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 Posted: Wed Feb 06, 2013 3:23 pm
(( A lot has happened backstage over the last year regarding Naiad politics. This solo RP is an attempt to catch everyone up on what's happening, the current state of water politics and what's coming next. It is written assuming the Fauny ORP is finished, and she received the report from Captain Turin. As usual, Tari took over and this RP went her way, not the planned way.)) Quietly, the Queen of the Naiads donned a thick cloak, and covered her face as she quickly swimming out of the window of her suite in the Temple. She left all of her jewels and gold behind on her nightstand, along with a note addressed to Captain Turin, and one addressed to Tua, her mellon and mentor. The underwater temple was always so brightly lit, escaping without notice might prove difficult.
She'd just reached the edge of the light, and could see the chasm up ahead with the hole leading out of the lake, and into the deep sea. She stopped, settling herself down on the cliff's edge. Being a Naiad had the added benefit that it was near impossible to see tears unless one wanted them to be visible. Tariel rested her hands on her tailfin and looked into the deep darkness before her. "Is this really what you want to do?"Bolting straight up into the water, her hood fell back and she peered into the dim light to see who had followed her. "Tua, how'd you--""It's my job to know where you are at all times, You Majesty. Why are you out here, in the dark, by yourself?"Tariel turned, ashamed."Your Highness, could we perhaps return to the temple and talk about this?""I don't want to go back," she murmured, looking towards the dark chasm, in the direction of the hole to the sea."You want to return to the Sea?""It was so much better there, than here. We were all happier.""Are you sure about that?""I was happier there."The little pink aquatl fairy swam slowly to float beside his friend. He watched her, silently. "I've ruined everything here. For my friends, the native Naiads, for myself. There's bad things going on, and I don't know how to handle it. I've tried so hard to earn the respect of the native Naiads, yet so many of them consider me a false leader, refusing to recognize me as a leader, let alone member of their community," Tariel started. Tua knew giving her a chance, she'd spill her thoughts and likely have a hard time turning them off. But this was how he dealt with the emotional queen."Your highness, it will take time. They're not used to a queen even existing, and they've lived, since their arrival, without leadership and guidance. You're a kind and benevolent leader, they'll come around." Tua tried to reassure her. He knew she was having a hard time with the adjustment, even if it has been several seasons now. "As for the bad things, that's why you have your Court. They are there to help you.""But I don't have them.""Of course you do. I'm sure Captain Turin would be worried sick if he knew what was in your heart right now, and your desire to leave him behind.""I don't want to leave him behind--""Then why are you--""I don't want to. But I have to. For his own safety. I lost Sadron. I've probably lost Aeroniel, because it's been forever since I've even seen her."Tua was unsure how to comfort her regarding her court, because he knew this was her biggest weakness and it was likely no one could convince her of anything other than what's in her heart anyway. "Tariel," he started, dropping the formalities in hopes to break through the politics and appeal to Tariel the Naiad, not Tariel the Queen. "They are not lost. They would lay down their lives for you, surely you know that."Tariel sighed and sank slowly till her tail was coiled around her as she sat on the floor of the lake. "I know," she said, hanging her head low. "I just don't know what to do anymore.""Please don't be sad, Tariel. There is turbulence on this island, not just in the waters, and it's not because of you. This island needs you. You know you are the only one to protect and save the Naiads. Even if they don't know it, we do. You can't abandon them all."That was exactly what Tariel didn't want to hear, but needed to hear. That reminder that her life is not just for her, that she has greater purpose and that many lives are counting on her to fulfill the duty she was born to do. She wished she could have a different life, many times, but Tua's reminder started the train of thought on how much each creature in this lake really did depend on her. She inwardly chuckled at how unfortunate for them she thought that was, and if they only knew the weak, fragile female she really was, they were doomed.Tua was pleased, feeling he'd gotten through to her when he seen the half-smile. "Tariel, you are stronger, braver, and smarter than you give yourself credit for. You have more love for others than any other Naiad I've ever known. It is not by accident that you were born when you were, or that this island landed in this exact spot, right where you were. You are important, and please, don't ever forget that."The queen of the Naiads, sitting in the darkness on the precipice of an underwater chasm, looked so small and fragile, but her resolve was strengthening as her mellon mentor reminded her of her purpose. The light in her heart was returning as she continue to talk to Tua.
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Posted: Wed Feb 06, 2013 9:05 pm
 They said that the Queen had retired to her chambers for the night and wasn't to be disturbed.
She didn't want to disturb her; just ask her a question. That was totally different.
So, she wasn't the most discrete Naiad, she'd never make it as a hunter, due to her coloring...oh, and her gender and disposition. But that didn't stop her. She'd played in these halls since she was a little tadpole. She knew every nook and cranny by heart. Every hiding place between here and the other side of the palace. But she didn't need to go that far. Only to the Queen's chambers.
