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 Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2012 2:16 pm
New Lives
Week of Hell Zero Dream  Everyone had gone their separate way, now - Ea and Illumin had gone, and so had Ankou, absent from even his own chambers, once he had made sure they, well, expecially her was settled. Wherever the spirit guide was headed to, he hadn't told. Perhaps he knew she needed time to digest what he had told the pair - how long they had actually been gone, and how it had affected her - or, more fittingly, how it had affected the chidlren. And then there had been the revelation that almost everything she had gathered for herself, the home of precious and bitter memories, the small place she had made her home, gone with only unstable rubbles left behind and a few things the boys had managed to get out from either sides. That was indeed a whole lot to process, all at once.
The violin and guitar where mostly whole, but the strings had given in to decay. Maybe, later, she would restring them with some of her own, divine ones. She honestly had no idea if they would grow back if she cut them, or if it would hurt her - they seemed to have a mind of their own, lashing back and forth like a cat's tail. But now wasn't really the time for it.
Or, perhaps, the spirit guide knew what was to come, and gave the pair the intimity needed for such a moment. The three remained whisps darted, back and forth, as if impatient and waiting for something to happen. They where strong and bright, now - each with it's own distinct color - one a pale blue, the other a pale purple, and the last, the bold one, a vibrant shade of emerald green, and all she could really do was look at them, weariness and fatigue apparent on her face.
Apparently, the children where ready, she had no idea what do to, and the one person she could think could tell her how to do this... was missing an arm and probably had much, much more important things to worry about.Thabara  Nergal had spent most of the past few minutes pacing up and down, until Echo had shot him a wary and annoyed glare which made him stop in his track immediately. For now he remained standing ramrod straight at the window, glancing out at the devastating landscape, hands folded behind his back.
The news Ankou had brought, the loss of their joined house, was bitter, but did not hit him as hard as it apparently was the case for Echo. To him, it always had been but a temporary dwelling, something he hadn't allowed himself to get overly attached to, despite everything. The star-painted ceiling in the bedroom, however, he would sorely miss.
But all this paled in comparison to the onslaught of voices. War, Plague, Famine and Decay - each of them had claimed plenty of sacrifices. And while the world might now seem surprisingly quiet and devoid of people to everyone else.. to him it now was more crowded than ever, a constant reminder of his own shortcomings. He sighed, and then - in a sudden move - slammed his open palm against the window pane. Such an outbreak was atypical for him, telltale of just how upset and frustrated he was. He should have taken Destruction's offer, no matter the consequences. He should be able to do something, now. Do something for the dead instead of merely have them heed his command.
"I am sorry," he murmured, glancing at Echo's tired and distraught face. " I did not mean to unsettle you.." He left the window, kneeling down at her side, his gaze filled with concern. "Is there anything I could do for you, something I could get you?" The children were due soon, Ankou had told them, the time flux between the world having abruptly sped up their growth and massively drained the goddess bearing the little ones. It was obvious they were ready to be born, even if the Spirit Guide hadn't taken the time to explain. Their little life flames were burning brighter than ever, a faint streak of hope in this world where everything seemed to fall apart and go downhill.
He did not know what to do. His domain was death. Births.. where about as opposite to it as it could possibly get.Zero Dream The slamming, sudden and loud, only helped to add to her rapidly-growing headache, ears pinning down in reaction. "It... is alright." But even that seemed forced, in the state she was in right now. Ìt was already a wonder she was keeping her voice low and level, as is.
The three wisps continued to dart back and forth, waiting, and apparently where a little bit impatient. Still, that did not give her any idea as of what she was supposed to do with them. This was, granted, a bit more abstract than the way she would have expected to have children.... Not that she'd actually expected she would. ...Just like she had once expected the Underworld would not return her feelings.
Though, with how everything had been so... scrambled and non-stop action ever since he had returned, that seemed like ages ago in her mind.
Jinx had come to stand at the edge of the room after Nergal had slammed the window, suddenly worried something else had broken in, and had been about to turn back to her rooms on softly padded feet before she hesitated. They both looked quite... lost. And honestly had no idea what the hell they ought to be doing. She barely repressed the urge to facepalm. There where days where the feline would have liked to have the station to be able to smack Ankou silly.
It was unorthodox, but that wouldn't be the oddest way she would have seen little lifeflames form out. She padded the few steps separating her from the bed and whispered something in Echo's ear, simply nodding along to the confused look the goddess sent her. Thabara "What did she tell you?" Nergal asked. Obviously whatever Ankou's aoide had told her wasn't meant for his ears, or there wouldn't have been the need to whisper in the first place, but Echo's confounded look more than perked his curiosity. Zero Dream "...Sing." She still looked a bit dumbfounded, even as the black-furred form slid into another room, restoring the intimity of the two while remaining alert as she needed to be.
But really, it was quite silly for her to hesitate, given that she had no idea on how to do it, herself. So, she stopped overthinking the matter and closed her eyes. The first wisp, the bright emerald green one, darted to her, settling in her cupped palm. Even there, getting it - no, him, she realized now, to stay still was a struggle.
Her firstborn would be a son.
The little lifeflame was not making a sound, but to her it almost seemed like it was talking very loudly, and very clearly. Eyes still closed, she moved forward, face level with the top of the little flame, so close that it seemed to caress the tip of her purple lips as it flickered.
After a few seconds that had felt like hours, those lips finally parted.
"Silence and cold, crisp air
Standing still into the tomb of kings
Only I stand, akin to a statue, watching, waiting
For those that would dare defile the dead.
Nothing escapes my eyes
For I am the Guardian of the earthly remains of those who passed."
When the last intense word was spoken, the wisp trailed down, flickering, shifting - taking the form of green-skinned boy, with equally jade-colored strands of hair on top of his head, a small tail trailing down along Echo's leg as he laid against her, apparently now asleep and exausted by the process of finally coming into proper existance. Thabara Underworld watched - listened - with bated breath as his first child was sung into being. For a little while he did not dare to move, as if even the slightest action taken by him, ruler of all which was dead would undo this miracle somehow.
Child.
His child.
His.
He had a son.
Finally he sidled closer to Echo, gently laying one arm around her waist, while his other hand reached out to touch upon the deep green skin, trailing lightly along the pointed shape of the ears, ruffling the silky strands of hair, just a little. He still did not dare to speak, but his eyes were wide, filled with wonder. Zero Dream She leaned against him, without really noticing that she was. With her son settled against her, her hands rose again, and the light blue wisp trailed in her cupped palms, though she seemed calmer, easier to keep still.
She. A daughter, now. The sorrow that lingered around her surprised her for a moment. She probably should have seen this coming - that the current times, perhaps, would call for her. So many lost, so many under her influence before she could even be.
"Death takes all, and leaves me behind
A touch of sorrow in the wake of loss
But without I wounds would remain raw
and broken hearts would never mend in the wake of loss
Nothing left behind by the tears I've shed
For I am the Grief that follows loss."
Just like the first, the second flame moved - and as it did, shifted into being, smaller than the one that had preceded her, more delicate. Pale blue skin and raven black hairs framed her face, but even as her eyes where closed there seemed to be something different - her eyelids shutting flat as if there was nothing behind them. She settled against her brother soundlessly, also asleep. Thabara He cradled Echo's form closer against his own, noticing how she seemed to tire, even if she herself did not. Intently he listened to her Song, committing the verse to memory as the second child was born, taking on physical form.
A girl, this time, with the pale blue skin and the black hair eerily reminiscent of how he had looked while his hosts features had still dominated his appearance. Sorrow? No, Grief, he corrected himself, again not able to resist the urge to touch, fingers trailing the strangely dull strands of black hair.
He noticed something seemed off about the girl's face, fair as it was, the look familiar from the sunken in eyelids of the mummies which had been placed under his protection in days of yore. He wondered if Echo had noticed, but did not dare to voice his concerns before the last would be born. It would not do, to distract Echo from this tiring yet wonderful task.
A moment later, he was entirely distracted by the discovery the boy had a tail, wagging ever so slightly in his sleep. Underworld's expression was.. quite priceless, if anyone actually paid attention to it. Zero Dream With the pale blue skinned girl settled, there was only one left, the pale purple wisp, who seemed to linger for a moment, as if unsure if he really wanted to do this or not, but eventually fluttered in his mother's awaiting palm just like his siblings had done before him. He could not stay here forever, and, really, it was lonely here now that his siblings had gone.
This time, it was a familiar feeling that came off from the lifeflame, words spinning and waiting to be strung together and told. She would have smiled a little wider, if that had been even possible for her physical form to do so.
She would not be the one to lead the dead where they should go, but there was no bitterness in conceding this part of her to her own son.
"I follow Her lead, by her side to stir what she leaves
crafting beauty from tears that fall, moving hearts in my wake
Song or words, it matters not to I, for they are mine to weave
Both have the one thing in common, governed by sadness
May they follow my voice, wherever they lay
For I am the Lament of ages to come."
Just like his siblings, the third started to shift, even through there was an apparent problem - there was no space left in mommy's lap. Oh well. Instead of going downward, he darted sideways - there was more than enough space left in daddy's lap, after all. Features shifted, reminiscent of his mother where their sole daughter had seemed to take for him, or at least, what he used to be. Fair, deep skin with strand of hairs thin like spiderwebs, much like his father's had been before being dreaded once more, through the effect was mostly ruined on a visual level due to the pale lavender coloration and the slight wave. The last child settled against Nergal's chest with a small, tired whine. Thabara Nergal already barely dared to move, but as the last small lifeflame headed into his direction unexpectetly, he stilled completely, not wanting to accidentally do anything which might scare it away. A tremor went through his body ever so slightly as his last child took on physical shape as well, an unruly mess of silky lavender hair coming to rest against his chest.
Finally, Underworld stirred, one hand gently stroking over the boy's fine hair before he struggled to somehow include the other two children in some sort of awkward embrace.
"Welcome to the world," he finally whispered, his voice almost giving in. What were those tears doing, springing forth from his eyes? This was a joyous moment, not one to weep, and he was smiling indeed.
Where there had previously been lovers, a couple, there now was a family. Zero Dream And at last, it was done, and Echo opened her eyes at last - finally able to see her children for the first time, and she was quite sure her heart skipped a few beats. She seemed to barely be able to believe this had actually happened for a moment, one hand going for the girl's dull black hair, touch light as if she was afraid to hurt them as they sleep.
My daughter. My sons. ...My children.
Much like her lover, there was unhidden awe in her eyes, and tears sliding down her cheek. Thabara He did not know how long they had been sitting there that way, Echo and the boy comfortably huddled against him, the only sound the soft hum of her wings and their deep, regular breaths. For the first time in months, ever since he had been taken - maybe even before - things felt right.
The green one was drooling in his sleep, he noticed, not entirely sure if he should feel amused or appalled by it. And the girl.. He interrupted his own train of thoughts, sighing internally as he noticed something.
"Have you thought about names?" he asked, gently, not wanting to disturb the content and peaceful atmosphere. But he couldn't refer to his children as 'the green one', 'the girl' and so on all the time, nor did he comfortable referring to them by their domain. Zero Dream The sudden sound of his voice, after the long silence, seemed to startle her, as if she had been just about half asleep.. "Not... not yet." There hadn't been time. She had learnt of their existence, and then they where off. The events unfolding in their quest had not given here much time to think, even less about something so serious as names.
And yet, it was painfully apparent that the time would also not be now. The goddess was struggling to remain awake, as is. Thabara He nodded quietly, half having expected an answer along those lines. It was more than obvious she could barely keep her eyes open now. "Sleep then," he said, breathing a kiss upon her cheek. "Rest. It can wait." Oh, how he wished that was true. Zero Dream She nodded in answer, and then quickly fell asleep, right where she was - through her sleep rather quickly became deep enough so that he could move her without even coming close to waking her. Thabara He sighed, knowing she had fallen deep asleep when her body grew heavy against his. Gently he let her slip down into the pillows, and lifted the lavender-haired boy from his lap to rest against his mother's side. For a while he busied himself quietly with arranging pillows and blankets, so that they'd have it as warm and comfortable as possible. Time and again he simply stopped to gaze upon his little family, eyes still filled with wonder and trying to grasp the miracle which had occurred, that he'd just become a father.
Except for the girl they didn't look anything like him, he realized, and even she only resembled his former morphed, still half-mortal form. But then again they were gods, so this didn't mean much. Before they had been reborn they had not been bound to unchanging physical shape like this. Their forms had been many.
"I wont be gone for long," he said, gently, and breathed a kiss upon Echo's lips. She was asleep, but that didn't mean she wouldn't hear him.
That she wouldn't sense him leave.
"Just.. We have been gone for weeks, on this plane. I need to find out.. What there has been going on in the meanwhile. If there is hope." Four weeks. They had been gone for four weeks in this world. And while it otherwise would only have been naught but the blink of an eye in his divine life, now it was..
He sighed, shook his head. There had been another question lingering on his lips, but it would have to wait, just as his children would have to remain nameless for now. He rose, straightened. There had to be something he could do.
Now.
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Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2012 2:16 pm
Names, Names, Names
Week of Hell Thabara Nergal had a hard time resisting the urge to simply slam the door back into lock. That demon's pretentious behavior had been infuriating, the stabs of his provocations even more so.
His gaze falling upon his lover and children huddled against each other, all sound asleep still, caused his anger to simply evaporate from one second to the next. Underworld's features softened, and he caught the door to close it very, very quietly, leaning his back against it and content to simply watch for a little while. He did not want to disturb his little family's sleep.
What could he do? The throne wasn't his, even though he hadn't even tried thanks to that obnoxious demon's interference. But, certainly he'd know if it was his to take? He sighed. Perhaps. Perhaps not. He really had to stop to simply make assumptions.
But what could he do now.
His gaze rested upon his children. He knew their domains, which was more than Eamnonn had known for quite a while of his children, and yet..
He pursed his lips thoughtfully. The Pantheon had a grand library, he knew so with certainty from Li-- from Cosine. Certainly there must be books on names? He sneaked back out just as quietly as he had come, only to return about two hours later, bearing a huge pile of books in his arms.
He had met no one in the library, apparently neither gods nor aoidei tending to the place right now, so he had left a note detailing which books he had signed out and where to find them. As long as they remained within the building, he figured, it would be fine.
As quietly as he could, he nested on the edge of the bed and started to flip through the first book. Zero Dream
Echo had not moved any in the time that he had been gone, sprawled in exactly the same position that she had been when he had left to the library, hair having come undone from her ponytail and surrounding her as if it was some sort of aura. The culprit would become known when it would be noticed that lament was clutching the ribbon she had used to tie it up. While it seemed like the children had awakened and tossed about a bit, now everyone was calm, silent, and asleep.
A completely different scenario than what was going on outside.
One blue on blue eye opened when he sat at the other side of the bed, a lazy smile drawing itself on her face. This wasn't a bad image to wake up to, not at all. And it seemed that they where now completely alone - even Jinx was nowhere to be seen.
"Guess we will need to apologize to your brother for the sudden invasion of personal space, hmm ?" Yet, even as she said that, she did not move an inch. She was awake, but apparently not quite willing to separate herself from her children at the moment.
Her children.
It still felt surreal, somehow, yet they where there - three beautiful little ones that could not have been more perfect in her eyes.Reyna Crelos  One of the children stirred in its sleep with a faint whine and grumble as though protesting to the very thought of being a conscious part of the waking world. He flailed out with one arm and wiggled his way to curl closer to the warmth of his mother and siblings before one eye squinted open blearily, quickly followed by the other. He yawned, tongue curling a bit like a pup who had just woken from a long nap before he wobbily moved to sit up while scrubbing at his face with tiny hands. He peered up at the beautiful woman next to him and up at the looming, pale figure that was haunting the door. His gaze then settled upon the sleeping forms of the people that were quite obviously more 'his' size. The emerald skinned child remained silent and still for a long moment as though contemplating his surroundings and the people he had woken to. Mother. Father. Brother. Sister. Everything else was strange and new, and he was not certain he appreciated it. It was then he decided he shouldn't be the only one that had to suffer and promptly pounced upon his brother in a haphazard fashion with a delighted giggle as the sudden movement sent him tumbling. Zero Dream  Up until now, the world had only been warmth from his mother and siblings, warmth and comfort and security, and it had been perfectly fine that way.
That is, until something tangible and, most of all, heavy, collided to the physical forms he was still not quite used to being, and both eyes suddenly snapped open, faint golden pupils on platina backing, and he let out a startled wail at his sudden, and rather rude, awakening. When he realized just exactly what had entered in collision with him (nothing too scary, it turned out - only his brother) there was only one proper course of action to answer this.
