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 Posted: Mon Oct 26, 2009 8:10 pm
"Nobody can."
She knew that very well. There was enough blood on her hands to prove that.
"But I can ease the pain."
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Posted: Mon Oct 26, 2009 8:27 pm
Spent my days with a woman unkind,
Smoked my stuff and drank all my wine.
Made up my mind to make a new start,
Going to california with an aching in my heart.
"Less pain would certainly be welcome."
But undeserved, she told herself, thoroughly undeserved.
"...But I wouldn't want to trouble you."Someone told me theres a girl out there
With love in her eyes and flowers in her hair.
Took my chances on a big jet plane,
Never let them tell you that theyre all the same.
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Posted: Mon Oct 26, 2009 8:29 pm
"To help a friend is never troubling."
She reached out a hand, her fingertips hovering less than an inch away from Kaok's temple.
"Do I have your permission to proceed?"
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Posted: Mon Oct 26, 2009 8:32 pm
Spent my days with a woman unkind,
Smoked my stuff and drank all my wine.
Made up my mind to make a new start,
Going to california with an aching in my heart.
A flash of that same wretched rope swinging in the corner of her eye, and she was convinced. All thoughts of self-punishment were out the window.
"Yes, Lady Emma, please do."Someone told me theres a girl out there
With love in her eyes and flowers in her hair.
Took my chances on a big jet plane,
Never let them tell you that theyre all the same.
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Posted: Mon Oct 26, 2009 8:33 pm
Grey sat down, having ordered a coffee, and watched the two with interest.
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Posted: Mon Oct 26, 2009 8:35 pm
She nodded, and her fingers made contact as she dove headfirst into Kaok's mind.
To an outsider, Emma's eyes closed and her breathing slowed.
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Posted: Mon Oct 26, 2009 8:56 pm
Spent my days with a woman unkind,
Smoked my stuff and drank all my wine.
Made up my mind to make a new start,
Going to california with an aching in my heart.
Everything that had been leaking out of her mind recently spilled over as soon as Emma entered. Kaok's memories were set on rewind, her military career melting away in seconds, all in black and white - honor went back into victory and back into blood and hardship - until the uniformed Faun was gone and all that was left was a startled young woman coming home to a beloved friend hanging from the ceiling.
As she went backwards from the revelation, the memories bursted with vibrant color. The man who had previously been dead was now alive, albeit barely. He was depressed, and quite visibly, too. He tried to reach out to the Faun, but she pushed him away. She told him harsh words. Even then, Kaok thought, even then I was so afraid of weakness, even in others. Perhaps it was denial, her only role model and hero couldn't be so weak. A talking to was all he needed, it would fix him.
It was apparent, going backwards, that this process had been repeated many times. It hurt to watch it again. Was this supposed to have happened...?Someone told me theres a girl out there
With love in her eyes and flowers in her hair.
Took my chances on a big jet plane,
Never let them tell you that theyre all the same.
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Posted: Mon Oct 26, 2009 9:04 pm
Emma reeled from the emotion that now flooded into her consciousness, and she slammed up her own wards. The Lieutenant might have accidentally caught a glimpse of some of Emma's more personal memories in the process.
A dark-haired man with a familiar face lying dead in a gutter as Emma wept over his body. Edgar Allen Poe.
An aged elf breathing his last; Emma's teacher, friend and father-figure.
A red-haired queen, sending the enchantress from her sight in disgrace, her eyes blazing with fury.
Emma pushed these aside as quickly as she could before Kaok could see her most painful and intimate memories, and set to work.
She sent her magic forth, flowing through the Faun's tortured mental landscape like water.
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Posted: Mon Oct 26, 2009 9:26 pm
Spent my days with a woman unkind,
Smoked my stuff and drank all my wine.
Made up my mind to make a new start,
Going to california with an aching in my heart.
Even through the quick glance at Emma's memories, Kaok was overwhelmed.
No, toughen up, Jayim. Endure for a little while longer.
But she was so tired - so worn out by all of this emotion running through her mind.Someone told me theres a girl out there
With love in her eyes and flowers in her hair.
Took my chances on a big jet plane,
Never let them tell you that theyre all the same.
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Posted: Mon Oct 26, 2009 9:34 pm
From what Emma could see of Kaok's mind, the one thing she needed was rest.
The enchantress muttered something under her breath, a mix of Latin and Elvish that gave her a focus to work the spell.
She projected serenity, calm, and allowed the Faun a glimpse at one final memory, to make up for the pain the others had caused.
But this one...this one she saw through Emma's eyes.
The night sky was bright with stars as Emma lay back on the grass, every nerve in her body singing as she leaned against his chest. For the first time, she could hear his heartbeat, strong and steady. The elf-woman nearly wept with joy as she listened.
There is always hope, always life.
Even if it took a millennium.
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Posted: Mon Oct 26, 2009 9:59 pm
Spent my days with a woman unkind,
Smoked my stuff and drank all my wine.
Made up my mind to make a new start,
Going to california with an aching in my heart.
Her mind settled, and the new picture she'd been shown calmed her a little as well. If Emma was happy after all she'd been through, Kaok certainly could be. Tears that the Faun wasn't aware she'd cried were drying now, and after that crescendo of emotions she felt at ease.
In the physical realm, her muscles began to loosen up for the first time in a few days.
And ways to atone...?Someone told me theres a girl out there
With love in her eyes and flowers in her hair.
Took my chances on a big jet plane,
Never let them tell you that theyre all the same.
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Posted: Mon Oct 26, 2009 10:04 pm
Always.
Another flash of memory, just to drive the point home.
A sinner, a man who had done great evil in his time, standing in front of a fallen woman, defending her. Not because he desired her, not for any selfish reason. Because it was right.
That one was from Emma's point of view, looking up as she lay sprawled on the ground.
Reality flooded back in as Emma felt Kaok's tension loosen.
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Posted: Mon Oct 26, 2009 10:06 pm
Spent my days with a woman unkind,
Smoked my stuff and drank all my wine.
Made up my mind to make a new start,
Going to california with an aching in my heart.
Her body moved again, and the words she said were aloud now.
"Thank you, Emma."Someone told me theres a girl out there
With love in her eyes and flowers in her hair.
Took my chances on a big jet plane,
Never let them tell you that theyre all the same.
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Posted: Mon Oct 26, 2009 10:09 pm
"Anytime."
She withdrew her hand, wiping a few tears away as quickly as she could.
"I hope that helped."
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Posted: Mon Oct 26, 2009 10:15 pm
Grey was silent. He'd gone through several mugs just watching them sitting there like that.
"Well, I have to admit that that was a more awkward silence than most."
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