Rounding the last corner, unseen, she silently celebrated her victory before pausing to consider what to say. She'd be quick; surely the Queen wouldn't mind a short visit from one of her Ladies of the Court before bed. It was hard to find quiet time to talk during the duties of the day, and with all the excitement of late with the strange Faun...things camped out on the shore, well, the palace had been abuzz for a while. Moana still didn't feel like a true member of the Court, not in the way her father apparently did, so raising issues with the Queen that weren't quite official Court business was still quite awkward. Maybe she'd never feel at ease like that. They all went back further than she'd even been alive, so...maybe it was natural to still feel a bit awkward around the Queen. Besides, all this court protocol was hard to remember!
Okay, how to start? Best to know before busting in on a Queen in her chambers. Even Queens needed to have social time, right? Deep breath...and knock.
Silence from the other side of the door.
Moana frowned. Could she be too late? Was the Queen asleep already? It was still early though. Reasonably so. She knocked again. Still no answer. Oh, by the Waters! Did she sneak all the way back here for nothing? Err, wait no, it wasn't sneaking if you were a Court member, right? She had a right to be here.
She bit her lip, hesitating. No, she wasn't going all the way back with nothing to show for it. If it turned out the Queen was already asleep, fine, she'd leave, but she had to know for sure first. Knocking one last time, she started to push the door open, calling "Your Majesty? Queen Tariel? I wondered if I could talk to you for a minute. It won't take long, really. It's me, Mo...ana..." She trailed off with a puzzled frown.
She was speaking to an empty room.
A quick glance around, hanging at the edge of the door, confirmed her initial suspicions. No one here. Huh, odd. Hadn't the guards told her earlier that the Queen had retired to her chambers for the evening? She ignored the 'and wasn't to be disturbed' part.
Eee, so these were the chambers a queen got to sleep in?!? So luxurious! It took all Moana had not to swim around and just touch everything. Pearl shell decorated many of the flat surfaces, looking like shimmering rainbows beneath the waves. And over there, a gorgeous gold mirror! And that bed; it was massive and looked so soft! No, no, no, must not touch things, Moana.
A glitter of light out of the corner of her eye caught her attention and as she turned to look, she gasped. The Queen's jewelry...and her crown! Moana's eyes widened, her hand flying to her mouth in surprise. So pretty...and they were just lying there; no one around. She could just...try them on for a moment...
As she neared the nightstand, however, hand outstretched, she paused with a frown. Tempting as it may have been to play dress-up...it felt wrong. Very, very wrong. And that took all the fun out of it. She sighed, lowering her hand and thinking perhaps this was a sign that she should just go.
Then she noticed the notes lying beside the jewelry. One addressed to...'Tua'...whoever that was, and the other...to her father? It was startling enough to give her pause and allow her brain to catch up with her childish glee at being alone in the Queen's luxurious chambers. Wait...the Queen wasn't here, yet her crown, her jewels, and these notes...
Biting her lip, Moana looked around, as if for help, but of course, there was no one else there. She had to decide what to do. She did what any confused young woman does when confronted with something she feels is beyond her scope.
She darted out of the room in a flash, a bright blur through the palace with one target in mind. The Captain of the Royal Guard.
Daddy.
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Posted: Wed Feb 06, 2013 10:13 pm
Convincing the queen through action, not verbal cues, Tua had managed to get her to start heading back towards the palace. He was careful with his words and gestures, to not remind her that they were going home, not yet anyway. He kept her talking, reminding her of her purpose and worth, while trying to encourage her own self-esteem. He knew how hard of a job she had, he just didn't realize -- not at first -- how emotionally fragile this girl was underneath the tough exterior she pretended to have. Most days. It had been a job in itself to keep her self-confidence boosted as much as possible.
Tariel talked of current affairs, asking the mellon his opinion on what she should do. "I still need a researcher. I want to learn more about the unique-looking Naiad that have been appearing all over the lake recently. Are they connected to whatever that was in the marsh? Are they an evolutionary branch of older Naiads? What if they were special spirits reborn in special bodies, like me?" She asked questions like a child, rambling mostly.
It was the perfect distraction Tua needed to get her to go where he aimed her. "I can do that for you, Your Highness."
"But don't you have to shadow me?"
"I do many things." Tua laughed.
It's hard to know how that triggered it, but that made Tariel start thinking about Sadron. How hard it was to suspend him, how hard it was to turn him away from her Court. How broken-hearted she felt the moment she watched him swim away from her. She'd known him her whole life. They were tadpoles together, and he'd always been there for her, and she felt lower than low turning him away. But she had to. She couldn't look weak in this new position of Queen. She stopped abruptly, slumped and buried her face in her hands. She started sobbing uncontrollably.
"Tariel, what's wrong?"
She sniffled a little. "Tua, I'm nothing without them," she whimpered.
It was clear the queen was not going to continue moving, so it was time to stop and comfort her again. "They make you strong, I know. But you make them stronger, too. Life takes Pae in different directions. You'll always have them, even if they are living their lives."
