore than this to anyone. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate how close our friendship is and that I’ve found that I’m content with it just as it is. How do you feel about that?” Gyrfalcon studied her face, expression serious for once. "I love you, Salinye." he said simply. "Maybe not the way I thought I once would, but as one of my closest and dearest friends." She tilted her head up to smile fondly at him. “You’re pretty amazing, ranger. Our friendship means a lot to me. I can’t ever see us not close.” The half-elf grinned "And I'm glad we have this friendship, Salinye." The two sat in their clearing for a long time sharing their thoughts with one another like they often had over the years or sometimes just sitting in comfortable silence. It had been a long time since the mage had found such comfort and she remained thankful for her special friendship with Gyrfalcon and for the amazing Pen that she finally felt like she could call home.

Hello fellow Pennites! I finally have a new computer that will actually allow me to use it. (It's a good quality to have in a computer, one that will allow you to use it.) So I'm hoping to be around more again. :0) I recognize a lot of you and I also see a fair amount of new faces. :0) I miss my writing sorely. We are doing well here in Washington and are kept busy as always. I hope to write with some of you, that would be nice. Have a lovely week! ~Salinye

Those poor elves, dancing on the top of that fountain for the last TWO YEARS! Man, either they're REALLY in love or REALLY love dancing! LOL JK JK Great job, Gyrfalcon. :0) It was a nice surprise to be pulled back to The Pen for such the end of a wonderful thread. :0) I really do need to pick up my quill again. I believe I owe a story or two to some bidders as well. *hugs* Thanks again, it was a very well thought out and in depth thread not to mention a very sweet story. ~Salinye

I'd say I'll be more regularly available. ~Salinye

Salinye panics as a small fire smolders next to her. Grinning sheepishly she explains to the surprised onlookers. "What? The pink bear was looking at me funny. I...I...I didn't want to be a victim to C.U.P.I.D!!" REVOLUTION! ~Salinye

Worst Tackiest most sappy annoying Valentines Day EVER cards. Now THAT would be a good Pen Event this coming Tuesday! ROFL Quincunx! ~Salinye

