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 Posted: Sun Apr 22, 2007 2:42 pm
 Echo didn't answer at first, visibly trying to get her thoughts in some kind of order before she even attempted to do anything about this. Still, she managed to calm down, at least in apparency, the crying slowly stopping. The hum of her wings slowly returned, as if it had been interrupted by her panic.
"Yes. I do remember. I cannot remember her name, or how she really looked... but I remember... feelings." She held her head for a second, feeling an headache starting - it always happened when she cried. "We where really close, and she knew me inside-out. So, she indeed.... knew. While it wasn't exactly worded, it was unspoken in between us that I would never let you know exactly how I felt. I... messed up, madly. Oh... How could I have forgotten this... I knew deep inside me that there was a reason, but... nothing as clear as this... Oh, how I miss her, now... I feel so badly, knowing this. I've betrayed her."
She paused for a moment, wondering if she should ask the question bordering her mind at the moment. But it was probably better not to know what he felt at this...
"It's not your fault." She said suddenly, hoping to stop the thought from forming itself in his mind. "It's not what you said, I just... It's like everything rushed back in my mind in a single second, and the feeling that resulted... Was more powerful that anything I remember feeling in this life."
Added to the fact that she had expected a "rejection" of some short, but that was better left unsaid.
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Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2007 1:43 am
 "This.. is much more complicated then than I thought it would be," Nergal admitted with a low voice.
"For, you see, Ishum.. He told me there was love between me and Her, but for all I knew my Other might have been nothing but a good friend, or possibly my sister." He reached out with his hand to gently wipe the tears from Echo's face. "Even now.. when I think of her.. try to remember her.. I feel nothing. But when I think of you.." His voice trailed off, leaving things unsaid for now.
"There is no betrayal in what you did, Echo," he told her instead, keeping his voice soothing and calm. "It was I who asked you, and I cannot possibly hold you responsible for what you feel. If anyone should feel guilty, it should be me."
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Posted: Mon Apr 23, 2007 8:23 am
The second time that she was told she shouldn't feel bad because of the feelings she held. Still, her mind had problems warping itself around what others told her was true.
"But the memory is surely there." She said softly. "Just like mine was, waiting to come out. I had a dream, a few days ago... I do not remember most of the details too clearly, but it was when I met the two of you the first time..." She couldn't help but smile. "Maybe we should be glad for meddling mortals, sometimes..."
But then... oh, she had to be brave, she had to ask. "When you think of me... ?" She had to ask, if only for the sake of letting everything out, of knowing exactly what to do about all this.
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Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2007 5:34 am
"You remember more then, than I do.." Nergal said, trying to keep the bitterness he felt inwardly from his voice. "At least I can be certain now as to what my relationship to Her was. That is something."
And what now?
Before, there had been a distinct chance - however small - that the relationship to his Other would turn out to have been something that would not stand in conflict with what he felt for Echo. But now that he knew..
He sighed and closed his eyes, keeping the upset goddess cradled to his chest. So close.. He could smell the scent of her hair, delicate and sweet, like flowers blossoming in spring, but--____Different.
"When I think of you, I.." he started, but then his voice failed him. He took a deep breath for a second attempt, feeling ridiculously jittery and nervous. "I.. The night after I met Kaelin I had a most horrifying nightmare.. about.. that you were to suffer the same fate as him. It was a thought I could not bear, and my concern for your wellbeing became almost overwhelming. It was.. madness. I was about to return for you head over heels when the goal of my journey was within reach. I had no choice but to--" He broke off, not sure if he wanted her to know about the extent of control he held over his own feelings. That, and he couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt about what he'd done back then - discarding and locking away his feelings for her as if they were nothing but a useless burden.
"When I think of you, Echo, I cannot help but to wish to be with you. I wish to protect you, to see you happy." His voice grew firmer now, more confident with every word that spilled from his lips. "I wish to ensure that smile will never leave your face, and that you will never cease to sing your songs." His fingers trailed to carress the lines of her face as he spoke, coming to a rest underneath her chin, gently forcing her to look at him.
"This is.. what I feel when I think of you." He bent down then, closing his eyes as he placed a chaste kiss on her lips.
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Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2007 9:19 am
Echo listened, the only sound remaining being the familiar hum of her wings. He had problems voicing himself, so she said and did nothing to interrupt him, hoping this would help...
Still, she managed to be caught off-guard when his lips met her's. She remained stunned, for a moment, before, shyly, moving up to return the kiss, doing her best to ignore the pang of guilt that hit her as she did so. If this moment was to be given to her... she would make the best of it.
"You should not worry about me." She said, softly, once their lips parted for the second time. "I am safe, here. I have the aoidei..." She didn't want him to worry again. But she wasn't sure how to make sure it would be so, what where the right words... or if it was even possible to make sure it would be so. Finally, she just curled closer to him, head still resting on his chest, not really upset anymore. At the moment, she seemed calm, and most of all... happy.
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Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2007 11:09 am
"I know that now," he said, brushing a strand of hair aside which clung to her still-moist cheek. "They are so devoted to you - it is clearly visible in every word they speak to you, every deed they do for you, their every glance at you.. I have confidence in them, you will not come to harm under their protection."
Wishing this moment could last forever, he slowly shifted his wings around to offer shelter to the goddess, yet he was careful to not brush her skin with their cold touch.
"I do not know what to do, Echo," he finally broke the silence after a long time. "Even though I feel nothing for her as I am now.. I cannot possibly betray her. Until I am certain of her fate, and how the Fading may or may not have affected our feelings for each other.." He reached for her hand, intertwining his fingers with hers. "There cannot be more that friendship between us until then." No apology was offered, because he felt none was needed.