That was, of course, to pounce right back, with an impish grin on his face, all the while laughing rather innocently and cutely, even if his retort almost sent them tumbling off the bed. That did not seem quite important at the moment. What was important was that his brother was here, he was awake, and they could play, and somehow it was even more fun that way than it had been before.Thabara ]Suddenly the place which had been so comfortable and warm until now was jerked into motion, disrupting the small goddesses' peaceful slumber. Pale blue eyelids fluttered open, and her nose crunched up with annoyance. She did not like this, not at all. Her small fingers dug into the fabric of her mother's dress, and she gave off a small whine to voice her displeasure. Nergal looked up from the book he had been studying and quietly watched the scene unfolding, too mesmerized for now to see the tiny godlings move about and in action to really mind the sudden disruption of peace. "He wont mind, I don't think so," he said, adding with a small smile: "He always was the kinder one, I seem to remember."Reyna Crelos Guardian paused in his flailing, pouncing, and wrestling of his brother at the sound of his sister's whine. He clambered towards her clumsily enough that the bed still wobbled and rocked, albeit to a lesser to a degree than it had a mere moment before. He wrapped an arm about her, and in the process his mother as well, and leaned his cheek against his sister's shoulder to murmur something nonsensical that was meant to be soothing. He was still for a long moment, but before too long it was obvious he was itching to squirm and move about to see what other sorts of things he could see and do. His apparent lack of proper motor skills was hardly enough to stop him. What he lacked in general finesse and ability, he made up for with abundant enthusiasm. Zero Dream "I guess so." Echo smiled, sliding an arm around the two that where in her reach, a smile that only widened a bit more when her son started to wriggle around once more. Apparently her eldest could not sit still for long, but that somehow.... seemed fitting, for what he represented.
She had been about to ask just why he had brought so many books, but, still waking up as she was, thankfully she answered her own question before it could be voiced out. Names, of course, what was she thinking ?! The matter was getting rather.... pressing, what with the children already moving around and all that.
And to think they where.... ...how long had she slept for, anyway ? She honestly had no idea.
"Have you found anything fitting ?" When the emerald-colored child wriggled out of her loose hold, she settled to stroke her daughter's cheek, in order to continue to calm her.Hey, hey - where had his big brother gone ? They where just starting to ha-
Oh. Oh. When he realized what was going on, he was hot on his brother's heels - which was not saying much, because, even with the the lack of motor skills, the older boy was still much faster then the youngest. By the time he got there, he had started on his grand discovery of the world of the bedroom - fact which the youngest did not seem to mind, as he half-stumbled and half-crawled to lean on his mother's back. He made a discontent face - through that only made him somehow look cuter - and stayed put, even if he had obviously wanted to get closer to his sister.
Oh, well. Mommy had been pretty far away, he deserved the rest. He leaned the side of his face against Echo's back, the glow of her wings making him look almost ethereal. He blinked once, twice, quite obviously thinking hard and looking for something that wasn't exactly easy to pin down. And apparently he couldn't find it, and grumbled, instead lightly resting his hand on his sister's shoulder so that she knew he was right there, and big brother was close too, and daddy and mommy too and everything would be fine. "S.... Sis." Thabara "Not really. Not yet." Nergal paused and gave a smile as he watched the-- his children's antics. The boys certainly seemed lively enough - being a father also enticed that he would probably be held responsible for any havoc they wreaked, it started to slowly dawn on him - but the girl.. The way she stayed put and clung to her mother, turning her head at every new sound and voice. Nergal's smile faded a little, unsettled that his daughter would be born handicapped like that. It seemed not right, least of all for a goddess.
"I was thinking however," he said, putting the smile back on his face for Echo's sake and holding up the book he had been flipping through. The font on the title seemed outlandish, yet looked distinctly familiar. Greek. "To perhaps stay with the classics?"The girl's soft whine had quieted down upon her brother's touch and the sound of his voice, and her pale lips pulled into a smile, though the corners of her empty eye sockets were still glinting with the moisture of first tears. Hesitantly she stretched out one tiny hand to feel for him, awkwardly patting Guardian's hair, fingering his pointed ears, and getting a good grip on his nose for a moment. Then he was gone again, and the young goddess looked ready to erupt into a full out bawl at his disappearance.
Luckily enough her younger brother's approach distracted her, and her small lips formed into a quiet 'oh'. Cooing quietly at the sound of his voice, she reached out, the fingers of her hand opening and closing in an attempt to get a hold of him. Where was he?Nergal blinked, slightly puzzled. They were speaking already? Well, sure enough, the wisps following Echo about, had seemed aware of their environment. And the way they were already moving about.. They needed clothing, he made a mental note to himself, not to mention a babysitter, a nanny of sorts to watch over them. Which reminded him - where the hell were their aoidei off to? Reyna Crelos The 'green one' clumsily half-crawled, half-fell off the bed. If it caused him any harm, he was by no means distressed. He looked around as he oriented himself with his surroundings before crawl forward on his hands and knees towards where his father sat. He was going to help! With what, it hardly seemed to matter, but he had large, interesting things that opened. Annoyed at the pace of his crawling he shifted himself upright and attempted to pull himself to his feet by bracing himself against the wall. He laughed, tail wiggling with excitement when he succeeded. The actual walking part was what would prove a challenge. Carefully he put one foot forward only to reel backwards to land with a flop and an irritable mutter. In his point of view, being trapped into this form was officially starting to become a royal disappointment. It was far more fun fluttering about at will. He gazed over at his siblings from where he lay with bright eyes before pushing himself up to begin the tedious process of walking yet again. He wanted those books! He didn't know what they were, but he was going to help. Zero Dream "The classics, hm ? That sounds like a good starting point, really.." She smiled, shifting to at least sit, mindful of the two children that still clung to her while keeping a close eye on the third, through it seemed she would not intervene unless he got hurt, or was about to break something. The goddess had moved slowly, making sure to do her best not to startle her daughter. It seemed that she had also noticed, but she was either not making a big deal out of it, or keeping her expression extremely guarded on that matter, because nothing showed other than a bit of surprise and wonder. She hadn't expected them to be so... so.... active ? At least not so soon. They must have picked up more as wisps than she had thought. This was a bit awkward, really, but... it may also make things easier ? Because they would probably be able to tell if they did not like the names ? ...If they even understood the concept, of course, but so far, all three had surprised her in their own way.He moved as his mother did - crawling the last few steps that separated him from his sister and sliding to hug her, letting out one of the cutest little grins Echo had ever seen. "Sis !" Apparently now he'd grasped that word a little more fully, and he glanced at his older brother. He wanted to try to, go and explore, but he seemed intent on waiting until his sister was ready, almost as if he also knew she might require someone to act as her eyes, and had no problem with being that someone. Thabara "Well, this one has sorted names by meaning, not by alphabet, which.. might just be the best way to go about it. To find something which would fit their domain?" He raised from his seat, taking another book from the pile in addition to the one he had been currently browsing, and snatched his firstborn off the floor as he walked towards Echo. "Your pick," he offered, with almost a grin as he adjusted the wriggling child's weight against his waist. "Latin, or Greek. Or something else entirely. There is even more in the library, this.." He glanced at the pile of books back where he had been sitting, with a slightly sheepish look on his face. "This is all I was able to carry safely."The little goddess wriggled excitedly has her brother's arms wrapped around her small form, her little hands reaching up immediately to touch him, to get to know him. Oooooh, there was that soft, silky stuff again~! With a thoroughly happy grin she stuffed a strand of her younger brother's hair into her mouth to nom on it. Reyna Crelos He flailed and wiggled and squirmed when he was hefted quite suddenly from the floor. He had been making such progress! And yet his father had intervened! He huffed a bit irritably, but his consternation was quickly shoved aside when he realized what his being picked up truly meant -- not only was he closer to his dad, but even closer to the books! Clearly, this worked in his favor. How, he was not entirely sure, aside from the closer proximity to both. (The fact that he was also being carried back to his siblings and mother was simply a bonus.) His fascination with the large tomes however, dissipated almost instantly when he found something else that was infinitely more interesting: Dad's hair. It was not like his! Nor was it like his mother's, brother's, or even his little sister's! With wide-eyed fascination he reached out with one grabby hand and yanked on one loose dread, giggling all the while. Thabara "Maybe we sho-- Ow!" Nergal gave his eldest a disapproving glare but couldn't do much without either letting go of the boy or the books. Zero Dream "Gentle." Echo's voice was firm, yet remained soft and kind, somehow. "Touch, but don't pull, okay ?" ...Now that was just plain intervening, but that would at least be better than daddy being a playpen, wouldn't it ?
With that in mind, she glanced up at her lover, smiling sweetly. "You where saying, dear ?"Lament did not seem to terribly mind becoming his sister's... lunch ? And instead giggling happily, one tiny finger poking the tip of her nose. That was new ! So many new things !! Reyna Crelos "Genle?" He frowned, little brow furrowing and darkening in a way that was highly reminiscent of Underworld's own forboding scowl. No fun, no fun, no fun! He relinquished his grip on his father's hair and resumed his wriggling. Down, down! He wanted down! He strained and flailed out with one arm towards where his brother and sister were, grumbling as he struggled in his father's grip. Thabara "Nothing," Nergal mumbled, adjusting his grip on his son slightly so that he wouldn't slip off despite his energetic wriggling. "It can wait. Names first." He relinquished his hold on the lively child only once they were right next to his calmer siblings, and he took up seat next to Echo himself, handing her one of the books. "I can get the others too," he offered, "and even more from the library."The girl flinched back a little when her nose was poked out of nowhere, but mostly out of surprise, because the next moment she was giggling, one hand moving with finger outstretched to retaliate. Where was he? She aimed for where the voice had come from, but poked into something soft, not-nose. Hm. Zero Dream The mirrored expressions almost did her in, but she managed to disguise the sudden fit of giggling into a well-timed cough. At least, that was what she hoped... but that had been so cute !The something soft, not-nose was actually their mother's side, through she did not seem to terribly mind. Kios giggled a bit, sliding off to her side where she could reach him a bit more easily, hand outstretched as if to invite his brother closer.Echo was going through the book that had been handed to her, half-reading and half keeping an eye on the children. Mortal languages where rather interesting, and made for interesting names idea, through for most, she either liked the name, but not the meaning... or the other way around. Through, finally, she seemed to come upon something interesting.
"What about Sotiris ?" It fitted the older boy best, of course, at least as far as domains went, but she wanted to know what Nergal thought of it. Reyna Crelos Free from his father's arms, little Guardian ambled gracelessly to his other siblings and moved to curl against his sister's back with a grin as he played with her hair. Much softer than Dad's! And longer than his own. He burbled some sort of nonsense to her and finally seemed to be slowly down as his energy waned a bit. "S-o-TO!" he declared brightly, bright eyes dancing with merriment as he beamed over at his mother. Thabara The pale girl poked at the softness once more, before - more confident now that her brother was holding her - she finally let go of her mother's dress. Both hands free now, she rose them to her own face, exploring its features and trying to figure out what part of it she had touched. After a little while her tiny hands came to rest on her cheeks. Soft. Hm, that must have been it? She pursed her lips to a thoughtful pout, not entirely sure.Nergal frowned a little, expression puzzled. "Salvation?" he asked, not entirely sure if he had recalled the meaning correctly.The little goddess cooed happily, feeling much more comfortable now that both brothers were back at her side. She didn't like being alone. "Soto~!" She parroted, trying her tongue on that new word. Zero Dream "Hm-n." Echo nodded, head tilting to the side so she could look at him. "What do you think ? I like it. And I think they like it too, come to think of it." Her features grew into a smile that was getting rarer as days went by - as the situation around them worsened."So-to ?" Lament babbled along with his siblings, an adorable grin on his face. That was a pretty word ! Thabara "Sotosotosotosoto-to-to..to..to.." She sort of stumbled over the syllables, voice trailing off. Blinking a few times with a puzzled expression, she opened her mouth to feel for the tongue."I do not think we have a choice left in that matter," Nergal mused with a wry smile. "It is a good name." One that bore hope for better times. Reyna Crelos Content for the time being, little Sotiris lounged lazily over against his sister and mother. He had a name! And a good name at that. Hearing his siblings say it was also quite nice. "Sis! Now!" he announced as he pointed towards her and glanced up at his mother with wide eyes. It was her turn! She needed one too. And his brother as well, but it was quite obviously her turn. Zero Dream Well, it was her turn indeed, wasn't it ? Echo was more than happy to follow her son's guidance on the matter, returning to the books. She flipped the pages, a vague frown on her face. No, no no no, that wouldn't work, neither would this ! Perhaps she was being over-critical - but that was her daughter, of course, and while Sotiris' name had pretty much snapped into place as soon as she's read it, nothing seemed to work for her little girl. She put the book she was holding at the opposite side than the one the children where gathered, and reached for another on top of the pile. This went on for quite awhile and a few books, and anything subjected in the meanwhile was shot down quite promptly, the goddess seemingly oblivious of how big of a brat she was being right now. But she had to find the right one.... !!!!
At one point, when the pile of book read was taller than the one left unread, she apparently found it. Well, something close, but... maybe... "What about... Lacrymosa ?" She glanced, edger to see if her choice passed "inspection". Thabara Thankfully this strange new world offered plenty of distractions for the children to not get bored anytime soon. Nergal picked up one of the books Echo had set aside, flipping through the pages while keeping an occasional eye on what his offspring was up to. Luckily enough they seemed content to keep each other occupied, as he had no idea whatsoever of games, or where to find toys for them.
After a while he stacked the books back onto their pile, apparently satisfied, while Echo was still taking her sweet time. Well, there was nothing wrong with taking this matter seriously..
By the time Echo looked up to make her suggestion, Nergal had their daughter sitting on his lap, keeping himself occupied with her strangely lusterless hair.The little girl wiggled every now and then, but mostly managed to sit still. Only... daddy's hands were so cold! "La-ci.." She turned her head towards where her mother's voice had originated from, browns furrowing as she focused on pronouncing that complicated word. "Mos-mos?" Reyna Crelos Sotiris actually had the presence of mind to laugh at his sister's disjointed pronunciation of the proposed name, but quickly stifled his giggling to avoid hurting her feelings. He reached over and poked at his brother with one hand before snuggling closer to the warmth of his mother. "Crys?" he queried as he attempted to try out the syllables himself. Zero Dream Heheheh... that was funny~ "Mos-mos." He chirped, pressing noses with her with what was probably an overdose of cute, one hand reaching to catch his brother's. "Crys !"
Apparently the name had passed inspection indeed.When Sotiris came close enough, Echo scooped him up in a loose hold in her lap, knowing full well he probably would not remain there long. Thabara "Cwys!" the girl chirped, throwing her arms into the air. Obviously the name had been accepted, even if she did seem to have trouble pronouncing the "r". "Cwys-mos~!"Nergal gave his lover a fond smile. 'Tearful'. "A name well chosen. A good thing that, despite its meaning and her domain, this doesn't seem to be her nature." He finished off his daughters braid, and - giving her a small pat on her head - released her from his lap, holding his hand out to his youngest. "Would you like a braid too," he asked gently, "Akakios?" Reyna Crelos A look of mischief fluttered across Sotiris' face as he contemplated kicking his brother. Why? It hardly seemed to matter. Reason mattered not when terrorizing younger brothers. He thought better of it when he suddenly found himself in his mother's arms entirely. He smiled and wiggled closer and through one arm haphazardly about her shoulders, before glancing up to peer intently at her face. "Mama's pret'y," he informed her as he reached to touch her cheeks and gaze at her vivid eyes. His attention was diverted when dad said his little brother's name. Kios? Well. Fine. He supposed that one was okay. He almost thought to pout when he noticed that both his siblings were (or were otherwise about to) have braids and his hair was not quite long enough for such things. Oh well. He had Mom's lap to himself, they did not. So there. Zero Dream Apparently Kios did not seem to notice the lack of enthusiasm about his own name, or the fact that he been seconds away from being on the receiving end of a kick - he crawled in his father's lap with the biggest happy grin his little face could summon forth.
That seemed like answer enough to anything. Of course he wanted to be pretty too !As for Echo, she apparently was in complete awe over her firstborn, gently pushing some strand of vivid hair to kiss his forehead. "Why, thank you." Soto's eyes where very interesting, now that she could see them from this close. Little flickering flames.... quite literally. She could probably have looked at them for hours, not that the little boy would stay still that long, of course. Her fingers went to comb through his hairs lovingly. Thabara The newly named Lacrymosa fingered her braid, a small frown forming on her pale blue face. She didn't like it, she decided, too tight. She liked her hair better all over the place and flowing freely, the way it had been before. "No!" she exclaimed, small hands fingering the woven hair almost frantically, until she managed to undo the braid. "No, no, no, NO." She shook her head, sending her hair flying wild, and then ruffled through it for good measure.
There, that was better.
Could she have seen her father's face, she would have laughed, because - for a moment - Nergal really looked crestfallen. "Kios~?" she piped.Nergal sighed, with a slightly sheepish look upon his face. At the very least his youngest seemed to approve of both, name and braiding. Reyna Crelos Soto, if he could, likely would have purred at having his hair petted. His contentment was shattered at his little sister's sudden panic and he ambled away from his mother's arms as quickly as he could to tend to her. "Siii~iiss," he murmured sweetly as he looped an arm about her shoulders and nuzzled over against her wild hair. Zero Dream Her daughter's sudden outburst startled Echo, but when she noticed nothing was really wrong, the goddess calmed down a bit - and again almost burst out laughing at the look on her lover's face. Well, at least he had Kios to focus any braiding urge he may have, it seemed.As for him, the little boy seemed conflicted. Braid ? Sis ? Stay put and be prettied up, or go assist his sister ?
.... DILEMMA.