For Gwaihir and enquiring minds alike...(from The History Channel Website) The History of Valentine's Day Every February, across the country, candy, flowers, and gifts are exchanged between loved ones, all in the name of St. Valentine. But who is this mysterious saint and why do we celebrate this holiday? The history of Valentine's Day -- and its patron saint -- is shrouded in mystery. But we do know that February has long been a month of romance. St. Valentine's Day, as we know it today, contains vestiges of both Christian and ancient Roman tradition. So, who was Saint Valentine and how did he become associated with this ancient rite? Today, the Catholic Church recognizes at least three different saints named Valentine or Valentinus, all of whom were martyred. One legend contends that Valentine was a priest who served during the third century in Rome. When Emperor Claudius II decided that single men made better soldiers than those with wives and families, he outlawed marriage for young men -- his crop of potential soldiers. Valentine, realizing the injustice of the decree, defied Claudius and continued to perform marriages for young lovers in secret. When Valentine's actions were discovered, Claudius ordered that he be put to death. Other stories suggest that Valentine may have been killed for attempting to help Christians escape harsh Roman prisons where they were often beaten and tortured. According to one legend, Valentine actually sent the first 'valentine' greeting himself. While in prison, it is believed that Valentine fell in love with a young girl -- who may have been his jailor's daughter -- who visited him during his confinement. Before his death, it is alleged that he wrote her a letter, which he signed 'From your Valentine,' an expression that is still in use today. Although the truth behind the Valentine legends is murky, the stories certainly emphasize his appeal as a sympathetic, heroic, and, most importantly, romantic figure. It's no surprise that by the Middle Ages, Valentine was one of the most popular saints in England and France. The History of Valentine's Day While some believe that Valentine's Day is celebrated in the middle of February to commemorate the anniversary of Valentine's death or burial -- which probably occurred around 270 A.D -- others claim that the Christian church may have decided to celebrate Valentine's feast day in the middle of February in an effort to 'christianize' celebrations of the pagan Lupercalia festival. In ancient Rome, February was the official beginning of spring and was considered a time for purification. Houses were ritually cleansed by sweeping them out and then sprinkling salt and a type of wheat called spelt throughout their interiors. Lupercalia, which began at the ides of February, February 15, was a fertility festival dedicated to Faunus, the Roman god of agriculture, as well as to the Roman founders Romulus and Remus. To begin the festival, members of the Luperci, an order of Roman priests, would gather at the sacred cave where the infants Romulus and Remus, the founders of Rome, were believed to have been cared for by a she-wolf or lupa. The priests would then sacrifice a goat, for fertility, and a dog, for purification. The boys then sliced the goat's hide into strips, dipped them in the sacrificial blood and took to the streets, gently slapping both women and fields of crops with the goathide strips. Far from being fearful, Roman women welcomed being touched with the hides because it was believed the strips would make them more fertile in the coming year. Later in the day, according to legend, all the young women in the city would place their names in a big urn. The city's bachelors would then each choose a name out of the urn and become paired for the year with his chosen woman. These matches often ended in marriage. Pope Gelasius declared February 14 St. Valentine's Day around 498 A.D. The Roman 'lottery' system for romantic pairing was deemed un-Christian and outlawed. Later, during the Middle Ages, it was commonly believed in France and England that February 14 was the beginning of birds' mating season, which added to the idea that the middle of February -- Valentine's Day -- should be a day for romance. The oldest known valentine still in existence today was a poem written by Charles, Duke of Orleans to his wife while he was imprisoned in the Tower of London following his capture at the Battle of Agincourt. The greeting, which was written in 1415, is part of the manuscript collection of the British Library in London, England. Several years later, it is believed that King Henry V hired a writer named John Lydgate to compose a valentine note to Catherine of Valois. The History of Valentine's Day In Great Britain, Valentine's Day began to be popularly celebrated around the seventeenth century. By the middle of the eighteenth century, it was common for friends and lovers in all social classes to exchange small tokens of affection or handwritten notes. By the end of the century, printed cards began to replace written letters due to improvements in printing technology. Ready-made cards were an easy way for people to express their emotions in a time when direct expression of one's feelings was discouraged. Cheaper postage rates also contributed to an increase in the popularity of sending Valentine's Day greetings. Americans probably began exchanging hand-made valentines in the early 1700s. In the 1840s, Esther A. Howland began to sell the first mass-produced valentines in America. According to the Greeting Card Association, an estimated one billion valentine cards are sent each year, making Valentine's Day the second largest card-sending holiday of the year. (An estimated 2.6 billion cards are sent for Christmas.) Approximately 85 percent of all valentines are purchased by women. In addition to the United States, Valentine's Day is celebrated in Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, France, and Australia. Valentine greetings were popular as far back as the Middle Ages (written Valentine's didn't begin to appear until after 1400), and the oldest known Valentine card is on display at the British Museum. The first commercial Valentine's Day greeting cards produced in the U.S. were created in the 1840s by Esther A. Howland. Howland, known as the Mother of the Valentine, made elaborate creations with real lace, ribbons and colorful pictures known as "scrap".

Shamefully, I must admit that for me how I felt about Valentine's Day each year had a lot to do with whether or not I had a Valentine that year! lol If I was dating someone special then ofcourse I couldn't wait for Valentine's Day. Flowers, surprises, the thrill of dating someone new, etc. However, on the flip side of the coin, we girl's that didn't have anyone special each year would wear all black and boycott the Holiday in a more humorous than bitter manner. *grins* But then ofcourse if we got a surprise valentine or flowers from someone then we quickly abandoned all loyalty to each other and our protest and joined the starry eyed love sickos by the masses! lol For shame! For Shame!! I don't like the way the media has changed Valentine's Day and I absolutely forbid my husband to buy roses on that day. I know how much roses cost and I think it's ridiculous how much they bump up the price for this particular holiday and I just can't support it!! When I was first dating my husband (And I mean REALLY early on) he called me at work on Valentine's day and my friend (One of the gallant and devoted protesters of Valentines Day) was making smart silly comments in the background. Later that day some flowers arrived for her. The card simply read "Because no girl should be without flowers on Valentine's Day." She didn't know who they were from, but I recognized my (now husband) boyfriends handwriting. He later showed up with flowers for me as well, but I think I loved him more for what he did for my friend. :0) So there is your sappy love story for the holiday!! Something Sweetcherrie said struck me in an interesting way and I agree with her. If Valentine's day is EVER looked forward to as a day when your "Valentine" will finally be nice to you because he/she has to, I'm thinking you're with the wrong person. :0) *grins* I'm sure most would agree!! :0) Happy day, lovebirds! ~Salinye