Tariel slapped Tua away, and he went tumbling through the water. That was a sore spot with the emotional queen. She huffed and turned to swim back towards the chasm. Not to resume running away, she'd already resolved to not do that, but merely to distance herself from Tua. He crossed a line. Tariel loved her friends, her Court and she wanted them with her always. They weren't allowed to go have lives while she's not allowed to. Okay, they were, but she didn't like it, because she felt like they didn't want to be around her anymore. She didn't like the idea that they are moving on with their lives, leaving her behind to run the lake and be alone forever.
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Posted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 10:09 pm
Captain Turin wore a grave expression, swimming back and forth in a short, tight path as he mulled over the information that his daughter had just delivered.Moana fidgeted, hovering near the doorway and watching her father warily. She had started to think that she was just overreacting to the strange circumstance, but given her father's reaction, she was starting to believe she'd done the right thing in coming here to tell him what she found. Finally seeming to come to a decision, the pacing Captain halted, turning towards Moana. "You've done the right thing, coming to me," he told her, unwittingly echoing her thoughts. "I'll look into things before we proceed, but for now, I want you to go back to your room and don't tell anyone else what you told me. Let's keep this quiet until we're sure whether there's reason to raise the alarm. Perhaps there's nothing to worry about and she only slipped out for a few minutes, so try not to get worked up, okay? Just go back to your room and relax," he told her, smiling when she nodded in understanding. "That's my girl." He leaned in and kissed her forehead before escorting her out to the hall.
After she disappeared around the corner, the pleasant smile disappeared from his face, replaced by a concerned frown. Despite what he said, it wasn't like Tariel to disappear without telling anyone. Well, it never used to be. Lately, well...he was starting to wonder. He'd still not forgiven himself for letting her slip away from the palace with only another female as a guide to investigate dangerous rumors. She'd found something else, possibly more dangerous, and had barely escaped possible harm when the Taint itself had provided her with a way out. Turin had punched a hole through one of the lesser traveled hallway's coral walls when he found out. Tariel still didn't know, and the repairs should be finished soon.
First things first. He was concerned; what was all this about notes left for himself and Tua? Unlike his daughter, he knew who Tua was; Tariel's aquatl guardian who had joined her the day they arrived at the lake, the day she'd officially become Queen of the Naiads of Telrunya. What could she have left in notes to Tua...and himself? He wanted to take a look into things himself before he got the entire palace up in arms. If he felt any signs that something wasn't right about all this, he'd have the royal guard scrambling to cover the area immediately. And he'd be leading the search.
The Captain's face was unreadable as he glided through the hallways in a deceptively calm manner. A casual nod to a sentry, a smile to one of the timid kitchen staff, blushing and ducking out of the Captain's way as he passed...business as usual. Until he reached the hallway that led to Tariel's room. He slowed down, senses on the alert for any signs of trouble...signs that all wasn't as it seemed...signs of outside influence and ill will.
Nothing.
Only slightly relieved, he sighed, then moved to push the door open. It was quiet, all was still...he didn't know what he'd been expecting, really. He took only a cursory glance around the room, but nothing seemed all that out of place, as far as he could tell. Nothing suspicious in any case. It wasn't as if he were that familiar with her room.
Little time to waste, he fixed on the crown and jewelry on the table, as well as the notes. How odd to see these ornaments lying like that, still and lifeless, normally so vibrant when adorning their mistress. Even more odd that he was so used to seeing them on her, when she'd only begun wearing them since they came to the Isle. He tried to remember how she looked without them...
'Getting sidetracked, Captain,' he reprimanded himself with a sharp head shake. The notes. His hand hovered over the one for Tua, then moved to his own letter. Steeling himself for whatever might be within, he opened the note and began to read.
Minutes passed, the Captain's expression shielded, his reaction seemed clear only in the way his hands slowly clenched into fists, wrinkling the letter. Finally in a sudden flurry of motion after so much stillness, he crumpled the letter in his fists and dropped it, letting it drift slowly to the floor. Turin was gone, a whirl of bubbles in his wake as he shot from the room, from the palace, thoughts of retrieving the guard, spreading the word to start a search, even getting his spear, all gone. Alone, the bright figure exited the temple palace, heading out into the darkness of the lake and trusting only basic instinct, and perhaps a touch of luck, to guide him to his quarry.
Tariel.
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Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2013 11:51 am
"How dare that little fish presume to know what's best for me and say what the others are doing is okay. Moving on with their lives without me is not okay. Not at all." Tariel rambled aloud, knowing full well she was over reacting. She'd held in so much over the last year, it was all coming out now and no matter how irrational or wrong she knew it was, she couldn't contain it. Her life wasn't her own anymore and she wanted to regain control. How could she be Queen if she couldn't even control herself?