Eventually, it seemed like he made his mine, gave his father the cutest smile to ever exist as if to ask him to wait just a second, and scrambled over, sitting by and doing his best to untangle the knots that had formed as Crys had released her hair from the braid. There was an obvious difficulty and lack of motor skills, but the boy was careful not to pull - even if it meant it would take a little longer.
...And, really, sis looked prettier with her hairs loose. "Sis pretty !" Reyna Crelos "Like Mama," Sotiris nodded in agreement to cement that fact. He too began helping to untagle Crys' hair. He wanted to help too! And no way was he going to be upstaged by his baby brother. Thabara Young Grief had been angry, upset rather than panicking, really. Now she was quietly cooing with delight, pleasantly surprised at the immediate attention her tantrum had gained her. Mom and dad didn't seem to care much - especially dad, as he had put her hair into that awful shape - but her brothers, they would be always there for her.
"Wus pwetty?" she inquired. It must be something good, she thought, because mom was like that. To be like mom, in any way, had to be a good thing.Nergal sighed, but the smile Akakios had given him, and watching the two brothers fussing over their sister's wellbeing almost made him melt. Those three would be a handful, he was certain, but it was sweet to know they cared for each other like that. Zero Dream "Ya !" Agreeing with Soto's agreement, he then turned thoughtful. "Pretty is.... is..." Oh, this was hard to explain, expecially with a limited vocabulary. Anything relating to sight would be beyond her understanding, he at least realized that much. "Pretty is... lookin good ! Crys is pretty like mama."Echo did not interfere, mostly curious to see what explanation her eldest would have on this rather delicate matter. As handful as they would be, all three had her completely charmed - and such was obvious. Reyna Crelos "Pretty like Mama," Sotiris said again before reaching out to touch his sister's face and hair. "Pretty," he insisted before dragging his sister's hands up to her own face. "Sis's pretty!" He wrapped his arms tightly about her and gingerly scoot the both of them closer to their mother. He grabbed up her hands again so she could feel and touch her mother's face. "See! Is pretty!" Thabara  Curiously her little hands trailed across her mother's face, gingerly touching upon the brows, the forehead, the hairline.. The pointy ears, then back to the cheeks, the closed eyelids, the nose, the lips, the chin.. Then they were raised to her own face once more, to compare. They were much the same, she found, only that her mother's was warmer, and everything was bigger.
"Pretty~!" she chirped, a wide smile appearing on her face. "Pretty. Like mom!" Arms spread wide, she gave her mommy a hug, snuggling against her, and blinking with confusion when a sleepy yawn escaped her lips.Zero Dream And Echo remained perfectly still, letting her daughter examine as she wished. When she had finished, she hugged her back and kissed her little forehead. "Yes, my dear. You are very pretty. Probably more pretty than I am, even."
It seemed like the children's energy was waning a bit.With everything taken care of, there was only one thing left to do, really - Kios crawled back into daddy's lap. There was a braid to be made, after all, and daddy better not think he had forgotten about that ! Reyna Crelos Soto moved once more to curl against his mother's side, eyelids drooping as the sudden burst of energy he had waned and left him swiftly crashing. He idly watched his brother get his hair braided with a bit of envy, but soon enough he was fast asleep and snoring softly.
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Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2012 2:17 pm
Motherhood
Week of Hell While the childrens seemed blissfully unaware of the state of the world around them (why should they be, after all ? They where children, she did not quite expect them to understand that the world might end, and neither had she tried to explain it to them, in fear of scaring them), it was not the same for Echo. But there was little she could do now that she had children - three beautiful children - and that they where slowly but surely growing more active. Sotiris in particular. While Lacrymosa and Akakios seemed to be a bit calmer in nature (well, on the latter's case, he was until roused in being otherwise by his older brother), Soto was a little green hurricane who was slowly but surely driving Tempo and Alto nuts. Well, mostly Tempo, who once had to fetch him from the top of a cupboard. She had to be careful not to laugh, sometimes, because as much as the emerald-colored boy's antics could be amusing, she had to be careful and not look like she approved of them. Because, well, she mostly did not. Even if it could be funny. She just make sure to laugh when there was no one there to hear it. Echo had quickly discovered that one of the only surefire way to make her little hurricane stay still was to nest him in her lap - a fact that she was now happily abusing whenever she could, really, when it seemed like Tempo was about to go on a rampage. Crys was curious, even more so than her brothers, it seemed - she loved to touch things, loved different fabrics and textures and layers. Alto had taken it upon himself to make her some clothing with what could have been salvaged of her mother's old dresses and Zero's old clothing - it kind of saddened her that she would probably never know of it. With the little goddess being blind, and the aoide being mute, communication in between them was near impossible. The goddess' lack of eyes honestly did not bother her, oddly enough - she was her little girl, she was beautiful, and anyone who thought otherwise would have to deal with her. Kios... there was something odd about her youngest son, through she had problems putting her finger on it. He was cute as a button, yet sometimes he seemed distracted - or too serious, as if he knew more than he showed, or as if he was hiding something - Echo honestly hoped it was simply her imagination acting up. He seemed happy enough, most of the time, when with his brother and sister. They all seemed to get along, most of the time - Crys was constantly trailed by either one of both boys - really, she doubted the little goddess would ever be short of protection. Both where happy to guide her along and satisfy her curiosity, explaining things as well as their limited vocabulary could allow. Soto and Kios.... where something else. She didn't quite understand what was going on in between those two sometimes. They could fight, screaming and more often than not getting to hits, and they could work together toward one goal, one act sometimes within seconds of the other. Yet in ways it was obvious that they at the very least cared about each other, in despite random bouts of kicking and screaming. Echo snapped out of her thought, glancing at her three children, sleeping and huddled up like puppies, with Crys in the middle. Always Crys in the middle, warm and safe and surrounded, and it made her smile in despite of how heavy her heart felt. She could not give up, no, not now... She wished this fleeting happiness could last, but she knew it wouldn't - not unless the end of the world was prevented. Things where starting to look up, after all... The goddess had no idea if she was being a good mother - if she was being too lax, or too severe with them... and perhaps she would never know for sure - but she would do her best. She would try.
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Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2012 2:18 pm
I Has One. You Don't.
Week of Hell Reyna Crelos Soto resisted the urge to kick and fight his father as he was carried away by his father to where his brother and sister were waiting. Perhaps the only thing that helped to soothe his general restlessness when it came to such things was the fact that he had a fantastic story to tell them. He especially could not wait to tell his Sis. He did so enjoy telling her things, because she listened so very well and took him seriously. He respected that. Kios was Kios, and thus just a baby in his mind's eye, but he was still his brother. Even if he was a baby. Once near enough to where they currently resided, the little godling resumed his kicking, flailing, and his newest trick, biting as he demanded in a fit to be let down so that he could skitter quickly to where his siblings were. He had things to do and Very Important things to tell them! "Waaa~aaaaaaaannnnnnt dooooo~ooooowwwnnnn...!!"Thabara He bit?! Nergal flinched, albeit more out of surprise than pain - the youngling's teeth were by far not enough to do any real damage. With an internal sigh he set his son down to the floor.
"You know," he said sternly, "you could have simply asked, instead of.." He shook his head. It was obvious the energetic child wasn't paying much - if any at all - attention to his words anyway. "Do not bite me ever again," he finished instead, "is that understood?"
He was still having a good hold on the squirming boy, and it was obvious he would not be free to go unless Nergal got at least some form of acknowledgment of his words. He didn't even expect as much as an apology. Reyna Crelos "...'kay," Sotiris replied calmly, or at least as calmly as he possibly could. So excited, so excited! He could hardly contain himself. The fact that his father managed to keep hold of him and force him still for even a moment was a remarkable feat. "Can go now?" Thabara "Yes, you can go now," the pale god sighed, and let go of the wiggling bundle of excitement. No doubt he'd hold his promise by scratching him the next time, or kicking. If he remembered about it at all. Nergal had his doubts.
I should probably be thankful that out of the three, only one turned out like this. It could have come worse. Zero Dream Echo had been busying herself reading one of the books she had found in the library - fairytales - to a rather wide-eyed and attentive public when her eldest dashed inside like the little green whirlwind he was.
"Sotiris." She sighed. "Where had you gone ? I was very worried, you know. You shouldn't wander off alone like that... Why not ask me next time so we can all go together ?" Really, she doubted he would listen, but she had to at least attempt.Kios had been laying on the floor, listening to the story until his older brother came in, which was when he moved to stand again. "'was it ?" He whispered. Really, he'd provided the escaping cover, he had to know ! "Soto find something ?" Thabara Crys had been listening to the story enraptured, even though there were soooooooooooooooo many things in it she didn't understand. The book itself for example, to begin with. Her mother had allowed her to touch it, after she'd made her promise she'd be very, very careful. But it had turned out to be a boring thing, with a funny smell to it. Every 'page' was feeling exactly the same, and yet there were stories coming from it. How so?!"I picked him up in the throne hall," Nergal announced, realizing with a sinking feeling that he'd probably be made to explain just how it had come that Soto ended up being 'rewarded' for his escape. Not only to the boy's siblings, but to his lover as well. Reyna Crelos "Was e'sploring!" he announced proudly as he burst into the room in a flurry of excitement. He looped an arm around his brother's shoulders and leaned in close to whisper. "Found a puppy. Name is Shima. Can keep, but is downstairs still." He smirked broadly, his own puppy tail swishing to and fro happily. He shot a thoughtful glance back towards his father before turning his attention back to Kios to whisper even quieter, "Dad does not like e'sploring." He bounded over towards his sister and mother and cuddled up next to Crys' side, quiet content with himself and the world at large. Zero Dream Ohhhh, really really really ?!? That was so exciting that he barely remembered to keep it to whispers. "Puppy ?! Wassit look like ?!"
Maybe he ought to do this exploring thing, too. Maybe he would find a puppy too. Maybe one for Crys too, if he was lucky ! Kios was fairly confident that he could get away with it, in typical little kid fashion. Unfortunately for the world at large, he had already realized he had high chances to cute himself out of most punishment, with his angelic face and innocent gaze.
He followed Soto, but sat next to Echo instead, since there wasn't really enough place left to squeeze himself in between the wall and Soto. He was tiny, but not that tiny.
Silly brother was too big. He wanted to be closer to Crys, but Soto was there so it would be fine. But still.Echo, of course, could hear the boys in despite them probably thinking they where the top-notch of shealthy, but mostly pretended not to hear a thing, but the puzzled look she gave Nergal did, indeed, promise that explainations would be needed. Wouldn't rewarding the boy's sneaking only make him do it more ?
"Well, then, maybe we should all go exploring together next time, what do you think ?" She offered her eldest with a smile. Thabara Crys latched onto her older brother immediately, contently starting to nibble on his arm or whichever part of his body she'd managed to get a hold of. "Puppy~y~y~?" she inquired curiously. She had no idea what a puppy was, except that they were supposed to have tails, just like big bro, because daddy had said so. However, excited as her brother was, it just had to be something special.Nergal sighed and sat down next to Echo. Her inquiring gaze, and the way she arched her brow, was more than enough to tell him that an explanation was indeed in order. "Said 'puppy' would be an.. acquaintance of mine. A shifter, preferring beast-like forms. She came here to--" He shook his head, fingers closing tighter around the golden round Shima had returned to him. "I will explain later. Not in the presence of the children." Reyna Crelos Sotiris wiggled happily and snuggled over against Crys. "Yah. Is a puppy," he informed her with a grin. His gaze settled upon his parents for a moment, face nigh unreadable. He leaned in close to whisper against his sister's ear, voice so quiet and faint it was very likely that only she would hear. "Am to find one for Dad," he told her, "Think he needs one. Will be big surprise."Thabara She blinked, and her mouth formed a quiet 'Ohhh'.
"Is secret, yes?" she whispered back, excited now. Zero Dream The promise of future explanations seemed to be enough, as Echo simply nodded and began to absent-mindedly comb through Kios' curly hairs with her fingers. If she had overheard anything of Soto's super-secret plan, she wasn't reacting in any way to it, humming a bit to herself. With her wayward firstborn returned to her, she seemed much calmer now.
The worry hadn't been so much of the fact he had wandered off, it was the fact that it had been.... Well, Sotiris. Kios wouldn't dare leave the building probably, shy as he was, but Soto ? The green godling would probably do it if he ran out of things to explore, probably.
"Well, at any rate, it is getting pretty late for the little explorers, hmmm ?" Echo smiled, lifting Crys into her arms and taking Soto's hand into her own. Kios would follow, she was pretty sure - he did not sleep much, she had already noticed, but he definitively looked ready to doze off. "Bedtime for everyone. And that means you too, dear." She poked Soto's nose lightly. "No more escaping tonight, mommy has had enough worry for one day." Reyna Crelos Soto glanced away with a pout after his mother had poked his nose. "Oookaaay," he lamented before attempting half-heartedly to stifle a yawn. His hand tightened in hers and he toddled off alongside his siblings, content for the time being to dream of exploring and finding puppies
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Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2012 2:19 pm
What goes around comes around...
Week of Hell Thabara He was quietly waiting for Echo in the room they shared, while she brought the children to bed, seated on the edge of their own bed. The ring which had been returned so unexpectedly to him today, was turned over and over in his palm, before he finally set it down onto the sheet, where it would be plain to see.
A moment later his hand moved almost on its own, to pick it up again, but he resisted the urge, forced his hands to rest in his lap, and himself to sit still. To those who didn't know him, he might seem calm, relaxed even. To those who did know him - like Echo - his nervous tension as she stepped back into their shared chamber was almost painfully obvious. Zero Dream She had tucked the three in, slid her way out of their room and waited there, for quite a few minutes, until exhaustion finally seemed to take hold and everything became silent inside, instead of small whispering voices when they pretended to be asleep. It was only then that she stepped away to slide back into the room she shared with her lover, letting the door close as silently as she could behind her.
He... was nervous. She could tell, of course - to her, after so long, he had become as easy to read as he could be difficult to do so for others. And if only for that reason, she tried not to be - after all, if he saw her perfectly calm and serene... maybe he would calm as well. She walked the distance that separated them, planting a gentle kiss on his forehead before sitting down beside him.
"Well, then... What it is that you wish to tell me ?" Her nervosity showed - but only slightly. Thabara He bowed his head at her kiss, causing her lips to almost meet his hairline, while he looked up at her almost shyly, the hint of a smile gracing his thin, usually mirthless lips. Just like his nervous tension, the deep love and affection he felt for the goddess before him was also very, very plain to see.
"That woman.. Shima.. She came here to return this to me." For a moment he hesitated, but then he picked up the golden round and carefully dropped it into Echo's palm. The design seemed simple, traditional, loaded with symbolism. Two hands holding a heart which bore a crown. "You found the box, I was told.." Zero Dream How did she somehow knew it would wind up being about that day... She kept that to herself, however, as she nodded. "Yes.... I had found it. That was what I thought it was..." But seeing it was a whole new thing, as she traced the shape of the heart and the crown with one finger. It was a beautiful ring - simple and elegant - yet so heavy with connections of events...
"...I am glad she did." It showed respect, at the very least. She paused then, apparently unsure - unsure if she should wear it, unsure if she should ask.... There was a burning desire to know, finally, but... "I searched for you." It had come out before she could think about it, finger now tracing the round of the ring. "I looked, everywhere I could think of, looked for anything that might lead to where you where, but..."
"But no matter how hard I looked..." And, for some reason, it felt like she had failed. If she had found something... If she could have gone there - could she have spared him some of that pain ? Her stare was locked on the floor, her ears drooping back.
"You... do not have to answer anything I ask, if you would rather not... But... Who is she ?" Thabara "Keep it," he whispered, gently grasping her hand to close her fingers around the golden ring. "It is yours, has been from the moment I purchased it. The hands in its design stand for friendship, the crown is for loyalty, and the heart.. well." He raised her hand to his lips, brushing a faint kiss against her skin before he let go of it.
"Shima is.. the one who deceived me, the bait they used to catch their treasured prey, posing as the one person I would permit close enough to actually have a chance to bind me." He fell quiet for a little while, looking down as he absently rubbed against the side of his neck with one hand. Sometimes the memory of the cold metal chafing against his skin returned, suddenly and unexpectedly, assaulting his mind with memories of all the pain and humiliation it had brought upon him.
"However, her act was without malicious intent.. She had been hired for her skills as a shifter, and was foolish enough to sign a contract with a demon. She has suffered more than enough at the hands of her former master, I hold no grudge. The ring.. remained with her for safekeeping, and we made a promise.. that she would return it to me once we both were free again."
He looked up to meet his lover's gaze, his eyes dark with sorrow, unsure as to what her reaction would be. Talking about what had happened, even this much, had been an effort and left him feeling drained already. He was determined to go through with this, however. There would be no secrets between them. Zero Dream She listened - it was the least she could do, after all... Listened and did her best to stay calm, not to react too harshly. She could do that later on... when she would be somewhere on her own. This woman had... pretended to be her, in more ways than one, and the slight frown that slipped though expressed pretty well what she thought about that. And he.. had taken her, given her to be in charge of one of her children. He... seemed so sure she was now trustworthy. What was done was done, and now she would have to trust in her lover's judgement which, so far, had almost always been better than her own.
