"We should be going Mateo. This place reeks of witchcraft..." 

The man smiles kindly and clasps Matteo's hands in his own.

"What master?" He chuckles.

Matteo shrugs Thurston off.

"You are Shelek?" Matteo returns the handshake warmly. "I would be very interested to learn of your fruit and to experience it "

Thurston puts a hand in Matteo's shoulder and firmly makes him take a step away from the man as he says.

"Excuse us please..."

He then turns to Matteo and whispers

"I do not know what are you thinking but I won't let you eat something that could make you forget about Jex. That's not the way with deal with it. The rest are going... let's go with them..."

Matteo fixes Thurston with a heavy look.

"What Jex has done has left scars on my mind that I cannot shake, what he has done I remember my own hands doing even though I had no part in deciding to take these actions. I think I would deserve a break from the nightmares if that were my intention. But actually, I have a different use in mind, a small portion to keep Jex from taking control in moments of stress. The night after we had our meeting in the library Jex tried to keep me from regaining control by burning a vision conjuring incense and surrounding me with reminders of his horrific acts, he subjected us both to pain and overwhelmed me with reminders of why I broke from him in a bid to keep me from taking control. He believes danger and high emotion may be his key to being in charge and I think he may be right. I did not want to wake in that room, but I knew I must. I just think a little payback is due, keeping myself calm when things get to their worst may stop the murderer from coming out."

The grasp on Matteo's shoulder becomes a little bit harder.

"By Odin's beard... Freya give me patience. You hear me, and you hear me well. You are not a child that could pretend that the demons banish by just closing your eyes or hide under the blanket. You are a grown man. And you must face your demons or they will devour you. We all have done and seen things no mortal should had seen, but we do endure, for that is what adults do. We do not have the luxury of being children anymore. Now I will not hide that I feel better with Jex fighting with us when danger is on us, but I must admit that you doesn't do bad... but if you are under the effects of that drug, you will be more like a broken toy than useful, and I cannot guaranty your safety if that happens. You two must find a solution to your.... thing... and I will try to help you, but...if this puts the rest of us, or Sheercleft, in jeopardy, I will send you two face Tyr's judgment and may the Aesir have mercy of you. "

He then realices that he has been grappling Matteo's shoulder stronger that he should have and release him.

"Now do what you want but keep that in mind. We will be on our way. Too much is a stake to lose here more time."

And he walks away.

Matteo lingers behind defiantly. 

"Apologies, Shelek? Is there anything that would cause you to trade your fruit which usually is only for yourself?"

Quote from Chip_Ll >>

Matteo shrugs Thurston off.

"You are Shelek?" Matteo returns the handshake warmly. "I would be very interested to learn of your fruit and to experience it "

Quote from Chip_Ll >>

Matteo lingers behind defiantly. 

"Apologies, Shelek? Is there anything that would cause you to trade your fruit which usually is only for yourself?"

 
"The very same," Shelek tells Matteo with a good-natured smile when the half-elf takes his hand. "A trade for fruits of my labour, you say? My, I think that your name might suffice," he replies with a twinkle in his eye.

Matteo gives a curious smile.

"My name is Matteo."

He gives a curious look at the man

"Sorry if I appear taken back, I had understood you were less happy to give away the fruits, at the gate you said they were only for yourself?"

"That lunatic?" Shelek scoffs. "Ignore him. He is no more than a false gatekeeper. The deal is made... if you want it," he adds, extending a hand holding one of the heavy dark fruit.

"Thank you."

Matteo bows, taking the fruit and barely crinkling a lip in confusion. His mind races though as he thinks through what is going on.

"Peace be upon you and yours" Matteo offers the blessing as he bows again in farewell and hurries after the others.

As Matteo crosses the garden's threshold, all memory of his name vanishes from his own mind and those of his companions.

The half elf gives a little half jog to catch up with his companions. He gives Thurston a friendly hand on the back as he reaches them.

"I know you are looking out for me, and that you also find it hard not to have Jex around, he was your friend and you are a master of war, the assassin probably suits you better than I do. But you have at least shown me kindness and understanding and forced nothing on me." He addresses the Norscan directly but at this point gives a wary glare to Brundir and Vark.

"But know this really is for the best. And it turns out Shelek was not as possessive of his fruit as advertised." He holds his prize up for everyone to see. "Sometimes kindness and diplomacy really to pay off over deception and violence. Maybe it's not so bad to lose Jex and gain... Oh... Erm... Shit...Jex are you...no... That's not funny...give it back... Oh bollocks. I may have erred here."

Vark returns the glare with his own, his feelings clearly still hurt by the continued ire of… of… “J-Jex? No, you’re not… what happened to… the other one? You. I… I can’t remember your name.” Vark’s eyes focus on the fruit, then back to the garden, then back to not-Jex. “He didn’t just give you that fruit, did he?”

"Of course he did." The half-elf puffs up his chest. "You know I would never take something that wasn't mine. He gave the gift freely in friendship. He said the gatekeeper was a false one and a lunatic" He crinkles his face. "I did think it strange that I could have sworn they were the same person. But I have experience of that. Jex would never give away his possessions either, though I would freely share most of my belongings."

Vark stops in his tracks, arms crossed and eyes narrowed. “You’re not as good a liar as Jex.” he states, a smug look now coming over his face. “You said you erred, didn’t you? If he just gave you the fruit out of friendship, then what’s the problem?” The smug look turns into a smarmy grin. “You gave him your name, didn’t you?”

The half elf shrinks back. 

"I wouldn't lie. I don't know what happened. I thought maybe Jex did something, he knows I was insulting him, and that I planned to use the fruit to keep him out. But Shelek did ask my name and I told him. But now I don't know if he meant it to take."

He sits on the ground with his head in his hands.

"What a fool!" 

The enjoyment Vark is getting from this moment washes away as he watches not-Jex wrestle with regret. This aspect of Jex lacks the assassin’s indignant bite, but it is still an aspect of Jex after all. This self doubt and insecurity must have always been there, even if it was hidden behind the rogue’s many masks. Vark comes over and kneels down next to the man, placing a hand on his shoulder. 

“It’s gonna be okay. You know, he might have actually done you a favor! Lots of otherworldly things can take advantage of your true name if they know it. Now you don’t have to worry about that! We can figure out a new name for you! How about… Xej! Like… with an X at the front. That sounds pretty cool!”

Val sighs heavily as she stares as the fruit in... what was his name? "I was wrong, I thought it was Vark that we would need to watch over. It is like traveling with children! You all do not think, you just see something you want and you take it regardless of the consequences! I told you all that we should not go into that garden! These wild lands are dangerous, full of things we do not understand. It is better to ignore them and survive! Next time I think I would treat you like we did foolish children in my tribe, I will just carry you away kicking and screaming if I must!" She is very tempted to snatch the fruit away from... Not Jex before he can eat it and smash the thing with Rook, but instead she just turns away and continues on their path. "Come, or we will never reach our journey's end."

The half-elf considers Vark's words for a moment before shrinking away from Val's. 

"You know, you may be right. It's funny, Jex gave me that name, whatever it was. Even pretended to be me a few times to get close to someone he was paid to kill. Perhaps it is better for me to leave that dirty name behind."

He stands. "Xej it is." He falls back in line, repeating the name over and over to himself in different voices as though trying on a pair of shoes and checking out different angles in a reflective surface.