Her rambling only succeeded in making her feel worse, like a bigger failure. She started doubting all success she'd seen since coming to this island, and only seeing her failures. She seen the faces of those Naiad that doubted her, and all they're laughing at her, calling her a failure, too. She started crying again, swimming faster and heading straight for the crack in the deepest part of the lake bed, with the protruding coral-covered stalagmites that were once the beautiful towers of her undersea home.
In her reverie, she convinced herself to go home.
Tua did not immediately chase after Tariel. He knew better, considering the impact of that smack. She needed to cool off, then she'd be consolable again. After she didn't come back or come to apologize, like she usually did (she didn't like hurting others), he knew something was off. He started swimming in the direction he knew she went.
It was only a flash of bubbles and a streak of orange that he seen, but he knew exactly what just zipped by in front of him. The Captain of the Guard must have found out. Tua wasn't in the room to know Tariel left notes, he'd only seen her sneak out of her window and zoom past her garden like a thief in the night. He knew she didn't fancy any gentlefish callers lately, so it wasn't a social call she was making. So he'd chosen to follow her to see what she was up to. He'd suspected she'd felt down lately, so he was keeping a closer watch than normal on her.
"Captain!" he called out, trying to catch up. Under normal circumstances, an aquatl mellon could out-swim a Naiad any day, but Tua struggled to gain any distance on the Captain.
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Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2013 3:29 pm
How long had she been gone? He had time to make up. The Naiad Captain was pulling out every trick he knew to boost his speed, streamlining his form to minimize resistance. His eyes were fixed ahead, unseeing except for the one he was searching for.
Tua's call barely registered, sounding like an echo from some great distance. All he heard was confirmation that he was heading in the right direction. If Tua were here, Tari couldn't be far.
Heading into the deepest part of the lake bed, it was getting dark enough that it was hard to see much. The lights of the temple were far away now, and little light filtered down this far from the surface. He could just see some contrast between the lighter coral-covered spires that jutted through the darker lake bed rock. His eyes narrowed, thinking that he'd seen some movement down there...THERE! A dark figure darted past one of the lighter towers before disappearing into shadow again, the last thing he saw was an elegant tail fin propelling the figure towards her goal. Tari. It had to be. He just knew it.
Adjusting his trajectory, he set himself on an interception course with her, still aware he had some distance to make up. If he could just....slow her down for a moment...
"TARIII!" His voice came out sounding raw, heavier than normal as if weighed down by something, but easily loud enough for her to hear, even at this distance. Perhaps it would startle her long enough for him to catch up...he doubted she would stop simply because he'd followed her, but maybe because anyone had followed her, found her. He had to hope, pouring everything he had left into catching up with her before she disappeared.
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Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2013 4:47 pm
Figuring that Tua was still following her, she used the glimpse of a shadow across the barely visible light in the distance to fuel her determination. She swam around the ruined spires, recalling how they looked when they were attached to the large structure all the Aernyn lived in, before this cursed island destroyed it. She snickered slightly at the thought that at least the island was punctured, forever with a splinter reminder of what it did to an entire underwater civilization.
Memories of how things used to be filled her mind as she swam closer to the ruined spires. This was the first time she'd been here, although she'd heard about it from others who had explored the area. She thought about how close she was with her Court, then simply referred to as her guards, because she was a leader, called a queen even, but no where near as formal as this life she was forced to accept. She remembered how simple things used to be, despite the constant danger they lived in with the natural predators at the ocean depths.
She thought of Turin, and how uncomplicated things used to be with him. She smiled, lost in a memory of the four of them out hunting. Sadron and Turin were so against her and Aeroniel leaving the safety of the palace, but the girls had insisted they could handle themselves as well as any boy. She knew very well that Turin and Sadron did not lead them anywhere near normal hunting waters, but she had fun anyway.
She headed straight for the crack that lead to the sea beneath the island. While most Naiad have difficulties seeing this far into the deep water without light, she was able to just fine. Tua said something about how she's attuned to the Waters as the queen, which is why she not only looks different from most females, but why she's able to do other things normal Naiad can't as well. She is, after all, the living embodiment of the original Water spirit. The closer she got to the crack, the more she was able to feel a strange current. The waters felt as if they were flowing towards the crack, but that's not right, is it?
"TARIII!"
That was not a sound she expected to hear. Her attention snapped towards the figured she'd noted only a few moments ago. It wasn't who she thought it was. She was suddenly terrified that he'd read her letter. She'd written some things she'd been aching to tell him, but knew she could never voice. When she wrote that letter, she also figured she'd never see him again, so she'd never have to deal with the fallout or the storm her confessions stirred up. These feelings of inadequacy were hers alone, and she only shared them with Tua. She prayed to the Waters Tua had fetched him, and he hadn't read her letter, as she spotted the tiny shadow lagging behind.
The strange current started pulling her back, but her horror at confronting Turin, assuming he knew things, preoccupied her thoughts just long enough that she got caught in the vortex, pulling her down towards the crack in the bottom of the lake bed.
"TURIN!" She screamed. Her voice was powerful, wrought with fear. She reached out towards him, swimming furiously against the vortex.