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Posted: Tue Apr 24, 2007 3:15 pm
"I have bottomless faith in them, as well... Simply having someone other than me here does wonders at making one feel more secure. I honestly believe that the only reason I... faded, before, was because it was out of their reach to have stopped it. Or they would have done so."
She felt so warm there, in his arms. Safe. She didn't want this moment to ever end, but then, she knew it had to end. They each had things to do, on their separate sides. Worlds to rebuild, action to do, songs to sing... They each had their act to do, no matter big or small.
"I understand." She said, softly, looking up at him for a moment, the long sleeves of her robe trailing to the floor. "There is no possible way I could ever ask that of you... I hope she will return among us soon, for more reasons than this. We where definitively close, and now that I do remember, I long to see her again..."
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Posted: Tue May 01, 2007 8:42 am
So understanding.. Always and ever so understanding.. For a moment the strength of his feelings for her was almost insane, a floodwave which was threatening to drag him with it, drown him.. But then it had passed and he drew in a deep breath - a sigh almost.
He shifted a little, a part of him protesting vigorously as he unwound his fingers from hers, and reached to the table, for the small wooden box he'd placed there.
"There is a favor I would like to ask of you," he murmured softly as he pulled the box closer. It was worn, completely devoid of any decorative elements, and not much bigger than a cigar box. It was the one the animal keeper on the carnival had given to him.
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Posted: Tue May 01, 2007 12:36 pm
Echo also seemed to sadden a bit when he let go of her hand, but did her best to hide it. Instead, her focus went to the box that the god had brought forth. It was odd that she did not notice it before, but then, after the emotional shock she had go trough, who would have ?
"What is it, my lord ?" She said, softly.
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Posted: Tue May 01, 2007 1:21 pm
Instead of giving her an answer right away he took the box and gently placed it into her lap, opening the lid with care to not spill the contents by accident. Beads with large holes were inside, charms, ornaments.. Some of them hook-shaped, some rather shaped like assymetric rings. No two looked the same, yet all of them had one thing in common - they had been skillfully carved from bone.
"Perhaps you remember them from your dreams," Nergal said gently, "the bones I used to bear.. These are not the same, the old ones have crumbled and long since turned to dust. Poltros crafted these new ones for me. But.. I do not feel ready yet to bear them, so.. Until I return from my journey, I would like to entrust them to you."
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Posted: Thu May 03, 2007 8:07 pm
"I do... vaguely." She answered softly, bright blue eyes locked on the many articles of bones. The name of the crafter strung no cord within her, but she found herself fascinated by the contents of the box for a reason she couldn't really understand, running a finger across one charm. They where beautifully crafted, smoothed to perfection. It was easy to see that the goddess was fascinated by them, having never really touched bones before. She finally caught herself and let go, a bit embarrassed.
"Do not worry, they will remain safe." She said, suddenly going trough her sleeves in search of something - visibly the long bell sleeves where not only fancy, but pratical, having pockets hidden in them. She finally found what she was looking for, and gently took his hand, one part of her mind saying that she was being too bold, but she felt the need to do this.
"But then... I would like if you could keep this with you." She withdrew, revealing a necklace, metal rings coiled on a metal cord, topped with a perfectly round stone that grew faintly. "It used to belong to Zero, a long time ago, but as we are now one... I... no, we would like you to have it. Then we will always have something belonging to the other with us." As silly as it sounded, it was true. Echo always held a great importance to trinkets like this - having that box, and those charms, would definitively remind her that she had to stay strong, for both herself and the mortals she might eventually be able to help. Still, it definitively was a bit sappy, and she thought the god might find it a bit silly.
"I am sure... if you ever need me on your journey... that my voice will find it's way to you."
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Posted: Thu May 03, 2007 11:23 pm
Surprised about the goddess' boldness Nergal looked at the delicate necklace she'd left in his hand, and then closed his fingers around it with a smile. "I shall keep it safe."
It was.. a promise they'd made, its words unspoken. A promise that they would, one day, meet again. And until that day came each of them would do what they had to do to the best of their abilities. A reminder as well, of the lessons they'd learned from each other, and a short, but much cherished period of relative peace and happiness.
"I am sure your songs will reach me somehow.. After all you are friends with Lady Wind, are you not?" He smiled and winked at her, but then his face grew thoughtful again. "There is another favor I would like to ask of you.." He bent forward a little to whisper something into her ear. "Could you do that for me?" he asked once he had voiced his second request.
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Posted: Fri May 04, 2007 8:00 pm
"I am so." She smiled softly, but then grew curious and leaned forward to listen to him, the silk of her sleeve brushing softly against his form as she moved. Her expression changed from one of a curious child to, finally, an understanding smile.
"I am pretty sure I can." She said, finally. "It would be a pleasure, in fact."
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Posted: Sat May 05, 2007 1:42 pm
"Thank you," he murmured gratefully. "I am sure that she will appreciate it. Only.. Do not mention my name, or you might yourself find banned from her quarters quicker than you could ever imagine."
He lowered his gaze, his expression slightly guilty. "I really should stop asking favors from you," he said ruefully, "I keep doing this without ever offering you something in return."
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Posted: Mon May 14, 2007 1:18 pm
At this, Echo seemed to grow a bit pensive. Would it be possible, maybe... No, this was not her place, was it ? It would be much better for them both to mend things together. She might only make things worse...
But then, she just smilled. "Or maybe... Maybe I do not need anything in return. You have helped me more than you might think, my lord... That in it's own is worth almost all favors in the world."
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