"If you trust her, I... will try, at the very least. I cannot promise anything, but... I will try."
There was silence for a moment, heavy and uncomfortable. She shook her head. "I... will not ask you what they have done to you. I never will. I know this must be hard, and... it is probably better that I never know. It would only... bring me more pain over things that I cannot change." She had enough of that over the last few months - one thing she knew that she needed to let go of. She needed to stop dwelling on things when it was too late to act on them. Learn from them, yes, but not let it stew inside and poison her mind.
"There is just one thing... one more thing that I need to know, if you will tell me. The one truly responsible for this... Where is it." The look on her face told volumes about what she planned to do with that specific knowledge. There would be vengeance, retribution, one life she would not even hesitate to take and one she would not mourn.
It was a dark, deep look in her eyes that would be almost completely foreign to him, but had been seen often by those that had accompanied her in her search for him. Something she always so desperately tried to hide, but now slipped without the goddess noticing. Thabara "If you cannot bear her close, then she will have to go," Nergal said decidedly. "But I assure you, her role was merely that of a tool, and in the end it was her who set me free. If anyone, it is I that you should direct your anger at. I have been such a fool to mistake her for--" He shook his head before he exclaimed: "I must have been blind and deaf that night." His voice was low with anger and self-depreciation. "I am.. so very sorry for all the pain and sorrow I caused you." Zero Dream Well, that seemed to take her off-guard, at the very least. What... was he going on about ? "It was not your fault." Her voice was soft, when she reached to cup her hand on his chin and make him took at her. "It has never been and never will be. I do not think any of us ever expected something like this to happen.. or to be even possible." At last, she seemed to have decided, and she finally slid the ring onto one of her slender fingers.
"She.. might have been observing me for quite awhile, if she was able to fool you..." Thabara The urge to withdraw from her touch and avoid her gaze was strong, but he resisted. As soon as she let go of him, however, he shrank back, turning his head to look away from her. More than ever he felt like he had been stained, defiled.. The numerous scars left on his body had miraculously disappeared when he had literally cast off his old skin, but the other scars.. He felt dirty, unfit to be touched by her, and not a thousand baths would do to scrub off that feeling.
"She certainly must have been.. But really, to let myself be fooled like that--" He shook his head, about to add something, but interrupted himself when he caught a glimpse of her putting on the ring from the corner of his eyes. "May I?" he asked, gently reaching for her hand. "If you turn the design to face inwards, like this.. it means that 'someone has captured your heart' - or so the shopkeeper has told me. Borne on the left hand ring finger with the design facing outwards would signify that you are.. engaged." There was something distinctly.. hopeful in his tone. Zero Dream He'd been about to start again, and she had been about to once again argue against it, but it seemed the ring had done a fine job at distracting away from that. "Really ?" She seemed very curious now, as she held out her hand for him to take. Apparently she did not quite catch the hopeful tone of voice which had followed the last word. "That is quite interesting..."
Hey, maybe if she kept him on that train of thought, there wouldn't be more of this apologizing nonsense. He hadn't answered her question, but, as she had promised, she did not push the issue any further. Thabara "'Interesting'," he repeated flatly, letting go of her hand rather abruptly, struggling to not let his disappointment show too obviously, yet failing terribly at the attempt. At least considering who it was that he was talking to. "I guess.. you could call it that." And there he had been, hoping... Zero Dream Wait... What ? Her hand fell limply on her lap when he let go of it, and all she could do was stare blankly. What... What had she done now ? Clearly she must have missed something, must have, must have...
...Oh.
...Oh. She's thought he was explaining the ring, did... did he really.... ? Her ears drooped. She'd messed up, didn't she ? Again.
But really, it seemed like part of her.... part of her was still unsure all this was truly happening. Everything had been going so fast... His return... Then the children, and then... and then.... Had he really meant it that way ? What when everything went back to normal, if they did save the world ? Would things... go back to how they used to be ?
It was her turn to not dare to look at him - eyes covered by her bangs so that he hopefully could not see the tears that threatened to form and spill out. The ring slid off in her palm. She did not quite feel deserving of it right now, and it seemed like eons before she dared to speak again.
"...I... am sorry. I...." She held up her left hand. "If... you would still have me, dense as I can be." It was no fairytale romance, what they had, and yet...
And yet it was everything she had ever wanted. Thabara He knew he had failed in hiding his hurt feelings the moment her ears drooped, like leaves wilting at a rapid pace - that always was a surefire sign that he had managed to upset her. Oh dear, some things just did never change, it seemed. When it came to their relationship, they both were still terribly clumsy and awkward like-- Well, he did not even truly have comparison for this. Teenagers on their first date? And apart from that one visit to the carnival, they had not even had that much.
First date, first kiss, first love making - in a way Bael had stolen all of this from him.
For a moment, Nergal tensed, but then he stomped down on the intense hatred which had seared up at the thought, determined to not let it affect him. He'd be damned if he let that demon ******** with his life even after his death, and he would not permit this to happen..
Gently he reached out, brushing the bangs of her hair aside, and drying the tears with his thumbs before he picked up the ring once more and knelt in front of her. "In that case," he said, "let me be as blatantly obvious as I could possibly be: Would you want to become my wife?" Zero Dream When he moved to kneel in front of her, she could rather clearly feel her heart skip a few beats. This... this was really happening. For a moment, her voice seemed to fail her, awestruck as she was. And then, she smiled, let herself slide off the side of the bed.
"Yes, my king. I do." And then, she reached out, purple lips kissing black ones. She had other questions, other things she had wanted to talk about, some things she wanted to clear, but... right now, they where all gone, faded and forgotten for the time being. Thabara He feared the worst when her features turned to disbelief, feared he had done this wrong somehow, that this was some horrible sort of misunderstanding, and that she would open her mouth to say 'no'--
But then she smiled, and it was like the morning sun had just risen to fill the room with its warm light. It was all the answer he required, and he was feeling strangely exhilarated as he leaned into her kiss, filled with wonder that it had been him, him of all people, to bring such a happy smile upon her face. Wish this was repeatable, he thought giddily, I would ask her again, and again, and then again.
He took her hand, when their lips parted, to slip the ring back onto her finger, the correct one this time. Correct - at the very least - for a betrothal. "I realize I never courted you properly," he said with an apologetic smile. "No small wonder you misunderstood my intentions. Subtlety does not suit me, it seems." He kissed her again, playfully, on the tip of her nose. "I shall make up for this, once there is a chance, shower you with gifts and signs of my affection.." Zero Dream She would have said that this was fine - that there wasn't really a need for it, but, it seemed important to him. And, really, she would be more than content to let it happen. Let herself be swept in the magic, so to speak.
"And ill wait eagerly for that." She winked, and reached back in. Really, it seemed like this required more kissing, and less talking.
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Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2012 2:20 pm
Happiness In Unexpected Places
Week of Hell It took quite a long time for the goddess to allow her lover future husband to peel away from her, to go and do whatever he usually did when she was asleep, and when that happened at last, she was left on her own, to digest what had just happened. What had just unfolded. She hadn't expected this. She would not even have dared to expect this. He'd taken her completely off guard and some part of her was still wondering if she was simply dreaming, even if everything felt so real. When everything, somehow, felt so right. She was simply laying onto the bed, content with being lazy for a moment, as the lack of sound revealed that her three beloved children were still asleep, glancing up at her left hand - where the small golden ring had been set. And to think the evening had started off so differently - to think she's been glancing puzzlingly at the very same ring mere hours ago, unsure if she should even keep it, or if it had been too tinted by the events that had gone on. Everything had started with at least some explanation of that damned time she would rather forget, actually. She'd been so tense about it, and in some way she had been confirmed that she had been right all this while, when she always expected the worst and others tried to make her think otherwise. No details, but she did not need, nor want details that would only help fuel her rather vivid and active imagination with what had actually went on. The simple thought of it threatened to ruin her good mood, so she let it go, locked it away as far as she could. Now was not the time. All that, and somehow... somehow... This was what happened. This was what had come out of it. Nergal had caught her completely unaware, expecially with the indirect way he had initially asked. And the goddess had been so scared she'd screwed up, for a few horrible seconds, but everything had been fine in the end. Somehow, they always managed to make it okay in the end, no matter what. That was an odd thing in itself, sure, but she was not complaining. She caught one happy tear that spilled out unaware. This... This was really happening. And in despite everything... she could not be happier, in despite the shadow of a possible end to all that was constantly looming over her. If anything, that only added more determination toward making all of this work, somehow. Eventually, the goddess fell asleep, her left hand on her lap, cradled as it now possessed one of the most precious things she had - a smile on her face.
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Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2012 3:08 pm
Bringing The Pieces Together
Week of Hell Cinderfae  Karaskis stepped down the hall of the Pantheon her fiery eyes looking over the corridor. Behind her Ashe followed along a quite looming presence, he had once served as a bodyguard for various clergy in her temples and now had taken the task up again; this time over his goddess. Karaskis had allowed him to, she felt that he seemed to find calm with it. "We are almost there, perhaps we will find if what was done was only in vein." She was wearing the clothing of her host though not what she would have normally prefered it was more suitable for the current situations. The heavy boots sounded hollow as they sounded against the floor of the hall. She had pulled a dark leather jacket over the white tank top that Cinder usually wore under her flight suit; the jacket was one of the cast offs from Taj. His wings didn't allow him to wear much of his old clothing, the seamstress they had acquired seemed up to the task of altering his clothing even in such strange times as they were in now. After walking for a time that seemed much longer then it actually was her eyes drifted over settling on the door that she had visited once before. She wondered how many had been forced to seek refuge in the Pantheon, she was finding the transition somewhat cramped and uncomfortable. Cinder had known Kaelin well but the Goddess found staying in Water's room unsettling. Stopping outside of Ankou's doors she raised her hand knocking lightly, she hoped that Nergal would be in. The pieces that were collected seem more then somewhat strange to herself but she hoped the others would have an idea of what needed to be done now. Thabara Her knocks were answered immediately, the door first opening a gap just wide enough to allow a pair of curious eyes to pear outside and examine the visitor, then being flung wide open, the pale, slender shape of a male aoide bowing to her. With his shimmering golden wings he rather looked like he might be a servant of Greed's. "Lady Karaskis," Ishum intoned, loud enough for Nergal to hear in the room next door, "it is an honor. Please step inside and make yourself comfortable. My lord will be with you any second." He bowed again, the fiery goddess' presence intimidating enough for him to remain formal. "Lady Karaskis." Nergal quietly closed the door to the neighboring room before turned to incline his head in a polite greeting. "So you found the note. I am relieved to see you are well." He knew better than anyone how vulnerable the still half-mortal body of a morphling could be. The children were asleep for now, taking a nap, which was a good thing. Hopefully he'd be able to enjoy the current peace and quiet for a little longer. Zero Dream It did not make long for Echo to drift in, as well - she had quite clearly overheard anything, and made sure the children where indeed asleep before sliding in. "Lady Karaskis." She smiled, strings trailing back and forth behind her as if they where a cat's tail.
It was awkward, really - this place wasn't her own, wasn't her home, but... "Please, do take a seat, both of you." She gestured to the table at the center of the room. Tempo had found it for her, along with a few chairs, to make things a little more confortable for the increased numbers of residents in the room. Anima had said it would be alright, at the very least... Eftemie Walking quickly up the staircase to the rooms on the floor above, Taj glanced around for the door that was said to be Ankou's. He had not met Nergal nor Ankou, but from the description someone had given him, Echo was the goddess that had been there that day when Samyaza had been there. The one who sang so beautifully. He was so looking forwards to seeing Sam kicked back to the void. Minus Gaia's arm of course. But for now, he simply hoped that everything was getting back on the right path. Putting Aristogeiton back together would do part of that. He might have information if they could get the pieces to fit. Taj envied Ari. None would be closer to their Lord than he. Hopefully if they could not get Ari back as he once had been, then there would be someone to take the consort's place. They would only know when this was finished. Knocking, he suddenly smiled at a stray thought. Who would greet him if he had gotten the wrong door? Various faces of those he had already met dropped down. Amusement echoed as Jaster pushed upwards. Just don't shoot them, Taj.Brat.Thabara Nergal glanced at the door with confusion when it knocked again, so shortly after Fire's arrival, wondering who it might be. Lord Illumin perhaps?
He motioned for Ishum to open the door, but the aoide glanced back at him over his shoulder with an uncertain look and a barely noticeable shake of his head. It was no one he knew. "If you came to seek out the Spirit Guide," Ishum said cautiously, "he has left a while ago for some distant place, and it is unknown when he will return." Eftemie His lips twitched upwards in amusement. Too many shared the few rooms here. Hopefully that would be remedied as soon as demons were driven away or executed. The plans to move into a house was already on his mind. Not just for the oni sheltering with him, but also for the others. His tail twitched faintly wanting it to be soon that the world was settled. Writing on the pad, he held it out to the aoide in front of him. Mystery needs no guide in the dark, but to be in the midst of putting an unknown star together. For a long moment he thought of letting the immortal figure it out entirely, but as they could be on a time limit, he relented merely grinning, flashing white teeth as he added, Karaskis? to what was already scrawled. Thabara Ishum read what was written on the pad, and then scooted quickly over to Nergal's side, whispering into his ear. The chtonic deity nodded, motioning for the aoide to open the door fully, and beckoning Mystery to step inside. "Be welcome, then, to my brother's chambers. I am Nergal, the Overseer of Souls, and this is Echo, the Voice of the Countless. Karaskis, I take it, you already know." He wondered if more would come, drawn by that announcement he had made on the makeshift noticeboard. Zero Dream Another came in, looking familiar to her yet... yet not quite. She had seen him before, but...
Ah, there. Then. It might have been the host, when the grigori had came. However, no name came to her memory - hopefully the god would not terribly mind.
"Welcome. I... am glad that you seem well." It provably would not make sense to the others, but he would probably figure out what she meant. It was an amazing thing that the only one to have been harmed beside Gaia had been Cosine's twin... It probably would have been much, much different if the void-thing hadn't been focusing on fleeing. Eftemie Glancing over at Karaskis, his lips twitched upwards at the sight of her in his jacket. His fondness for her was easily seen as he watched her in amusement. But turning to his host and hostess, Taj nodded, smiling as he greeted Nergal and Echo both. Inclining his head to them in way of a short bow, he wrote quickly. I-my host Jaster- met the Lady Echo. That day. My voice has become wings and a tail. Fitting that Mystery is more mysterious. I was with Karaskis to retrieve. Let us hope that fel creature did nothing further that we cannot see that will prevent reshaping Aristogeiton. That was the most he had written, but now was little time for the cryptic as he would have preferred. It had been ages since Ari's soul had been broken into pieces. And with none of them knowing, it could not be certain that Samyaza had merely separated him and cast the slivers adrift. Just as she obviously had power over their Lord, so too she may have taken the opportunity to do more to the Consort's soul. They could not know for certain unless she admitted it from her own foul lips. Cinderfae Karaskis moved into the room without much prompting, Cinder's brief meeting with Ankou's host giving them some bit of peace over entering the abode. Smiling she inclined her head to Nergal and then Echo, "it is a pleasure to meet you both, and yes I saw the note and thought it prudent to get things taken care of as quickly as we can." As she spoke her voice fluctuates between that of just the goddess' into a mixed speech of both Cinder's and Karaskis'. At the sound from the door she turned her head before finding some place to sit waiting to see who else might be joining them. She smiled faintly watching Taj with the servant and then with Nergal and Echo. After letting the three take a moment she spoke, "since his change he hasn't spoke, I would attempt to get more of a reason from him but I have a feeling Mystery may not be forthcoming with answers." Her fiery eyes flicker to Taj as she speaks a hint of amusement in them. "He was very helpful when it came to recovering the pieces we went after. And has aided in keeping them safe." For a moment the voice shifted to only that of the pilot, and as the two were melding they knew that Mystery and Jaster were as well so speaking of both as one being had become a habit. "Now the pieces, which I'm sure are what you are most interested in are in a locked chest in Kaelin's room. As we found some refuge there when we were forced to flee the lake house. The person is staying there as well and doesn't seem to have any idea of what is happening." Faran's cluelessness to everything left Karaskis wondering what exactly his part would be in it all, if even anything could be done. The two voices seemed to settle into speaking in only Karaskis' dusky tones at least for now. Thabara This was a strange meeting, Karaskis speaking with three voices - yet still getting straight to the point, just how he seemed to vaguely remember her - and Mystery with none. To hear that the Fire goddess had found refuge in Water's rooms, of all deities possible, made Nergal pause for a moment, quirking a curious brow - but he did not inquire. The Judge of the Dead waited until everyone seemed to have settled down, more or less, before he raised his voice once more. He himself apparently preferred to remain standing, tall and upright. "Two of the fragments found remain in the safety of Hunt's temple for now. One of them is the body of a youth, unearthed from an ancient mausoleum. Untouched by Time, unlike the other bodies found there. It was born without a soul, a vessel never to be filled. I was the one to find it." He paused, remembering something which hadn't struck him as peculiar back then, but now that he knew the Grigori involved.. "That place bore no inscriptions, gave no names, nor dates, nor causes of death. It may not mean anything.""The other fragment is a decanter, filled with a clear liquid, and a golden, key-like thing attached to it. It was obtained under great sacrifices, too great, mayhaps." He hesitated, but the fact were this specific relic had come from, was simply too important to not be mentioned, despite his desire to not expose Hunt and Light's involvement in this. "It was retrieved from the Ashlands, the Grigoris' exile. A deal was struck, though I do not know the details, but the result of it is known by all - Samyaza was freed."