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Posted: Sat Feb 09, 2013 9:13 pm
Turin thought he'd been swimming with all he had. But, as Tariel's voice, touched with fear, ripped through his thoughts, he discovered a final reserve of strength. "HOLD ON, TARI," he shouted back, pushing himself to reach her, now, before it was too late. "I'M COMING!"
She didn't seem to be able to escape the current, but her efforts allowed the Naiad Captain to reach her before she was pulled down into the unknown. He grabbed her outstretched hand, already trying to cancel his forward motion and reverse, but still he moved downward, further into the vortex. The current was strong, and soon he was breathing heavily from the effort expended. He wasn't sure he'd have been able to pull himself out of this current, let alone the both of them. It never occurred to him to do anything other than throw himself into the void, however; not after Tari had screamed for him, the fear in her voice begging for help.
Glancing down, first at Tari, then beyond to the dark chasm they were being pulled towards. Where did it lead? Who knew? But, it didn't look like they had much choice now. They weren't making any headway against this current, and they were only wearing themselves out. Slowing his efforts only a bit, he tugged her hand lightly, pulling himself down to her side. He couldn't see as well as she could at this depth, but he sought out the green eyes he knew were hiding beneath that hood. "Don't worry; it'll all be okay, Tari," he tried to sound soothing, though his own heart was racing.
Then he started to shift.
His form began to lengthen, stretching out, then gaining size and bulk, but remaining lithe and slim, his tail never ceasing its movement, even as it changed shape. It wasn't often that he used his sea serpent form, but he could still call it easily when he needed it, and Tari's need was more than sufficient. He'd remained as close as he dared to Tari during the change. Normally, he'd have easily been able to swim out of the current in this form, even with her as well, but...he'd already exhausted himself in the race to get here, and in his efforts to pull her from the current already. He didn't have much hope in getting them out of the vortex, however...
In a movement that was both swift, and deliberately careful, he coiled his serpentine form protectively around the Queen, and braced himself for what was to come. 'Hold on,' he thought briefly, letting the vortex suck them in.
The current was powerful, and he kept swimming just enough to provide some guidance as opposed to spinning completely out of control as the vortex pulled them under, down into the dark chasm. It was dark and the space was decently large...except for a few twists and turns with juts of coral and rock along the edge. He grunted slightly, bouncing off one sharp wall and into another before the wild ride continued. Protect Tariel; that's all that mattered. A few moments later, they emerged into the open, turning head over fin, then drifting to a stop as the current finally freed them from its grasp. The sea serpent took a moment, breathing deep and slow, passively noting the taste of salt in the water, as if in the ocean once more, before he began to relax his coils, releasing the precious cargo within.
Returning to Naiad form, Turin barely paid any attention to the slight burning sensation from the raw, scraped scales on his side. His focus was on the cloaked Queen before him, safe now and within sight. Without hesitation, as soon as he regained his normal form, he was wrapped around her again, arms around her shoulders, his face buried in her hair. "Thank the Waters," he breathed, "I wasn't too late."
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Posted: Sun Feb 10, 2013 12:33 am
"I'm coming."
She heard those words, even through the panic and terror, as she felt powerless to do anything. She swam and swam, and nothing was working. It almost seemed supernatural, because she should have been able to swim in waters going even this fast, with this much force. She fought, using all her strength. Her fear and panic, keeping her from utilizing her fail-safe, was ruling her thoughts and actions. It was as if she forgot who she was, what she's capable of and all that remained was a frightened, meek little girl, reaching out for her knight in shining scales.
This was not like Tariel at all.
"I'm coming." It echoed in her thoughts. He's coming. She reached further than she's ever reached before, so close, just a little more. He grabbed her hand, and she clung, tightening her grip.
"Hold on, Tari."
She had this little bit of him, and the forces that be would have to kill her to get her to let go. She hoped the forces that be wouldn't kill her, at least not today, not now.
She never had a chance to even look down into the darkness that was threatening to swallow them. Her eyes stayed on Turin, pleading silently for him to not let go. As soon as he was close enough, she clung to him, but only for as long as she felt his scales start to change. She knew what he was doing, and why, but she didn't want him to. It meant letting go. The one thing she feared the most in this situation where she had no control. She had to let go or his shift would be painful for them both. It wasn't long before she felt him coil around her, protecting her. She held on best she could to this huge sea serpent wrapped in a knot around her.
The vortex pulled them in fast and hard. She felt the bumps and slams against the coral and rocks, bracing herself for more. Her eyes were closed tight as they weathered the worst the vortex had to offer.
It was only after she felt the sea serpent uncoil that she opened her eyes. It looked familiar, but haunted. Dark, still, and quiet. The salt in the water took her by surprise, having not been in the sea in a couple years. They were sucked through the crack in the lake bed to the sea, but how? She looked upwards, but was seized by Turin before she could even see what was up there. She couldn't remember him ever clinging to her like this, and his voice, so rough, exhausted and relieved.