Well, It's been a LOOOONG time since I've done one of these, but here we go. :0) Valentine's day is just around the corner. How do you feel about Valentine's day? On February 14th do you flit around with your heart a flutter anxious to see what the day will bring, or do you wear all black and protest the very existence of the holiday? Secondly, are you able to feel anything about the holiday unbiasly or does your current romantic situation highly effect how you're feeling about the holiday each year? Finally, what is your idea of the perfect Valentine's day? Has commercialism improved the holiday or added hype that now kills the original and true meaning and spirit of the day? The thread is now yours.... ~Salinye

May I always be blessed enough to count you among my friends. Happy birthday, Cyril. Not enough nice things can be said about you. I hope it brings you great joy this year. ~Salinye

It should be, it was a fun read. :0) ~Salinye

LOL What would we do without The Tamned? BTW, I've been known to make an appearance on MSN lately. hint...hint... ~Salinye

To be honest, I don't even know if I was ever at the board between September and December. *sighs* Oh well, double weenie it is. :0) ~Salinye

Happy Birthday, Wrenwind!! I hope you enjoy it as much as we enjoy you! ~Salinye

Happy Birthday, Signe!! I'd post an rp post, but you know Salinye would rather dance on Signe's grave than wish her a happy anything! rofl!!! I hope your special day is...special!! lol *hugs* ~Salinye

*blinks* Errr, I didn't know this was here!!! *sniffles* Thank you very much. :0) I promise to write a proper reply after the little ones are tucked in. You never realize how much you appreciate people remembering you until they do. :0) ~Salinye

Salinye walks into the room with her nose buried in some book or another when a familiar laugh stops her dead in her tracks. Her eyes narrow in on the back of Signe who (as always) is surrounded by admirers. The succubus feels the the mages glare boring into the back of her head. Smiling she casually turns her head, a simple action for most, but quite stunning coming from her. Meeting Salinye's angry glare with confident eyes she greets her, "Hello Salinye, Miss me?" The mage immediately stormed from the room. Those close enough to hear the words she muttered under her breath as she took her leave widened their eyes in surprise as they had never heard the lady use such unfavorable and crass words before. Signe simply laughed and turned back to her admirers glad that she hadn't lost her touch. OOC: SIGNE! WOOHOO look at that beautiful ring! I'm so happy for you! I LOOOOOVE being married! I haven't been here much, but it was a pleasant surprise to return and see a post from you! Wishing you every happiness! *hugs* ~Salinye

Happy Birthday, Ayshela! Aging is nice and I bet you do so gracefully. :0) ~Shelby

LOL I knew *YOU'DE* appreciate it, GyrE! I miss the "Jack Handy" days of Saturday Night Live. That's back when the show was actually funny! :0) It's refreshing to stop in here. :0) ~Salinye