He bowed his head, for the first time giving thought to what Sana--, Aristogeiton might feel like about all this: So many lives destroyed, just to see him restored.. "Here is a curious thing: I know of the circumstances of his last death, when he bore the name Sanatruces. He was.. struck with a weakness while dwelling in my domain as a guest, and no one, neither Gaia, nor Healing, nor Medicine, nor even Death were able to discern the cause of his sudden illness, or help him. He perished within a week, and then his soul was lost. But.. that must have been after he returned from the Ashlands."Zero Dream Echo seemed to ponder something for a moment - if the god had no voice, then perhaps... "One of my aoidei is skilled in sign language, if you wish to learn it. It would not be too useful with most, but could probably come in handy with those you frequent the most."
When Nergal started to speak, she went silent, and then picked up where he had left off. "The last two pieces we found in Wellhaven where a fetish, made from a root and looking erriely like a person, and a ghost on one of the consort's past incarnations... probably from after his soul had been broken into fragement ?" She sent her lover a questioning look, then - he would know better than she as far as that went... Thabara Nergal nodded. "It must be. It is from an Age long after the Fading."Cinderfae Karaskis nodded slightly with a small frown, "I'm afraid it's far from my domain to figure out this puzzle," her eyes drifted toward Taj a moment before looking back toward the others, "the pieces we collected I'm sure you gathered one was a human. A very clueless human and a rather unremarkable one. We also recovered bones and scales from what appears to have once been some sort of young dragon in life. And of course the pendant." Karaskis smiled slightly as she heard Echo, her eyes once again returning to Taj. She wondered how he would respond to the offer. She was certain that mystery had his own reasons for this silence. As Echo turned her gaze to Nergal Karaskis did as well curious what the Lord of the Dead would have to say about the spirit. "If the ghost is part of one of his reincarnations...I wonder then what Faran may be."Pausing for a moment Karaskis looked to Nergal again, "Kaelin has a most interesting caregiver looking over his daughters. She is a witch of some ability, a mortal, but she may be able to tell you something of the fetish."Eftemie Taj nodded to Echo at the suggestion, smiling faintly. His lips twitched slightly as he wondered if he should. Maybe at some point, but was not Mystery for others to solve? And if he gave the answers- more than a clue or two, what did that accomplish? He listened to the descriptions closely and caught the thought of puzzles. A slight twitch to his jaw indicated he heard her. A faint thought that it was perhaps in the combination of the items that was the meaning. But one thing he knew for certain, if Samyaza had done this deed ages ago, plotting and planning, then she left little chance that they would solve it before she returned. It was what he would have done in her place and most likely was a double-edged sword aimed at all of them. Just as her distraction had been while she got away with Gaia's arm. Writing on the pad, he then held it out to Nergal. Evil may still have laced more than is seen. She would know what we would attempt to do with the pieces. She is empty. It was a warning that they needed to look for more than was seen. Even the briefest mention of one of the items somewhere could lead them to understanding what needed to be done. And the first place was what killed Sanatruces or Aristogeiton in the first place. Thabara Kaelin.. had daughters?! Nergal blinked, once, twice, and then forced himself to return his focus to the matter at hand. "So the pendant itself is a fragment as well? That.. certainly is new to me. The bones and scales.. I wonder if there is some connection to the dragon kings? And an actual living person." He tilted his head, mulling over that fact. "As his soul would contain only a fragment of Aristogeiton's it seems only natural that he would indeed be 'clueless'."Nergal nodded to Mystery, acknowledging the warning. "There are those who have gone seek artifact weapons of old to fight the Grigori. My brother is among them." He paused, thinking. "It might actually be of advantage if we gain that wretched b***h's attention. It would draw her out, distract her from the task of building a gate and free her kin. We would only have to fight one, instead of many. But.. that is admittedly not the matter at hand here."He clasped his hands behind his back, forehead creasing into a frown as he thought. How were they to bring all these pieces together? "Byrne, Rebirth might be of help but it's been years since I last saw him. Gaia, perhaps, if she is well enough. Some research certainly would not hurt either." A witch, eh? He seemed to recall as much - the root, the alraune being utilized by alchemists and users of the Craft alike. Zero Dream Echo, to put it quite bluntly, had no idea how they where supposed to put the consort back together. "Do you think Ankou would know... ?" Too bad he was gone now, even if it was something as needed, perhaps even more needed in the circumstances. "Or that he may even be able to do it ?" She knew firsthand how limited one could be when freshly reborn.
"As for her, well... who knows where she crawled off to hide." The goddess shook her head. "But it would seem likely indeed that she, or some from her people, caused this all to happen in the first place. And who knows what more they may have plotted in the ages they spent locked in the Ashlands..."There was a such a thing as too quiet, really, and while mommy and daddy where busy talking about such serious matters, one of the children slowly awoke from his short-lived slumber. Akakios made a face when he realized Lacrymosa and Sotiris where still asleep (did they have to sleep so much ? Really ?) and slid off the bed, bare feet tip-toeing his way outside their shared room, careful not to wake them, sliding out and closing the door behind him.
Still slightly dazed, the young lament made his way to daddy, and started to thug on his sleeve. Apparently he wanted up. But that was when he finally noticed a very important fact.
There where other Big People here. Big People he didn't know.
Suddenly startled, Kios scrambled off to hide behind daddy, peering off the side at the unknown god and goddess. Cinderfae "I do intend to relieve the human that is a fragment of his clueless ness. I feel it only fair that he not be kept in the dark, and that it is beyond my right to use him as a piece of a puzzle or whatever game has been made without his knowledge." Karaskis smiled faintly but the look held no humor the expression was very reminiscent of her host's, "I'm sure he has observed the changes Mystery and I have undergone since meeting with him and has questions as it is." Karaskis sighed, she really wasn't looking forward to such a conversation but it was something that should be done. Really she wasn't sure how to approach it or what to say exactly, the humans she had met either had been unbelieving or in the case of those in her service had embraced what they learned. Karaskis' eyes flickered over toward the small purple haired godling as he dashed off behind Nergal to hide, smiling faintly she tilted her head in an attempt to get a better look at the new arrival. "Greetings." It seemed that Underworld had children of his own, she glanced a moment toward Echo and then Nergal before looking to the child again. She did not know the two well but guessed the child likely belonged to them. Thabara "I am not sure," Nergal replied to Echo and shook his head. "He may be of help in liberating the fragments from the relics - or persons - they've become a part of, perhaps even be able to unite them.. But I do not know the current extent of his powers, we barely talked before he left. As for Samyaza's whereabouts - I could send out the spirits of the dead, attempt to fi--" Something tugged at his sleeve. Slightly puzzled, Underworld interrupted himself to look down and find his youngest peer at him with a hopeful expression on his face. Next moment though, the youth had skittered to hide behind his back, shyly glancing at the unknown visitors from that safe spot of hiding. It was a strange and rare thing to witness a genuine smile creep upon the Judge's blackened lips, as it did now. He ruffled the boy's hair, and easily lifted him up to rest his weight against the side of his hip. "Akakios, our youngest," he introduced the child, his fond sidewards glance at Echo giving away that she indeed was the mother. "He has two slightly older siblings, a sister and a brother. I hope they will not prove to be too much of a distraction from the current discussion, should they wake as well.." Kios and Crys would not be a problem, those two were very well behaved. But Soto.. Inwardly, he cringed at the thought of trying to keep up a serious discussion while that small green whirlwind was running rampant. "If you would speak to the mortal, Lady Karaskis, it would be much appreciated. Whatever we do come up with, his cooperation will likely be required, and as the will and belief of the mortals, choice, seems to draw through everything like Ariadne's golden thread.. To force him, would be the wrong way I feel, though I would not hesitate to do so, should there be no other way." Underworlds gaze hardened. "And I would certainly like to speak to that witch of yours, to gain more insight on that root's attributes. The ghost.. It seems he used it to aid his powers during his lifetime. It is more than a mere talisman, an item of True Magic. Even in death it still strengthens him, and he will not go far from it, unless forced." Eftemie Taj smiled faintly when he saw the child, winking at him. It was obvious that Nergal and Echo loved their children from the way they watched him. It reminded him of someone in a memory.
My mother, Taj. Jaster whispered faintly. The same look of love and joy.He considered what Jaster said and then agreed. That was exactly it and he thought about what he knew of Jaster's life for a moment. Feelings of anger at the man slipped forth but Taj shoved them away. Now was not the time though he would have to think about what he knew of before the fading. Perhaps he had his own memories that were waiting to be unlocked. A father and mother who had loved him? A frown slipped free as he thought of Faran. He would uphold the man's choice also, but at what point did they press him to really looking at what was happening? And at what point did they push him straight down the path to what he was- keeping him from deviating so that all was fixed? Taj honestly hoped that it did not come to that. Faran needed to make that choice freely or they were becoming what they had been before the fading. It simply was not an easy situation on any of their parts. And then there was no guarantees that it would even work. What he would do was unknown even to him until it came down to that moment. Then he would do what he felt he needed to. Just as he and Jaster always had. Zero Dream Echo only smiled at the scene that unfolded in front of her - there was no need to remind the young boy to behave himself, really. Without his older brother to drag him along into all sort of mischeif, Kios behaved himself.
Well, most of the time. He was still a child, after all. There was only so much behaving they could do.
"Yes, I agree. It would not be... right, to force him, if such can be helped at all. Hopefully the fragment can be taken from him without endangering him..."
It was probably wishful thinking, but the goddess hoped for it all the same. There had been too much death already - some even caused by her hand.The purple-haired child gave a small startled eep as he was quite suddenly picked up, too busy looking at the Unknown Big People to remember it was what he had wanted to begin with. After that, he just cooed happily. Daddy was cold, but he never really seemed to mind much - or if he did, it never showed.
"Hiiii~~ !" He gave Karaskis the grin - the one which, so far, had pretty much made everyone he's came across melt on the spot - and then noticed the man winking. This made him laugh, and Kios winked back.
The adults where talking about something, some kind of puzzle and pieces and putting together, through most of the conversation seemed to go blissfully over his little curly headed head. Still, apparently they where wanting to put something back together.
"Kios knows !" He chirped. "Glue." Glue stuck things back together, yes, yes ? That HAD to be what they where looking for ! Silly adults. Really, he looked quite proud of himself. Cinderfae Karaskis smiled slightly to the child, chuckling gently at the glue comment. "Glue would be wonderful if it would work in this case but I have a feeling it is beyond that." Karaskis sighed slightly in thought, "we should bring the pieces together, perhaps something will be more clear once that has happened. Which means we will need to contact Illumin and Ea, and I will speak to Faran with Taj. Perhaps he can be made to understand but as many from the world he is use to he will be slow to respond to belief."Karaskis paused a moment in thought, "if you think you could contact the others we could go speak with Faran today. Perhaps it will give him more time to adjust or consider..." from Cinder's thoughts the goddess was not sure how speaking with Faran would fair for them. Thabara "However, some way of binding will be required.. I.. We will arrange for all the fragments to be brought here." He breathed a sigh and turned to Echo. "If you would send out your aoidei to take care of this.. I have seen neither tail nor wing of mine since we returned," he admitted with an apologetic smile. "Who knows, perhaps some solution will present itself once the fragments are assembled close to each other, something we overlooked until now.." The chances were low, but at the very least he hoped that the fragments might strive to form a whole again once they were in the vicinity of each other. "I will send message as soon as that is taken care of. If in the meanwhile the pendant and the bones could be brought here? I would like a closer look at these, if possible. Especially the pendant."If only my brother was here.. Binding souls he felt fairly confident about, but only as long as they were of the dead. This 'Faran', however, was very much alive. Ankou, he felt, would probably be better matched to deal with transitions between the both as he was.. Eftemie Glue of some sort was needed, but to find the proper one was the problem. Somehow he suspected that all they needed was within the items themselves. With a nudge in some fashion to get them moving, and the rest would take care of itself and leave Aristogeiton standing before them. He hoped that they did not open a Pandora's Box instead because of something that the Grigori had done. But if so, then they would deal with it as best as they could. The Grigori were not smarter than they were. They simply had had more time to set things in motion while the gods slept. Now they were awake. Taj nodded, glancing over at Karaskis. They should go talk to Faran and bring the things here. Perhaps Nergal or Echo would be able to see something that he and Kara had not. Underworld and Music were further along with their powers than either of them. Zero Dream "Of course." The goddess answered with a smile. "I will send Tempo off to seek Ea and Illumin as soon as he returns." Perhaps they might have an idea of how to put it all together, as well, as things such as souls and, more importantly, putting one back together where very much beyond her. She was music, after all. While she had gotten a small experience of dealing with ghosts thanks to her choice of lovers, it was really as far as her knowledge went.
"Well, I do figure the empty body would be what the rest of the other fragments will have to be bound onto... somehow. It does seem to be it's purpose, as it was made without a soul...""Need strong glue, then. Kios find for pretty lady." He could tell Soto to look out for some next time he ran off. Or perhaps look for some himself, through he seemed a bit less inclined to break out on his own and explore, shy as he was - but it seemed that said shyness also dissipated rather quickly. When Echo patted his head, with a fond look on her face, the young boy giggled. Cinderfae Karaskis nodded slightly to Nergal, "If Taj and I were to leave now to speak with Faran I could send the bones and pendant back with Ashe for you to inspect. Does that suit you?" She quirked a brow questioningly as first her voice and then the blending of her voice and Cinder's was heard.
Remember how I reacted? Karaskis had not been around for Cinder's first arrival to the shop so the pilot lent a few memories to her.
Mortals are often rebellious in belief...perhaps some of what Ari remembered will be with him. Karaskis knew she was perhaps being overly hopeful. If you are extremely lucky...should get this over with.Karaskis flickered her gaze over to Taj seeing if she could gauge the Mystery god's reaction. Eftemie Taj nodded his agreement to Karaskis with a faint smile. It would give them the opportunity to speak to the man and make sure that he understood what was going on. And it would also give others a chance to look over the items they had retrieved. He glanced over at the boy, taking a gold coin from his pocket. It was one of those left over from the trip to the shops with Eddard and Saljin, but it would work for what he wanted. Placing it on his fingers, he then rolled it into the palm of his hand. Moving one finger and then a second only slightly, he obscured the path the coin had taken across his fingers to his palm. Taj was quite certain that Echo and Nergal would be able to see what he had done, their powers far above his own, but it should amuse the child to see it seemingly vanish before his eyes. Zero Dream Ohhhh, pretty shiny... Kios' attention had definitively focused on Taj the second the coin had come out, and his odd-looking eyes went very wide indeed when it simply vanished away from his sight. Whaaatt... ?!?
The little godling struggled in his father's hold, if only to be able to try and peek. "'Where pretty go ?!?"Echo, just as he had expected, saw through the little show, but said nothing of it. In fact, she put on a thoughtful face, one finger tapping the side of her face in thought, if only to help cultivate her youngest's wonder. "Oh, it's gone !" Eftemie Taj grinned, moving his hand towards Kios' ear. The coin appeared between them as if the boy had it all along and the god twirled it slightly in his fingertips. Holding it out to the boy, he indicated that Kios could have it. With a wink at Echo, he turned to Karaskis. They should speak to Faran.