"Turin," she whispered, "thank you." She hugged him tight, forgetting for a moment what caused them to arrive at this moment, but only knowing he came to her rescue.
When she remembered, she let go, afraid of what was to come next. A lecture? A chastising? Maybe he'd lose his temper with her this time? (he never has before, but she wondered if maybe one day she would push him too far one day.) "I'm sorry." She said meekly, trying to pull away.
She still hadn't noticed how banged up he was.
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Posted: Sun Feb 10, 2013 1:04 am
Normally, Turin let Tariel do as she would, especially regarding proper protocol and behavior, even on the personal level. But when she tried to pull away, he tightened his grip, not allowing her to get free. Not yet. "You scared me," he grated, his voice harsher than even he was used to hearing it. He knew she'd have never heard him like this. He kept it too well-hidden around her. Because of her.
He held her tightly, a combination of exhaustion, fear, and adrenaline causing his muscles to quiver uncontrollably. He didn't care. All he cared was that she was here in his arms, safe. At first, he'd been scared that he'd never see her again. That had been an excruciating blow, like a stab to the heart. He'd recovered from that, just seeing her figure in the darkness of the lake bed, only to receive another painful blow at seeing her in danger, frightened and calling out for him. It was no small wonder he felt completely worn out.
It was some time before he loosened his grip on her, pulling back to look at her face. He seemed tired, but relieved, as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Well, one of many anyway. The hood of her cloak had fallen back in the chaos, leaving her hair to float freely in the now-gentle current. He stared for a moment, reflecting that it had been a long time since he'd seen her like this, without all the jewelry and fancy adornments of her royal position.
She looked even more beautiful this way, he thought.
Shoving the thought away, he dropped his eyes from her face. He'd let her go, and yet, he couldn't bring himself to pull away from her further. "Tari," he started, not bothering with titles here. "Why? Why did you leave m--us?" he corrected quickly. "We need you. Now more than ever." He wasn't sure if he was ready to touch on more personal matters just yet...although, the matter was hovering a bit too close to the surface, as it were, for him to hide as completely as he normally would. That letter...he was still reeling; still trying to comprehend and absorb what he'd read...
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Posted: Sun Feb 10, 2013 2:28 am
Tariel winced when she heard those words, "You scared me," come from Turin. Not for what he said, but what he inflected.
"I'm sorry," she said again, keeping her gaze low, completely negating her station and status, as she appeared so meek to this Naiad before her. It did not escape her attention the manner in which Turin looked at her. She was confused, considering she had never noticed before, but she recognized the type of look it was.
That question. One of the two Tariel dreaded having to answer. She couldn't distract him, cuz they were in the middle of nowhere. She looked up, wondering briefly where they had landed. The supernatural nature of that vortex sort of convinced her they weren't going to be anywhere familiar, but much to her surprise, she completely recognized where they were.
The ruins of their old home.
No wonder she felt so haunted. They were swimming over the final resting place of so many of their friends and family. As the island pushed further into the water, the palace and surrounding dwellings were crushed and pushed, causing a wave of sand, rock and seabed to roll outwards, consuming everything in it's path. Tariel felt an immense amount of guilt, having survived that simply because she was out, fooling around, having shirked her duties for that day. She should have been at the epicenter of the disaster that killed so many of her Aernyn. And today, she wished she had been.
When she swam for that crack, she didn't know what she was expecting to find, but she knew it wasn't this. She'd been chasing the past, the memories of a time she felt better. She had no idea the past was going to sneak up and haunt her, causing her buried survivors guilt to resurface.
So for Turin's question, she suddenly didn't know what to say. Should she expose a part of her soul that she kept hidden from everyone? Should she just lie to him? Wait a minute ....
How did he know I was leaving?
The letter.
She was horrified, and her eyes grew big and now she really couldn't look him in the eyes. She prayed to the Waters it was Tua that just tattled on her. But did he have time to go get Turin and then have them swim out that fast? She was worried.
"I ... don't know," she muttered, barely tipping her head back enough to look at him through her lashes. She wasn't lying, at least not fully. She couldn't lie to him. She just didn't know how to answer his question.
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Posted: Sun Feb 10, 2013 3:06 am
It did not escape Turin's attention where they had ended up. However, he could only deal with one problem at a time right now, and the runaway Queen before him was the primary issue at the front of his mind. He watched the emotions play over her face while he waited for an answer. Yes, the current setting was distracting...but later...he wanted answers now. He had more questions than he was willing to ask, but ANY answers would be good for the moment.
He was used to Tariel evading questions that she didn't want to answer; it was part of who she was. She was emotional, flighty, and prone to wild fits of impulse. She was also a kind, just, and fair ruler; that's why her Court was there to temper her more extreme traits, so that the rest of the kingdom could see the worthy leader that she was.
She may have been evasive with questions of a personal nature, but she never did things without a reason. Something about her answer lit a spark in the Naiad Captain's mind, a spark that started a slow fire burning...