There, I updated the quote in my sig JUST for you, Tamned. ~Salinye

Hi there! Wow, the board got a makeover while I've been away! Anyway, life is incredible here in the land of the busy and lost and I thought I would drop in to say hello. I think of the people here and how things are going. I haven't been able to make The Pen a priority, but still wanted to stop by. :0) I hope that everything is wonderful for you all and that the upcoming holidays are bringing you anticipation of FUN things rather than stress! (It brings me both!) Sophia (Baby #5) is doing just fabulous, which is in stark contrast to the process of bringing her into the world. (Babypalooza 2005 has ended!) She's 3 months old and really really beautiful and sweet. Her sisters and brothers are really enjoying her. I can't do my doula work while I have a nursing baby so I've started a business called "The Scrap Yard". It's a scrapbooking business and soon I'll have an online store to go with the local business I've been doing. It's been a lot of fun, but a lot of work. I'm hoping the holidays will bring in some extra money for Christmas. I'll have to post some pics of my work and kits some time so you can see what I do. :0) I was helping a friend with her booth at a big convention in the Tacoma Dome recently and the woman who runs the convention has a store in riverside California. She asked to buy my kits wholesale to sell in her store! I was very flattered. Although I do want to get my things in scrapbook stores, I've decided not to work with her store. But, the compliment gave me confidence in my work!! :0) Anyway, New baby, new business and homeschooling has kept me running! I'm sure there are a million other things we've been up to, but those are the biggies. Again, I really hope you are all doing well and I miss a lot of things about being here regularly and talking with many of you. :0) ~Salinye

Adopt a Style is a book club with a twist! My thought is that once a month someone will choose a book that they love and post a small blurb on what the book is about. Then that person will give a writing assignment to change/add to/alter the book. However, part of the challenge of the project would be to write the assignment adopting the original author’s writing style as best as you can. So although the piece you’re writing is not actually in the book, you want the piece to flow as if it was written to be part of that book. Make sense? It will be participants job that month to obtain the book and read it and then do the assignment if they want to. Here is an example using the story “Jack and the Beanstalk”. I’m choosing that fairy tale for the example because I think most people are familiar with the story. So, if it were my month and I chose Jack and the beanstalk, I would have posted my little blurb to entice interest before the first of the month along with the title and author. Then I would post my assignment. Here are three examples of what an assignment might be: Example 1: Write what would happen if on page X and Y the giant had gotten down the beanstalk rather than Jack succeeding in chopping it down. Example 2: Write a piece that shows how Jack’s actions affected the household of the giantess leaving her a widow. Example 3: Choose any part of the book and rewrite a piece showing how it would have been different if Jack were a female instead of a male. Please be sure to reference the page number of the scene you are recreating so that we can compare it. I like this idea for two reasons. One it gets us to read books that we might not have ever picked up otherwise. Second, it gets us to analyze how different authors write. I think it will be fun to try to write pieces that will fit in with the author’s original style. How I envision this happening is that people who are interested should post their interest along with at least the title of the book on this thread. Then we will assign each person a month on a first come first serve basis. :0) I’d like to start with September and I’m choosing Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. Now, in general, it probably won’t prove fruitful to pick a book that is # 6 in a series. However, I thought I could get away with it with this particular book because there is such a large following of the series here at The Pen. Since so many people have already read it and are hyped about it, I thought it a good first choice. I’ll post the actual thread with the assignment here in the Assembly room before September 1st. This is a project that people can do some months and not others, or they can come back to later after that month is past, read the book and add their own work to the assignment thread. All are welcome. I’m thinking this will be great fun and even if only a couple of people actually do it, I think it will be worth being part of. Perhaps nobody will be interested and that’s okay too, I just thought it would be fun to try to see if there is interest. :0) I look forward to seeing which books other people will suggest. I love reading books I may not have chosen on my own only to learn how fabulous they and the author are. :0) ~Salinye

It has been a recent topic among some friends (in a couple of different settings, actually) about the struggles of being shy and in the dating world. I have several male friends who feel that being shy makes it hard to ask girl's out. Furthermore, I have several female friends who really find shyness and endearing quality in a man. So my question is multi faceted. 1. Are you more of a shy person or more of a social butterfly? 2. Do you feel like being shy makes the dating world harder/easier? 3. Do you feel like being a social butterfly makes the dating world harder/easier? 4. Finally, how do you view the aspect of shyness/social butterfly-ness in a perspective companion? Looking forward to hearing your thoughts, ~Salinye

It's my personal opinion that feedback from Cyril is WELL worth waiting for. ~Salinye

A restful day??? How divine! I'm so jealous!! That's what I want for MY birthday!! :0) Happy Birthday, Yui. It's been entirely too long since we've been partners in crime together. ~Salinye