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Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2012 3:09 pm
Day of the Dead :: Waiting
Week of Hell Ankou and Cosine have a bit of a catchup session on the makeshift carnival's grounds, and gets walked upon by Nergal, Echo, Akakios and Lacrymosa just as things would have started to get a tad more... intimate. Amusement ensues. >D Logged here
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Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2012 3:10 pm
Day of the Dead :: For Those Who Remain Behind
Week of Hell / "Paradise" The festival had gone on... roughly as planned, as far as she could tell. The goddess did not know of all the details that her future husband and his brother had planned out, though it would be a lie to say that she did not have a part in all that. On the contrary, her part was soon incoming, and she was hard at work to actually make it happen as planned. The bronze was rough under her slender fingers, keeping her touch feather-light as if in fear that the bell would crumble if she dared press on just a bit too hard. Decay had caused large damage to it, and Echo lacked the skill to truly repair it, though there was some small patching up, some fine tuning that she could indeed perform on her own, even it would be far from perfect. Her goal was simple in theory, though harder in practice – to recreate the true tone of the heavy bell for perhaps one last time. The goddess had been somewhat surprised to hear such a request from her lover, but she had no doubt this was, indeed, part of his plan, and so she took her task very seriously. Music moved from her perch, letting herself fall one step down and, careful not to step and trip onto her own strings as the moved to slide her petite frame inside the bell proper, moving to adjust the moving parts inside for what had seemed to be the millionth time this evening. It was a good thing she had insisted on starting hours ago, else there would have been no way all this careful fine-tuning would have been ready in time. Nergal waited, patiently, never once urging her to go on faster or showing any impatience, if he actually felt any. The Underworld watched the process from a few steps away, where there were no risk of head-on collision with his betrothed, fascination obvious on his features, though the busy goddess seemed to notice none of it. Their daughter was nearby, listening to the odd sounds mommy created with an equal, if not greater, fascination. Her youngest son she could overhear, even from as far up as she happened to be – playing tag in front of the building with what she could now recognize as ghosts of dead children. From the sounds of it, Lament did not seem to mind much – and she knew for sure that he would know, if she could also tell. Her eldest... heavens only knew, honestly. Hopefully somewhere with his uncle hovering close at hand. Echo emerged from inside the bell once more and stepped upward, hands going to the bell once more, fingers running though the bronze walls once more until they curled and hit, with a small ping, pointed ears perking to focus on the sound. The goddess pondered the results for a few seconds before deciding that she was, in fact, finally satisfied. Recalling the soul would do little to help if the body was broken beyond use, after all. It was then that she stepped aside, peering though the window. ”Go for it.” She said, softly, looking at him for a moment before returning her attention to the outside. And then, the bell rang – and ever-shifting eyes closed once more to enjoy the sound fully. It was close – not perfect, she could tell, but she assumed the others would not. Her eyes opened again, and below them, the masses stopped and turned to look toward the source of the sound in wonder, still for a moment – until they went into motion again, converging toward one source. Just as He had planned. The goddess turned once more, letting herself step back inside the building itself, from where she had been standing – a ledge where she could only assume there had once been a window. She had not quite expected to step right inside Nergal's embrace, but she was not complaining. Far from it, as she leaned in to enjoy the kiss. They eventually separated again, and announced they where to go. Lacrymosa, as she had expected, asked where, though as she had motioned to carry her daughter as she usually did, Echo noticed she had been beaten to it by her lover – which made her brow furrow a bit in vague confusion – even so when they had made it down the stairs, and he beat her to it once more in handling Akakios and his troupe of little ghostly friends. „You should go get your flute" He then told her, seeming all too much like the cat that ate the canary. he definitively looked rather mischievous , and this was a strange sight in itself. It was an expression more often seen on Sotiris, or on Ankou in certain occasions. She did not question it, as she figured he probably had a plan of some sort, but could he not have warned her first ? She had left the precious instrument in Alto's care, and who knew just where the aoidei had gone to ! So it was with a small pout that the goddess darted off in search of her servant... Who stood only a few meters ahead, holding out the already assembled flute with an equally impish expression. Oh, men some days... With that taken care of, she rejoined with the rest of her small family, noticing that Ankou, Cosine and Sotiris where, indeed, all together, the Spirit Guide seemingly doing a good job at keeping the little Guardian busy and amused. Those two might make good parents one day. Perhaps. Echo could not help but smile at the thought. They headed to the cemetery together as a loose group – a family, some ties direct and some less so, but strong all the same, unnoticed at first as Xing and others passed what looked like tiny paper lanterns, though as their presence where noticed, the conversation came down to whispers, and then, to silence. They, mortals and dead ones alike, where waiting. The Sound of a Trumpet.Unlike most of those present, Echo did not react to the sound, beyond vague surprise caused by it's sudden presence. She knew this trumpet was not the same one that heralded the changes, it's sound was almost completely different to her trained sense of hearing. As if to assure the worried that this was the case, a pair of drums came to life, and both sounds ended there for a moment. Hm... ? And now Underworld was looking at her, as if he was waiting on somethi- Oh. Oh.She had not been sure just what to expect, but clearly something so lively hadn't been it. Little imp... There was not need for any more explanation. The flute was raised to her purple lips, and she joined the fray. The drums, especially, where source of wonder of it's own. They where not drums by the traditional sense – she doubted many had survived the influence of Decay – but many daily objects converted to act as drums. Such ingenuity, really. What they lacked in beauty, they more than made up in practicality, and the sound was... different. And honestly worth deeper interest once the worlds would be saved. If they were to be, that is, though she forced her mind to leave the subject. This was not the time to think about all that, if only for a few moments longer. She was quick to drift off to join the rest of the musicians, not exactly noticing that her children had done just the same, and while Nergal had taken the lead of the procession itself and gotten it moving, she had taken lead of both the musicians, and the music itself, without really noticing the fact. She had come to step in front of the small group, who followed her steps more so than of the rest of the group, careful not to bump into anyone as some started to dance. Some even started to sing, though it was easily drowned out among the rest of the sounds. For others at least. Echo, however, heard it all – and could not help but smile. The group finally reached the pantheon, and she broke away from her small, improvised orchestra to rejoin her family. Every instrument died, one by one, save for one drum, the one that produced the deepest sound. It continued, deep, low, constant. Thump. Thump. Thump. And when Nergal stepped upon the last step, it stopped in turn. There was silence once more, and yet she felt like something was yet missing. There had been a meaning to this specific ending, but something was missing. She let the silence go on for a few more seconds, then brought the flute to her lips once more, starting a piece much lower, filled with melancholy. With loss. She recalled how she felt when she had stumbled upon Melody's small, cold body, recalled the steps she had taken to give her some sort of burial, recalled every little bit of emotion that she had felt that night and pushed it out. For without grief, there was to way to go over loss. There would be no way to heal.She let the melody die down, and there was, again, only silence to be heard. But it was as expected. She had done her purpose, and it seemed to feel more... complete now. The goddess turned, then, her tailstrings following along in a smooth motion, going back and forth almost like a metronome before settling some more, the only sound being the low, constant melody of her soundwave-like wings. Behind them, the others followed inside as well – and as Nergal ascended the dais, she remained behind, though toward the front, with Ankou, Cosine and her children. This was his moment, not her's. And she listened, silently, as he spoke, as he spoke of clarifications, of plans to set things right again. This, she had known – he had told her all about what he had intended to say, though when he started to speak beyond that, changed matters completely, she could not repress her look of surprise. This, she had not known at all. _____„From now on, there shall be a night and a day each year, on which the dead shall be free to leave my domain and mingle with the living. It is my wish and my tribute to Creation, that they be able to relish in the beauty of Creation, Gaia, and their Children once more. It is my admission to the mistakes of the past, and my concession to the living that there be a chance for reunions, last good byes, unfinished business to be taken care off. I do know the pain of loss of a loved one …“For him to do this... to decide on this... perhaps only her knew how hard this must have been for him. When he looked at her, she smiled, silently, gently. Even if she had disapproved, really, this was beyond what she allowed herself to involve in, as far as his domain was concerned. It took some well-placed pokes of the elbow to make the shocked expression fade from Ankou's face, less he end up swallowing a fly in that open mouth of it. No-one had seen that coming. The mortals moved to deposit their offerings, lotus lanterns and candles, and she moved out of the way along with the rest of her small group, though Akakios went forward instead, with his younger sister close by, each holding larger, more elaborate lanterns, though only the lavender-haired boy held a candle, to add to the mix as well. She perked, eyes looking for the crowd for a specific person, though she did not find her. Xing...
...Thank you.When he invited them to return to the festival ground, should they wish, she took it upon herself to lead them back to it, this time taking the lead of the small procession... Though this time they did not get far before stopping, just as the last few had left the bottom stairs. For a second she though she heard... Just for a second the sound of... She stopped. No one else seemed to have noticed a thing – no, in fact, they seemed much more lighthearted than before, and... my, did someone just break out some alcohol ? Oh, dear. Though this intoxicating feeling threatened to take her over as well, she could not shake the feeling that something was wrong, which was only amplified by the fact that, not only Nergal had not seemed to come outside just yet, but Ankou, who had been right beside her, was now gone... But as she turned to dart back in, they both came out the door, looking as if nothing was amiss, their coming heralded by a cheer from the crowd. Though she did not quite believe so, as she darted across the crowd to meet up with the brotherly pair. However, she was just a bit late, and Jess had just... Dear. Oh dear. The look on Nergal's face, as he stared rather blankly at the goblet of moonshine that had been given to him as Jess scampered off, was priceless. Too priceless to ignore, and that seemed to be enough to make her forget about her worries for now, as she tried to repress her amusement. Though Ankou seemed to have very differing idea, as he called a toast... And that had been the end of it. Though she gracefully waited until after her husband had done his speech to erupt in light laughter that sounded much like a thousand tiny bells ringing at the same time.
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Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2012 3:11 pm
Lyrics and Law
Week of "Paradise" Mouse Pachinkorelli Glaucon and David both felt incredibly lucky that they had seen that note left by Endiovar and been able to take up the offer he had posted. Along with Judgment having been able to reacquaint with a friend from the old Age and the two of them getting some rest and food in them... well, rooming with Silence was going to guarantee a quiet and relaxing atmosphere whether they wanted it or not, which led to them quickly feeling rejuvenated enough to continue with their part of the efforts to save all of existence. Forest had mentioned a desire to find a few different gods in his note near the Sachem Aphonic's, and another post before that one conveniently informed that two of them just so happened to be staying in the same place. Judgment figured that the room marked by a field of forget-me-nots would be a good place to start out: if neither Underworld nor Music were there, he would either be able to talk with the Spirit Guide or leave a message with one of their servants. Therefore, much would be accomplished by visiting that room, regardless of who was there, and Glaucon was not picky about which god or servant he would end up meeting as long as the proper words were spread. With this in mind he lightly knocked on Ankou's door, certain that someone would answer it in a timely fashion. His hands were both cupped over his cane, right in front of his center of gravity, allowing him to look somewhat casual even with all of his weight pooled into it - a trick that David had passed by him at some point during their trip to Baadris. Zero Dream Things had stared to slow down, after the carnival - there where more people to watch over, of course, but in between all of them, this wasn't so bad. Ankou and Nergal had gone to do their own parts - the children where napping under Alto's careful supervision and she had been preparing to do the same when she heard a knock on the door, one ear tilting in the direction of the sound. Who might that be ?
Host and god did not have to wait long until the door opened, revealing the tiny goddess on the other side. "Hello... ?" Mouse Pachinkorelli Dude... her eyes are a ******** acid trip! David's thoughts lit up his part of their mindscape with a great deal of excitement when Music appeared from behind the door. And although he had thought Plague looked the part of a god, Sh'khin was nothing in comparison to Echo... If only she had been able to come along to Baadris - converting the Sultan and the rest of the people would have been so much easier. There would have been no doubting that she was a goddess. "Lady Music, I assume?" Judgment answered with a polite incline of his head, managing to not be distracted by his host's mental ramblings. "I am Glaucon, Judgment.
"There is something I was hoping to discuss with you, if Forest or Numbers have not already drawn your attention to the new actions we are taking to stop the End." Zero Dream "It is a pleasure." She smiled, returning her nod. "I have heard some, yes, but nothing very specific. I have heard about a ritual being set up, and the lotuses... Oh, please, do come inside, the both of you." She slid away from the door to allow host and god space to walk inside. She doubted Ankou would mind, anyway - this wouldn't be the first meeting of sort to take place here, after all.
The goddess then slid off deeper, leading them to the center of the main room and inviting them to sit there. "If I can be of any use to anything, I definitively do wish to know about it. I have been... a bit out of the loop lately." Helping the two brothers prepare their little event, and, more importantly, the children, had taken up most of her time. Mouse Pachinkorelli The lotuses were a difficult thing to miss at this point... it seemed there were stray petals everywhere, and by now there had been some attempts to plant and grow them around the Pantheon as well. Whether they could be successful at making any new life with how things were, it was highly uncertain - but the effort behind it was what was truly important, and not necessarily the physical thing. It was promising that she had heard of the ritual already; hopefully that meant word of it had been spreading to other gods. Glaucon followed Echo into the Spirit Guide's rooms, careful that David's walking stick didn't scrape the floor. While settling himself into a sitting position (looking a bit like an old man in a 20-something-year-old-body while doing so), the god replied, "Anyone who is willing is useful here." She would be pulled back into the loop soon enough. It was integral that everyone who could possibly be reached would be told about this and given a reason to act. "Do you know what the purpose of the lotuses and the ritual are?" he asked, with an analytical lift of an eyebrow. There was a loose lock of inky hair threatening to poke out one of his eyes, but he chose to ignore it since his host's arms wouldn't be able to brush it out of the way. Zero Dream The goddess sat as well, smoothing out the fabric of her dress by habit before she answered. "I do believe it is to call Creation out ?" Or otherwise to bind Gehenna in some way. She knew that much, at the very least. Mouse Pachinkorelli "Correct," the god said with an approving nod. "In short, we are laying down a foundation of mortal belief in Him with the lotuses, and then the power of the gods will call Him back in the ritual." Casting his gaze thoughtfully to one side, he added, "These events have been foretold on stones of prophecy, allegedly - and the tale went on to show success."Exactly how it led to success was a bit vague, but Glaucon was confident that he was approaching the right answers where the ambiguity had led to questions. He was Judgment, after all. Zero Dream She nodded as well, as silent as she could be while listening to him - the constant low hum of her wings never really stopped - until he was done, keeping her questions for herself until then. "I had read about that on the noticeboard, yes... But there wasn't really any precise steps when I did see it. How are we to call him back ? And when do you think will we actually perform the ritual ?" The goddess, of course, was very open to the idea - if it had a chance to work, at this point, they needed to go at it. It was evident, even to her, that time was running short extremely quickly. Mouse Pachinkorelli "Those are very good questions," Glaucon admitted, a corner of his mouth quirking up into a smirk - it seemed that he was fond of good questions and other things that forced him to think and reconsider his opinions and decisions. "I have received no word on a scheduled date and time, though I imagine that an individual or the noticeboard will carry that information."As for the ritual... a hand reached up to weakly rub his stubble-ridden chin in thought for a short moment before he continued. "It is easy to lay mental traps for oneself here if you lose focus of its purpose, which is to reawaken Creation. The gods are shown doing 'many different things', as the noticeboard said... perhaps those are acts of Creation each of those are capable of?" It seemed like a good and parsimonious explanation - which, in the affairs of the gods, were often hidden among overly elaborate ones, and therein lay the traps the god mentioned. Zero Dream She had been about to apologize on pure reflex for making things difficult, but then she noticed he seemed to enjoy the added challenge (which made sense, after all, considering who was sitting before her) so she let it be.
She nodded to aknowledge the first part - she would have to keep both eyes and ears open. The second, however... "That does indeed seem likely." Acts of creation... There was nothing that immediately leapt to mind, beside the very basic fact of crafting songs. But perhaps... "...My voice, I have noticed, can have many effects - embolden, soothe, and almost anything in between. That may be helpful to keep Gehenna from stirring during the ritual ?" She would either send an aoide or go herself to do some research - see if there was something she was missing, something she was overlooking. There was this strange nagging feeling that she was doing such, but try as she might, she could not remember what. Mouse Pachinkorelli So Music had the voice of a siren, if she wished it... that was not too surprising, but inspiring all the same. Even if it were just simple song she could produce, however, the god would still want to see Echo play a part if she were willing. Such a ritual wouldn't be complete without someone to lead its participants in songs of praise and hope, after all. Simply knowing of the addition of music to the whole affair made it all seem... more real, and potentially successful; hopefully it would inspire Creation from within the Chrysalis as much as it would in everyone else who gathered. "I will look forward to hearing the song you write for that purpose, then-- unless you normally prefer to improvise."Hey, I wonder if she knows anything by the Beatles.I do not know what you are talking about... but since she is all of Music, it is most likely that she does.Zero Dream "We shall see about that." If something came early, she would gladly write it down and use it. If not... That was indeed what improvisation was for. She was getting a bit better at coming up with things on the fly. Still, she would prefer to have it all figured out early... The Twin Crown deserved nothing less, after all.
"Who is it that you know is aware of this, so far ?" It would help her doing some information-spreading of her own, after all. Perhaps she could even have the children deliver notes.. ? Mouse Pachinkorelli "Myself and Forest, and most likely Numbers and Laughter as well. I know that Forest is seeking the gods that were mentioned in the fate-stones, and Silence is also aware of the plans at hand."Underworld would know fairly soon as well, he could assume. Zero Dream The goddess nodded in answer. "There are many I can reach... I will do my best to spread the word to as many as I can find." Echo moved to smooth out her dress once more. She had, after all, many aoidei at her disposal, in between the 4 gods that now dwelled in these rooms on a regular basis. Mouse Pachinkorelli "That would be most helpful," Glaucon replied, with a nod and a sincere brand of gratefulness to his tone. Being as far along in her ascent as she was, it was worth assuming that she had gained some connections with other gods, if not also servants and followers who could help spread the word. "And if everyone who is informed can do something-- even something as simple as rekindling and feeding the faith of the mortals they come across-- I believe we can stop fearing the End and start preparing to rebuild the world," he concluded, his mellow voice peppered with confidence. And unless Echo had something more to say or one of them came up with another question, it was time for the god to leave - it would have been nice to stay and chat a while, but his time would be better spent gathering and spreading word of the upcoming ritual. "The next time you see Underworld, would it trouble you to send him my regards?" The way he said it, it seemed more businesslike than friendly. Memories about Underworld were more than a little hazy, but knowing that the fellow Judge existed gave Glaucon an itching feeling that they would have to become reacquainted soon enough. Zero Dream "Of course." She said, with a nod of the head - lips turning into a smile the moment her lover was mentioned. "I shall."