"You don't know?" he asked incredulously, eyes narrowing at her. "Well, you seemed pretty sure about leaving anyway. So, how about you fill me in, Tari, on what you were thinking?" Normally, he'd never have dared speak to her in such a manner. He was an adviser at times, but normally he gave his opinion on a manner, then left her to make the final decisions. He didn't second guess her, nor did he argue with her decisions once made. Perhaps it was the exhaustion, perhaps the throbbing pain in his side. Perhaps it was the emotional roller coaster her letter had put him on that he hadn't figured out how to escape from yet.
"Where was it exactly that you were planning on going when you left? Here?" He gestured to the ruins around them, a massive grave to those lost in the tragedy. "What did you think was left here? Home? That was gone the day the Isle crashed into our lives. There's a reason we never came back once we left," he hissed, turning and grabbing her upper arms, forcing her to look him in the face. "We were all that was left, Tari. We took everyone with us, and we left. We found our new home. I know you don't want to accept that, but it's the truth. It's all we have. Home isn't this crumbling ruin, filled with sadness and death. Home is where we all are. Where we live and thrive. Home is the isle now, the temple in the lake. Whether you like it or not, sometimes, the truth just sucks. You deal with it and make the best of it."
Realizing his grip may have been growing a bit tight as his fervor grew, he made a conscious effort to loosen it, though he didn't let her go just yet. He frowned, unaware of the pain showing in his eyes. "Tari. You weren't running home...you were running away from home. From all of us. From...me," he finally dared say. So many more things he wanted to say...right on the tip of his tongue, but dare he continue?
"Why?" he finally asked, looking pained. "What is so terrible, so frightening that would cause you to run away...to this?"
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Posted: Sun Feb 10, 2013 3:37 am
He read the letter. Oh Waters what do I do now?
He'd been squeezing her arms uncomfortably, but she dared not move; she deserved whatever was coming to her. She really had no answers for his questions. She couldn't tell him the truth because the truth was even weaker than the excuses he accused her of having. She'd never seen this side of Turin, ever. And she worried if she opened up to tell the truth, he'd get even more furious, and that scared her.
Everything was changing. "You are water, it's supposed, to," Tua would tell her whenever she whined about all the constant change. What a good representation of water she turned out to be.
At this moment, she wished she really were Alu. So strong, so smart, so emotionally well-adjusted. At least from the accounts Tua gave. A fearless leader, a compassionate leader. A perfect leader. Tariel felt she was none of those things.
Her bottom lip quivered, but she dared not cry, not this time. Crying was the easy thing to do. Crying got her what she wanted where her personal life was concerned. She could see the pain in his eyes, and wondered if he could see the same in hers. But his questions, his words ... stung. She realized how selfish she'd been thinking. Everything was about Tariel. Tariel's feelings, Tariel's inadequacies, Tariel's self-pity. Alu would be ashamed. She let all the Naiad down.
"I can't do this," She whimpered, holding back the tears that threatened to break water. "I'm not who they think I am; who they want me to be." She closed her eyes, not wanting to see his hurt anymore. "I'm not who you think I am," she added, quick and quietly. "I thought I could find myself if I came back. Become who I used to be. When I was happy."
She didn't mean to say those last few things aloud. She thinks she only thought them, because she didn't want anyone to know how lost she'd let herself become.
"I'm sorry, Turin. I'm sorry for everything." She opened her eyes, looking at his chest to avoid his face, and that's when she noticed the pink floating in the water around Turin's side. "You're hurt!"
Oh Waters, what have I done?
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Posted: Sun Feb 10, 2013 4:03 am
Turin's gaze narrowed again, wondering if this was another distraction tactic. No...she seemed legitimately concerned...of course she was, she was Tariel. "I'm fine," he said shortly, trying to ease some of the tension from his form. Though when he glanced down, he winced. He hadn't realized it was bad enough for there to be blood in the water. This could be bad. They were back in the ocean, not the relatively safe waters of the lake.
His voice was steady when he looked back up at her, even, without the biting sharpness of a few minutes before. "Tari, I'm not as blind as you think I am. I know more about you than you give me credit for. I wonder if you see yourself as clearly, though." He slid his hands down her arms, taking her hands in his instead. "How about you stop worrying about trying to be someone else, and just be yourself. It worked just fine for you before." He paused, frowning. "Back when you trusted us to help you when you needed it."
He sighed, looking down and away. "You used to trust us, ask for help when you needed it. Lately...you keep everything bottled up, you pulled away, locked yourself away with your troubles. You're trying to shoulder everything on your own, but you don't have to do that. I don't care what anyone else says, even if you are our leader, that doesn't mean you have to do it all on your own. If you're troubled, come talk to me. Maybe I can't fix everything, but you don't have to face everything alone. You can at least have me at your side." He tried to offer her a smile, not even noticing that he'd started replacing the Court 'us' with 'me' somewhere mid-conversation.