She would have liked for him to stay longer, to talk and get to know this new face a little better, but time was short and could be spend in many others, more useful ways. She was not quite sure how she would spread the word, expecially to those she had not seen for quite awhile - which, as much as she hated to admit it, was pretty much all of them - but she would find a way.
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Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2012 3:12 pm
New Beginnings
Week of "Paradise" Sosiqui Tian Yue climbed the stairs with a faint frown on his face - oh, the Manacles were still holding, but there were cracks now, and who knew how long they would hold? While he was grateful for his full ascension, it certainly had taken a long time objectively, even if it hadn't seemed that way subjectively. He had not expected to return a full two months and more after his departure... but things were going well. Gods were moving. Mortals were moving.
They could still do this.
The Dragon King paused at the top of the stairs, peering down at the activity below. Few of the mortals had approached him, perhaps intimidated by his horns and tall stature, but their mere presence was a very good thing. He had so much to catch up on and do. He could only hope he had enough time in which to do it. Zero Dream Amist the gathered mortals, there was another presence, a rather small one, but yet very distinguishable in aura. The young boy scampered his way through the gathered crowd, visibly a little lost and perhaps even intimated. Where had all those people came from, and where did mommy go... ?!?
Eventually he found his way out, only to collide with Tian Yue in a dash for the stairs, which caused him to stare at the dragon king with rather wide eyes. Well, THAT was new. Sosiqui Tian Yue blinked in surprise as something rather small collided with him at the top of the stairs, and he quickly whipped his tail around behind the child so he wouldn't tumble right back down the staircase. "Hello," he said, gently, hoping that would get through to the little one; if he was intimidating to the mortals, could he be 'scary' for a child? "Where did you come from?" he added, perplexed. This was obviously a god, but a very small one... not just in stature, but in age as well. A child-jewel taken over a child-body? But that didn't seem right either. Zero Dream "Aaa...." Clearly, the intimidation was winning out at that moment, and the child weaseled his way out of the tail's grip as small children tended to do, darting off down the hall.
"Mommy !" Finally, there was mommy, oh, was he ever glad now ! Exploring was fun, but not with THAT many people around !Mommy, thankfully, hadn't been too far behind, and she scooped up her son in her arms as soon as she was in range. "Thank you." She gave a bow of her head and a smile. His voice seemed so familiar, yet she could not quite place it. Sosiqui Tian Yue sighed a bit, internally, as the child squirmed away from him with an obvious look of discomfort on his face. He wasn't used to being intimidating, and while he supposed it had its uses, at the moment it was something else new he hadn't yet gotten the hang of. And then - ah, there was the child's mother, a woman... no, a goddess... with blue hair and startling eyes...
"You're welcome," he replied, bemused, trying to figure out who she was...
Wait.
He didn't know anyone else who hummed naturally whenever she moved. The wings... were different, but not quite enough... "Echo?" he asked. Zero Dream "Yes ?" She answered on pure reflex, then rose an eyebrow. This was obiviously someone who knew her -
Wait. She only really knew one dragon, did she not ? She had thought it may be one she had not met, but now the similarities where too strong. "Tian Yue... ?"Apparently now more calm with his mother about, the lavender-haired child peered rather curiously at Tian Yue - mommy's reaction to the tall scary man wasn't so bad, maybe he wasn't that scary after all. Sosiqui "Echo!" Tian Yue repeated, delighted - so she, too, had ascended a bit closer to her true nature. He reached out and put one hand gently on her cheek, beaming. "You've changed... and so have I, obviously," he added, glancing down at himself with a sheepish look. "It's so good to see you!" His tail waggled back and forth, betraying the depths of his delight. "And who's this little one?"
Wait... Mommy?
Tian Yue paused, and his eyes grew wide. "'Mommy'?" he added, giving Echo a mock-accusing look. Zero Dream "It is very good to see you indeed ! We've been looking for you... oh." Her smile turned impish. "What, does this mean I need to smack the messenger ?" She gave a bat of her eyelashes before she couldn't keep it up anymore, and broke down laughing."S'mommy." Kios announced with a nod, looking rather amusingly serious next to his mother. That was exactly what he said.
Adults. Pffft. Sosiqui "I'm sorry... I know I was gone for a long time. I hadn't intended for it to be quite so much, but apparently I needed it. To ascend." He smiled proudly, a faint blush suffusing his cheeks. "I'm not entirely sure how it happened this way - perhaps it was sheer desperation - but I am now fully Tien Lung again. Completely. Full stop." Zero Dream "Well, I was worried mister." She gave a mock-pout, then smiled. "I am glad for you, desperation or not, it is most welcome in time like these..." She send one glance to the side and, now that her son seemed to have calmed, let him down once more. "This is Akakios, my youngest. Do not take it too personally, he is rather shy, like young children tend to do."Kios blinked a bit at being let down, but at least he did not show any sign of running off anymore. Intimidation seemed to have been mostly replaced by curiosity as the little boy peered at the figure in front of him. Sosiqui "Nergal must have returned, then," Tian Yue said, slyly, then crouched down to look at the child from his own level. "Hello there. I'm Tian Yue."
So these were the children Ankou had told him about; he remembered the rest of the note suddenly, and glanced up at Echo. "Godfather?" Zero Dream Ah, so Ankou had delivered the note after all. "No, a stork delivered them, silly." She stuck out her tongue playfully. "Though I am not quite sure where he's holed himself up today. The library seems likely." Her expression smoothed into a smile. "Yes. That is, if you want to."Well, he didn't seem that big and scary from this angle."M'Kios." He peered a little closer. Sosiqui "Of course... it would be my honor, though I may not be able to take up my duties until after more pressing matters are attended to." Tian Yue frowned slightly. "How goes the preparations for the great ritual?"
He smoothed the frown out into a smile again for the godling's benefit. "Nice to meet you. What do you rule over?" Strange, to see a god newly born... they had all been so, once. Had other gods once held whatever domain this child had, now never to be reborn? He wasn't sure how it worked. Zero Dream "That is more than understandable." She nodded. "Word is starting to spreads, and plans are starting to take form. The note that was left was kind of vague... Do you remember what it is that you saw ?" She had been pondering about her own involvement, what she needed to do, and how to best spread the word further - either to send messages or seek all those she knew one by one - the second would take more time, but would insure the message reached it's destination."Uh...." The child's expression turned pensive. He'd been explained all this, if only so he could retell it. He'd been explained multiple times, in fact, but it hadn't quite seemed to stick - after all, he was but a child - not a grown god with duty and followers on his mind. What was that big complicated word again ? Ah. "S'lament ?" Sosiqui "I saw the note, yes." Tian Yue looked amused. "My brother is spare in his speech, always; I'm sure he would have been more specific if he'd known I would have been absent for such a long time." The amused look turned into a frown; while he was grateful for his ascension, he wasn't yet sure if the increase in himself was worth the cost of time.
Well, he could make up for it now. "Let me think..." He shifted to sit on the floor rather than crouching, his tail swishing around to curl around him automatically. "The great gathering of gods... begins with a song, a singer... your sigil, I think. There were shells?" His brow wrinkled in vague confusion. "A song to soothe Gehenna and to inspire the gathered. There are gods there, many, and Aoide, and some mortals. Mortals also wait at a distance, their belief... is focused." The memory of the fate-stone wrote in lines of white fire across his thoughts. "A number. Two. The sigil... is a crow. I do not recognize the deity. The power merges with the song."
He took a deep breath, his eyes still closed, concentrating. "More of the divine gather... Fire, Water, Wind. Light. Gaia. Universe. Those who are given little powers to create as Origin once did. They mimic those ancient actions, and echo again the act of Creation in their movements. A feather, a flame. Rebirth's sigil. His power is critical, as is the support of the Mother. A flame of rebirth to succor the Chrysalis. Fire helps him, her cinders mingling with his."
"Now, the sigils of before. The rat, the atom; their child, the thing they birthed, bearing the sign of the Mother and of Rebirth. Further succor for the Chrysalis, to strengthen Origin within, and awaken Him." Tian Yue's eyes moved under their lids, visibly, like a man dreaming. "The mortals, now - names, hundreds, thousands, ancient and new, pouring in like wine from every direction. Even the distant ones focus, chant, name, name, name. So many names. Names to remind, to redefine, to drown Gehenna and re-awaken Origin. To undo what the Grigori did. The Old Tongue is invoked, and... the Chrysalis shifts, opens like the bud of a flower... He steps forth..." The Dragon's words trailed off, and he wobbled for a moment, then opened his eyes and smiled. "And... that is that."
He blinked for a moment, slightly disoriented, at the pink-haired face peering back at him - ah, yes, the little one. Zero Dream Ah, this was more like it, more like what she had wanted to hear - some kind of basic structure, some kind of idea what to prepare for, through one detail caught her attention more than the rest. "Shells, you say ?"
Then, it came back to her. Something had been nagging her ever since Glaucon had visited her - some kind of memory that refused to take shape and be remembered. But now, finally, it did.
Conch Shell. Divine sound. Made in His name...
"....Yes, that's exactly it ! Conch Shells. When I made them..." Oh, that was too far away, too broken and too gone for her to remember how she had done such, but she could clearly remember that she had. "I either made them, or dedicated them, to Him. The memory is hazy, but there is definitively a connection there."
She shook her head, as if trying to shake off the memory. "I know who you speak of - Lady Cosine, of Numbers. She was part of the group that brought the lotuses back... I will be sure to let her know."Granted, most of what had been said had went right above his curly-haired head, but apparently the young lament knew a good story when he heard one. He was rather comically mirroring Tian Yue's position, sans tail of course, and seemed rather attentive as the ritual was recounted. Sosiqui "I should write out that information for the others as well; I'm sure they'd find it helpful." Tian Yue laughed, then, at the little one's mimicking. "You don't have a tail, hmm? That's fine, I have enough for both of us." He flicked the end of his tail lightly at the godling, the new fan on the end rippling with the movement. Tian Yue himself stared at it for a moment, then shook his head and looked up at Echo. "I'm still not used to this," he said, tapping the side of his head with one index finger. "All this being me. I couldn't shift to dragon in here or I'd seriously risk destroying the building..." Zero Dream "Yes, I know what it feels like... It is rather disconcerting at first. At least, it was, for me. I got used to it quite fast, however...Perhaps it will be the same for you ? Kios, don't pounce." It did seem that Echo had rather quickly mastered one of multiple indispensable parental sense - seeing everything.In answer to this, the child pouted. "...'kay..." Why did mommy had to see everything ? The dragon's tail was much, much, much bigger than Soto's, didn't that mean that it would be funner to play with ?!? Sosiqui "I pounce back," Tian Yue informed the godling, solemnly. Then he grinned. "I certainly hope so. Dragon-form is especially startling... I'm not used to the scale. There's three hundred more feet of me to manage.... see, look, even here, saying that, I don't quite believe it. If the Grigori come back, I could just step on them." Zero Dream "Really, that is... quite big, I must admit." There was awe in her voice, and at her last comment, she had to bite back her laugh. "I do believe that would be quite efficient, yes. Through they probably deserve worse after what have been done..." Her ears pinned back slightly, and a small frown drew itself on her face.
Really, they deserved much worse. Non-belief in itself was one thing, but jeopadizing the whole world in the process... She had seemed to be much too aware of her action not not have known.The young boy simply pouted again, but instead moved to touch - fact to which his mother did not seem to mind any. The horned man's tail felt quite different from Soto's tail ! He seemed quite delighted by that discovery. Sosiqui Tian Yue waggled his tail again, amused; the new fan on his tail-tip was a bit sensitive still, and twitched away all on its own from the unfamiliar sensation of being touched. Strange indeed.
"At least we have a plan now," he said to Echo. "And my followers have done astonishingly well in my absence. It seems to me that the major problem right now is getting everyone informed, and their actions coordinated before we run out of time." Zero Dream "Yes... But we will find a way. We can do this." She said with a nod. They couldn't have come so far only to fail.
It couldn't be so. She would do all she could to make sure of it. But for now, she watched her son's antic, visibly amused yet not intervening. With Kios, she trusted that he would not pull or anything like such.When the tail darted off, Kios followed - not even bothering to get up and instead zooming after it, going for the main part once more - he seemed to have noticed the fan seemed more sensitive. "Wasdat ? Not fuzzy." What a mystery ! Scales, clearly, where foreign to him. Sosiqui "Penny - one of my followers - tells me that Dream sent out messengers into mortal reverie. I hope to meet with him soon. Perhaps he can repeat that again. Almost everyone sleeps... though you might have to tell Nergal yourself." He grinned.
The godling was clearly confused by his scales, and Tian Yue reached out and tapped one claw on his tail. "Scales," he repeated. "Nice and hard, like armor." Zero Dream "Ohhh, yes... That would be the perfect way. I have not seen him in quite awhile..." This ought to be solved, really. The sooner the better, really. It seemed like it had been forever...."Ohhhh." The young boy nodded along, before tilting his head to the side rather cutely, eyes wide and attentive. "...Armor ? Wasdat ?"
There was a faint giggle that came from Echo had that. Ohhh, Tian Yue had no idea what he had just unleashed upon himself... Sosiqui "Penny said he was cordial, but seemed wounded somehow." Tian Yue looked pensive. "This age has taken its toll. The sooner we can end it - on our terms - the better."
He glanced down at Akakios. "Hard, see? For protection." He tapped his claw on the tail-scales again. "Armor is like scales, made like clothes so people without scales can wear it and be protected." Zero Dream "Wounded ?" Worry slipped through in her voice, and one hand rose to her chest in an even more obvious display of said worry. What could have happened ? Oh, dear... She would have to go look for him. Just to make sure everything was mostly fine...
"Last I had heard of him, he had left on a quest on his own - that was quite awhile ago, long before all this happened..."Again, he nodded - almost as if he was absorbing the information like a sponge took up water. This was all very interesting to him, to learn things like this. "S'pretty, too !" He said with a grin. Sosiqui "I've never met him, myself - and if any of his creatures tried to bring word to me while I was gone, I don't think they were able to get in. I was... rather busy." Tian Yue snorted quietly.
"Why, thank you," he added, amused by Akakios' cheerful curiosity. "Your hair is pretty too." Zero Dream "I will look for him... if he is here, I know where to find him." The goddess nodded. Her time was limited, but she definitively would take off of what time it would be needed to seek out her friend, expecially if he needed her in some way."Thanks !" The young child gave a wide smile, but turned pensive once more, as he stood and pointed at the shoulder spikes, apparently barely resisting the urge to touch. "...Wasdat ?"
Apparently, the dragon was not quite done with explainations yet. Sosiqui Tian Yue glanced at where the child was pointing, then chuckled. "Those? They're... useless and irritating in this shape, unfortunately. They mostly ruin my clothes and impale my bedding. But maybe in better times, I can show you how they're supposed to look..."
But now wasn't the time, as much as Echo's presence and the bright curiosity of her child had helped to improve his mood. He sighed, then smiled at Echo. "There is still so much to do... and time is running short indeed. I should probably continue in my tasks. I pray we will be able to talk at length later, when we have all the time in the world again." Zero Dream "Yes, there is much left to be done." The goddess said with a nod, bending down to lift her youngest son from where he was still staring at the dragon in wonder. "I have many things to focus on now, also... Much to prepare. And I believe someone is due for a nap. I shall see you soon then, gentle dragon."At the sound of the word nap, the child made a face. "Nuuuh.... No sleepy." He protested, but it seemed like it would not do to convince his mother.
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Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2012 3:13 pm
Forgotten Treasures
Week of "Paradise" Now that she had remembered it, that it had been unearthed from where it had been laying along other broken fragments of foggy memories of a time long gone, the sound of the shell haunted her mind, crystal clear just as if the instrument had been in her hands, as if she had just now shaped it into being. She could not remember the original intent - had it been a gift, perhaps ? - but the fact remained that it had been created, the very notes the instrument had been shaped to replicate fashioned in His honor. Perhaps, then, it would help drawing the Father of All out. Various books from the great library had only served to strengthen that feeling, that fact - it had gone down in history of many mortal races as a symbol of Creation. She was not quite sure if she would be able to find bells, proper to the ceremony as retold by these books, but it was better than nothing. Now finally armed with knowledge, she sent her aoidei to try and see if there where any to find - it would probably take much too long to create new ones, and time was at the essence. She would have to hope that some would have survived the ravages of the weeks, or that the could, at the very least, mend them in a way that would allow them to be played. Even if only once. Even if that last use would break them beyond mending, she would have time to create more if All that Be lived on. She closed her eyes. A very distinct sound. Loud and clear. Eerie like nothing else, yet so fragile... One ear perked when it picked up the sound of the door opening, and the goddess worked herself on her feet, to face the two of her boys that faced her. "So ?""Not much." Tempo shook his head, sadly. "Most are broken beyond any kind of repair, beside one or two. That... probably will not be enough. But..." We have found something. Alto signed, from where he was standing beside his brother. If you would come with us, my lady ?Echo nodded, and followed the pair, first out of Ankou's room, then down the stairs. The lower levels of the pantheon was always buzzing with activity now, especially with the ritual close at hand, fact that she did not let bother her, unlike how it seemed to set her youngest son abuzz, and most probably irked her lover a bit. All she had to make sure was to not bump into anyone and, more importantly, not let anyone step on her strings. While they held no sensation for themselves, the tugging was rather unpleasant. She followed her servants deeper, until there was a small group of people that bowed their heads in respect as she came in view. "You must be the lady Echo... correct ?" The first man, who was perhaps the leader, spoke. "That would be correct." She answered with a smile. "And to whom am I speaking ?""My name is Illien." The man answered, apparently a little surprised that she would bother to ask for it. "Your servants here, they told me you where searching for conch shells..." "I am, indeed. They are to be part of the ritual." She figured the word had to be spreading like wildfire by now, and she was not wrong in thinking such, as the nod she got answered her. The man slid aside, revealing a small box containing a few shells, uncarved and not pristine, but in decent enough condition. "We came from far away, Lady Echo, to be here. These where the treasures of my father, and of his father before him. If they can help save us, then they are yours." "I..." She took a few steps, kneeling to pick one up, almost as if she was afraid that they where not real. That these had survived decay relatively intact... The amount of dust and pieces revealed that there once had been many more, and the remaining ones had cracks. It would affect their sounds, she realized... but, it was, perhaps, the only chance she had. "These will be perfect."She rose once more, and glanced to her left at the one that had called himself Illien. He seemed melancholic, and... she could understand that. Those shells... where perhaps the only thing he had left. "I will shape them to the best of my ability, Illien. They will bring honor to your father, to your grandfather, and to you as well. I will carve then, and I will teach you how to do so. This knowledge, I fear, may not be enough to make up from what I am taking from you... But you will be able to give it to your children, and to your grandchildren after them. These shells... will not be mine to hold.""Lady... ?" He dared to look up, perplexed. "I will teach you to shape them." She repeated. "And I will teach you, and your own, to play them. These shells will remain in your hands, and in the hands of those you hold dear to your heart." The goddess paused, a smile creeping at the sides of her mouth at the look of shock that crossed the man's face. "You will stand by my side at the ritual.""We... We would be honored." He bowed once more. "Please, then... Teach me. Teach us, Lady Echo." "I will need some tools, which, if you are of those that work with shells, you most likely have with you..." She sat on a table nearby, one of the women gathered bringing the box of shells close to her. "These shells produce sound though wind, or breath, borne though them, once you open the end there..."Illien listened intently, taking in every word that was carried though the melodious voice of the goddess. His peers would have called it blind faith, perhaps, but now, more than ever, he wanted to believe. Believe that these gods would save them. Believe that he would stand by this small lady's side, with pride he had not felt since before the end of the worlds. He wanted, more than anything else, to one day have a grandchild on his knees, and to tell him or her the tale of those who had saved them all.
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Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2012 3:14 pm
Seeking A Friend Zero Dream There had been progress - no answers to the messages yet, which was understandable as they had not been sent out for long, but some of the instruments, the conch shells, had been found. Some where in better shape than others, but with her knowledge and her aoidei's talent and resourcefulness, she believed they could be mended. Perhaps not as good as new, but that would be enough. Then they would have to find players...
But for now, there was one message she had not sent out - mostly because she wanted to see the recipient herself. Not only had she not seen Dream in quite a long time, what Tian Yue had relayed to her was keeping her worried - she had to go and make sure for herself that her friend was well.
She slid out of the Spirit Guide's room after her children had fell asleep, leaving them to the careful watch of her aoidei as she made her way down to the door that she remembered to be Revei's. She hesitated for a moment - what if she was bothering something ? But...
She knocked, softly. Prolixity A pale, quiet aiode opened the door; when Opal saw who was on the other side, he bowed low. "Lady Echo. Please, come in." Zero Dream "Thank you." She nodded and slid her way inside, watchful of her steps less she might wind up stepping on one of the korratti that probably took residence near their master. At least, it was how she assumed things to be. "Is your lord well ? I have heard some from Tian Yue, and... I would rather not bother him unless he wishes to see me."
She wondered if Tian Yue had come in before she had - or if she should bring up the idea he had in their meeting herself. She would see. Prolixity "No, and yes," came a voice, oddly muted. Revei emerged from behind the screen that blocked most of the room from view, several koratti eeling around his bare feet. He looked drawn and thin and tired, but not as ragged as one might expect. "I am - not up much." He pulled his heavy robe around him. He gave Echo a small smile, a half-wincing expression.Opal leaned close to Echo, his expression apprehensive. "Please, Lady, keep your speech short?" he asked. "Too much sound hurts my Lord." Zero Dream "I see..." The goddess answered, tone soft and gentle, and then came a moment of silence. Well, not exactly silence, but there was a moment where she said nothing at all, and then... Her wings all but stilled, their music fading into something closer to silence indeed. It was hard to control the sounds she involuntary gave out most of the time, but she was most willing to try as hard as she could for her dear friend.
Who, indeed, definitively looked worse for the wear, but otherwise... It was odd, odd and comforting both, to see someone who had remained the same, who had not changed like she had. Like Nergal had. Like... nearly everyone she knew had. The face matched her memory of Dream. Yet... What had happened ? As much as she wished to know, she did not ask - he would tell her, if he wished to do so.
"I thought you could enjoy some company." The goddess said with a nod. A distraction from his pain, perhaps. Truth to be told, this was distraction for her as well - dragging herself forcefully from multiple drafts of song and of teaching the mortals who dwelt on the lower floor. She had been staring at her drafts for so long now that the letters were starting to blur into one another too easily. "If you would rather rest... I understand." It was hard to try and clip her sentences to the essential, and keep focus on quieting the rest of herself at the same time. "If you know sign language... We can speak that way." Prolixity "No. But paper I have." Revei nodded to his aiode. "Coffee, Opal." He turned and led the way back into the room as Opal bobbed his head and slipped out past Echo.
A low table to the side of the room was littered with paper, scribbled and drawn upon. Revei swept the leaves off the table, careful and slow; he kept his hands muffled in the sleeves of his robe, but in the moments they were visible, it was clear that his hands were thickly bandaged. He offered no explanation yet, but settled to one side of the table.
Several koratti twined around Echo's legs, fading in and out of visibility. There were fewer present than she had seen before; they were more transparent, as well, and not one made a sound. Zero Dream Music only gave a nodding gesture as an answer, focusing on keeping herself quiet for now. She had never honestly tried to work against her own nature before, and it was not as easy as she likely made it look like. Pen and paper would work just as well.
She followed Revei and settled herself at the other side of the table, careful of her tiny entourage - though the way they faded in and out was somewhat worrying, as well as the bandages she had just seen. The korrati's silence did not initially strike her as odd - perhaps, they were simply mindful of the needs and the comfort of their master. She attempted to pet those who remained long enough to receive such attention, however. Prolixity Two of the koratti settled into Echo's lap when she sat, materializing a little further so as to be solid enough to be stroked. One coiled itself up tightly and went to sleep. The other kept a watchful eye on the proceedings.
Revei took up a pencil, balancing it clumsily between his fingers, and began to write. Partway through this endeavor, Opal returned with a tray. He set it on the table between the two deities, and poured two cups of dark coffee. Then he bowed and withdrew.
Finally, Revei set aside the pencil and placed the paper in front of her. His script was shaky and light, likely due to the clumsiness of writing with bandaged hands. He had written an explanation of what he had done, what he had seen and not-seen when he touched the chrysalis, and how his hands had been burned and his mind shaken by the contact; he had explained, too, that Gianfar and Endiovar were providing him assistance and company, now.
I hope that these times have not hurt you badly, my dear, he had added at the end. I am sorry for my inability to do much of use.
He picked up his cup, balancing it carefully, and sipped. The muffled sounds, the clink and scrape of china and the scratch of paper and pencil, were still making his field of vision ripple and giving him a dizzy headache. Zero Dream The goddess took the paper and pencil as it was offered to her, one hand taking turns at petting and scritching the two korratti while she read what Dream had written. The writing was indeed shaky and light, but not too much of a bother to decypher. What she read, though, made her brow knit in silent worry. Dear gods... She could not even dare to start imagining what that must have truly felt - even if her mind was gladly supplying her mental images to fill that gap. She did her best to chase them away. Music needed to keep on focusing on staying as silent as possible - her control on her wings faded a little and picked up again at times, the sound always remaining soft. It was obvious, at least, that she was making her best effort at keeping quiet.
I am glad that they are here for you. Her own script was flowy and neat, a bit like those fancy letters often seen on old texts. I have been mostly well, beside the obvious. I have been traveling much. And you are not useless. A smile made it's way on her purple lips. I dreamed of you. That was a very good idea, my dear. I have heard the mortal talk much about it. Prolixity Truthfully, he didn't remember much of what had flooded into his mind when he touched the chrysalis; even a deity's mind could not handle the horror of the bleak black void and the not-dreams of the end of the world. His mind had guarded itself and blotted out the not-images, the echoing absence of all sound that had made all sound so vivid and overwhelming after Endiovar had dragged him away from the pod.
He pulled the paper back towards himself and wrote carefully. I cannot do much, but that I could do. I hope it will be enough, somehow. For a moment, he had to close his eyes again, as the small sounds welled up into his eyes and made the room spin and warp and tremble. Zero Dream It will be. She wrote down without any hesitation. Like I have said, they speak about it constantly. They will know, and they will remember. They are seeking the gods like they have never sought anything before.
She stopped for a moment, resisting the urge to tap the pencil on the paper as she very often did when she was thinking. Myself, I have three little lives keeping me busy. Guardian, Grief, and Lament - two boys and one girl. My children. I would like you to meet them... Later on, when you feel able. When he was feeling better, or when they were old enough to understand the situation and tone themselves down. Whichever came first. Not speaking was a bit complicated for them, especially in the case of Lacrymosa... who could not read words on papers due to being blind. Perhaps Revei could speak to her in dreams... ? Prolixity Revei opened his eyes again and reached over to touch Echo's hand in thanks, a feather-light and brief contact. He smiled at her.
I would like to meet them, he answered. When I can, I give you my word. He paused for several long moments, then wrote a little more slowly. I do like children. Zero Dream I adore them utterly... But then, perhaps one could say I am rather biased on the matter. An amused smile found it's way on her purple lips as she wrote. But I have likewise always adored children, I think. I often have to resist the urge to spoil them as much as I am possibly able... or to keep myself from following their every step in fear that something might happen. The smile was gone, then, replaced by a worried frown. Everything was still at sake, and the idea that her children may not have a future, that they may not have the time needed to discover all they could and grow into strong gods and goddess of their own right... upset her deeply. She couldn't let it happen. The ritual had to work. It had to, and that was that. Everything couldn't end just like this...
She bit back her sigh, hands returning to stroke the koratti's fur as she handed the paper back to Revei. There was an old, half-faded memory there, of being young and mortal and exchanging notes in a similar way in class... but she knew that memory was not truly her own.
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Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2012 3:15 pm
The Stars Are Fading Out...
Week of "Paradise" Things where starting to finally come together, at least on her end. She was doing as much research as she could, trying to write what would probably would end up being the most crucial song she would ever write, past times and present combined. This, of course, resulted in quite a load of stress in her shoulders, as it seemed that not even deities where immune to such. What if it was not good enough ? No, no no no no. It had to work. Had to. She had to keep a positive outlook on all this or else this would only cause more worry, in which she was likely to become more careless. Still, this did not work. It was much too dark. She needed to plant courage, and hope, but it was so hard to think about the words... Paper was a short, precious thing best left for sending out important messages, or to add notes to the noticeboard, not to write out drafts. Which was a bit of a shame - it would not have eased the process any, but it would have given her paper balls to flick and pencils to chew on - two odd habits perhaps, inherited from the young girl that she had been reborn from as they had become one. "Mommy ?"The sound made one long, pointed ear flick up and blue on blue eyes open again. She had been so deep in thought that her youngest had apparently slipped out and sat in front of the large window of the main room. Really, she was glad Sotiris had not yet noticed her lack of attention - her little green boy would have used this fact for completely different means, which would have ended up with her chasing him though a pantheon found of mortals of assorted shapes and sizes. Again. She shook her head, as if to clear her thoughts, and got up, moving to stand behind her son. "Shouldn't you be sleeping, dear ?" One would probably say this was lack of authority on her part - but she had picked up quite quickly how to avoid unneeded arguments. The last thing she needed at the moment was to butt heads with her children, of all beings left in this realm. "Not sleepy" Of course he was not. He apparently pulled that from his father, but Echo preferred to count her lucky stars. He slept only one or two hours a day, but he did indeed sleep, unlike his father. "Mommy... Look."The last sentence seemed out of place, where she had expected him to go to great lengths to try to get him to stay awake longer, and she looked up. The stars... Something was wrong with them. Suddenly one flicked out, as if eaten by the black mass of the sky. Then another, and another, and yet she could not look away, as much as she wanted to do. This... could not be happening ! Where they... too late ? If the stars where gone... ...What did it mean to Universe, whom she had not seen at all ever since she had met him almost one year ago now ? "S'gone !" Her son looked up at her, clearly expecting an answer to this. "Stars come back... Right ?"How could she answer that ? Yes, her children where all rather wise and skilled in their own ways, a fact she was extremely proud of, but the fact remained that Akakios was a child. How did one explain to a child the possibility that all around him could fade away, himself included ? Could he even understand such ? The silence was dragging on, and she could feel his gaze still on her, awaiting, expecting. "Yes, dear. They will come back. We... just have to find them. Maybe they're playing hide and seek ?" She felt bad for lying to him, expecially like this - but she could not think of a way. One day, my son... When you are old enough, I will explain everything to you. So you can understand.... and learn from it.The unspoken promise did not make her feel any better. Of course, she knew her son wasn't stupid. For the first time, she saw some disbelief on his face, he who had before then had always taken her words and Nergal's own as absolute truth. "...Maybe." In some way that disbelief hurt, but perhaps... Perhaps it meant that he was starting to learn, to understand. Another silence fell in between mother and son. "Kios... You really should be in bed now. I know you don't sleep much, but you still need to. Can you go try again ?" She... needed to think. To be alone, as much as she loved her son. "...Want hug first.." The child pouted, reaching his arms upward to be held, and it almost brought a smile to her face. But after what she had just witnessed... that was not quite possible. She feared the worst now... The goddess tried to make herself believe everything would be fine... but try as she might, she could not make it happen. And if she could not make herself think so, how could she convince her children of such ? She picked up her son and carried him back into the room, yet she found himself doing nothing but standing and hugging him before she finally kissed his forehead and let him down, watching her three beloved children, her biggest reasons to fight for the survival of all that was, before heading back out. It seemed like words of hope would not come that night. Be careful what you wish for
These stars are fading out...
-- The Night The Lights Went Out - The Ataris
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Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2012 3:16 pm
Final preparations
Week of "Paradise" There was only a few more hours left before the ritual. Only a few short hours before the dices would be tossed, so to speak. Time could simply not go fast enough, but at the same time, it seemed to go by too fast. There was so much at sake. So much in balance, hanging by a thread. And she was to be the one to lead all of the others, the first to break the silence, so to say. And to say that the goddess had a massive case of stage fright (as odd as such a concept would seem to be) would be a massive understatement. It was the reason she was still up in Ankou's rooms, and not down in the throne room with everyone else yet. As she was now, she was quite certain she would drive the others crazy well before the whole thing was to begin. As is, she was quite certain that she was wearing a circle path in the hard wood floor of the common room, with how much she was pacing around. There was just so much on her mind, doubts that reared their ugly heads in at the last moment. It was Alto's soft drumming of fingers on the side of the couch that made her look up, and stop. The mute aoidei had not stopped watching her ever since she'd started on her antics, and the silent message was clear enough. As such, she sat beside him, closed her eyes, and took a few deep breaths. Fretting like this is not going to do me any good right now. In fact, it would do quite the opposite - it would cause her to do mistakes that she otherwise would not have done. After all, this was not a perfectly organized orchestra that had to be perfect down to the note. But she had something very specific to do, emotions to nurture and convey - and if she ended up deviating from her carefully-plotted out course then, maybe it would even be for the best. Things would go as they had to go, and there wasn't much she could honestly do to change that, in either direction - for she was the part of a very intricate puzzle. At least, she did her best to convince herself of such. It did help toning down her nervousness to a manageable level. This is much better, my Lady. Alto signed to her before his hands busied themselves with straightening the collar of her dress, coaxing locks of shifting hairs back in place, and overall fussing like the mother hen he often tended to be. After all, all that pacing threatned to have her bun fall apart, and honestly one could not have that, wouldn't they ? All will be fine. His hands moved smoothly to form the words when the goddess looked his way once more. "Do you really think so ?" Echo said, softly, fear apparent. If they failed to do this, would there be time to think of something new ? The sky was already gone, leaving only the truest black behind. If this did not work, then all she cared for would come to an end. Her children would die before their lives would have truly began; before they had grown and experienced their first steps as deities of their own right - victories, losses, first loves, all of the wonderful and less than wonderful things that shaped individuals into what they were. I have no doubt of it. He smiled. And neither should you hold any, my Lady.He had a point. She had better things to do - like heading down and making sure everything was ready. If she was going to be full of nervous energy, the goddess should, at the very least, make good use of it. "Come with me ? They must be waiting, by now."Of course.
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