Exhaustion played horrible tricks on your well-practiced defensive mechanisms and emotional walls.
He missed the closeness they once shared. Lately, it seemed that she'd pulled away from all of them, one by one, eventually locking herself away from them all as if forced into solitary. This was exactly what he'd been afraid of, though he'd thought at first that she'd have been angry with him and that would have sparked the change, but...that had all been settled, right? It was talked about, the water cleared between them. So why had she pulled away? He wanted to be her confidant again. Of course, deep down, he wanted to be more than that...but if not that, he certainly didn't want less than he'd had before.
Feeling the exhaustion beginning to weigh on him, he slumped a bit, sighing and murmuring, "Oh, Tari...where did we go so wrong...?" He wasn't even sure what he was asking about in particular anymore. He just knew that nothing felt right between them anymore; he just wanted to know what he'd done so that he could try to fix it.
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Posted: Tue Feb 12, 2013 3:21 pm
Tariel's attention was on Turin's injuries, she tried to wiggle around to see the source of the blood. He wouldn't let her focus enough to try and tend to his injuries, and he just kept talking, and asking her questions. This was ... well, it was strange. Turin wasn't usually the talkative or emotionally confrontational type. Did she die in that vortex and this is her own private afterlife? No, there wouldn't be blood if that was the case. Though maybe she was unconscious and dreaming.
No, that's silly.
"Turin, we need to tend to that," she said, pulling a wrist free and moving so she could better see the gash on his side. Her heart fell to the ground when she seen it. He was hurt because he tried to protect her. It never occurred to her to question why he'd risk his life for hers. But she felt guilty he sustained those injuries on her behalf. For her foolish whims and behavior.
"There's still debris in that," she said, moving closer to inspect the injury. This was a lot worse than she thought. They needed to get the injury cleaned out and dressed so it wouldn't get worse. And she hoped there wasn't any poisonous coral or barnacles attached to the crack and whatever else Turin slammed up against. She knew that being Aernyn, their bodies adapted to the the sea better, unlike the island Naiads who were stills susceptible to many forms of infection. Aernyn couldn't afford to surface to clean out injuries, or have a sterile room in a temple for the purpose of healing. No, they had to deal with cuts and gashes in the wilds of the water, where there existed any number of bacteria and parasites just waiting to latch on. Adapted to the sea or not, they were still not immune to the poisonous barbs that some coral possessed.
She pulled the cloak she was wearing off, and ripped a strip from the bottom where it had frayed a bit from contact with the coral. It had been a long time since she'd needed to perform first aid on anyone. Lowering herself and tucking her tail beneath her, she looked closer at the wound. She watched him, waiting for queues that he was gonna smack her away if she dared reach in and pull those bits of coral out.
Distract him. Answer his questions.
"I didn't realize I was that transparent," she admitted meekly, identifying the first bit of coral she wanted to try and remove. She braced herself, and kept talking while slowly pulling it out. "You all abandoned me. As Tua told me, you guys moved on with your lives. I never see Aeroniel anymore. Sadron ... well, all he does is piss me off and try to prove how independent he is and how much he doesn't need rules or leadership." saying that made her realize that was a big part of where her feelings towards all Naiads came from. Being a member of court, Sadron set a precedence. And when he's not following rules or protocol, and disrespects her authority, others felt they could to. She felt even more glad for her decision to suspend him from Court. Her heart ached, because she loved him, but he obviously didn't care about her anymore if he was so dead set on making a mockery of her in front of all the others she needed respect from.
She felt that empty loneliness again. "And you have your family keeping you busy," she said quietly. She knows they went over this before, and she thought they were good, but maybe they weren't as good as she thought. He explained the situation and circumstances, and she understood it. But she couldn't help but still be jealous. Turin would always have that connection to the meek little pink Naiad, and then there was his kids. She tried to push that from her mind and not let that be something that needed explained again. She really didn't want to hear any more about it. She'd done her best to accept it by having Moana as a Lady, helping to tend to her duties, and the girl really was a wonderful Naiad. And Anatolio was even more helpful now that Sadron was gone.
"Back when you trusted us to help you..."
Did she really take her trust back? She thought about it a moment as she inspected the small piece of coral she removed from his wound. Maybe she had, and didn't realize it. She thought it was them that left her, but did she really push them away? No, Sadron turned into a jerk all on his own. Aeroniel was just ... never around. But Turin ... he really was always there when she needed him. Even with his additional duties. She treated him like the others maybe because she was afraid he would just learn she really wasn't worth the effort. Or maybe, she did it so she wouldn't have to bear the heartbreak if she ever lost him. That last thought made her start to cry.
"I'm sorry if I pushed you away. I don't know where we went wrong. For so long ... I blamed everyone else. I didn't realize I was playing a part in it. I didn't mean to push you away, I just don't want to hurt you." Ironic, considering she was digging debris from an injury she indirectly caused.
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