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 Posted: Thu Apr 12, 2012 10:24 pm
Malodore sighed, the tension slowly easing as Riley gently pulled it into her mind. Lo so, mi fido di te, ma il solo pensiero mi fa venire voglia di ... di rivendicare voi, e non si rilascia... Behind the thought stirred something darker, something afraid: the knowledge that if it came down to it, Malodore did not feel itself capable of defending Riley from her own people. From Hunters, yes; they were vermin, foul things, and if the plague doctor could stand a chance against them, it would. There was hope, there.
But mindflayers... the power Riley exhibited was wielded in love. That was all that saved it, wasn't it? Her family, her hive, would not be so kind. It knew what awaited it if they gained that one tiny piece of knowledge. What awaited her. And it terrified it more than all the Hunters put together.
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Posted: Thu Apr 12, 2012 10:43 pm
There was no easy answer for this. Riley worried just the same as Malodore did, and the only way she continued forward regardless was her sheer ability to stubbornly pursue her desires despite any obstacles in her way. And once more, her only answer was lacking, but it was the truth that she clung to. I will fight with my last breath, to keep you safe, Malodore. Even if it means killing every single member of my hive, I will exterminate them mercilously. But truth be told, I suspect the Illithid have their secrets, all of them. We are a people of secrets, kept from the outside world, and from each other. She squeezed the plague doctor tightly, and rubbed her face against it's mask. Even Andeon, who suspects, has yet to return to the hive with this knowledge. He keeps his own secrets.. Her heart clenched for a moment, though she could not quite recall why. And if we're lucky, they will leave mine be.
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Posted: Fri Apr 13, 2012 11:23 am
"You are... you are expected to return, one day?" The words hissed out through its clenched beak, unwillingly. "You are valuable, powerful. An... asset. Will they just permit you to go? All that I know about your hive is that they are... complicated." It sighed, slumping into the mattress. In its mind, the disparate pieces of information it had gained about mindflayers rattled together, making shifting and likely incorrect images as it tried to understand.
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Posted: Fri Apr 13, 2012 12:20 pm
Malodore's tension was seeping into her, and her mind pulled away, unwilling to feel such a strong emotion twice over. You already knew I was scheduled to return this year. I only managed to get away with avoiding it due to the lucky timing of the Horsemen Trials, and a good bit of convincing. But they always think I'm going to return. I hold a waiting seat on the Council, and as long as they hear from me, they assume I will take that position.
Her stubborn will was failing her, and she started to curl up as her heart clenched repeatedly with pain. Once I have graduated, I will sever myself, and then we will go somewhere. Together. Perhaps one of the Horseman Clans will harbor us. Or, more likely, I will have to return to my clan and face them. At that point, I must count on my training here to make me strong enough to bring down the Council. If I do that, the hive is mine, and no one will challenge me. She slit her eyes thin. Not even Andeon.
The topic disturbed her so greatly, that her shoulders were shaking slightly. Can we not talk about this anymore? I want this time with you to be sweet, as it usually is. I don't want to think about my people anymore..
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Posted: Fri Apr 13, 2012 12:29 pm
Malodore sighed. " Mi dispiace, mia cara - the enemy you understand is less intimidating than the unknown factor." Now it was time for it to comfort her, shifting to wrap its arms around her and try to still the shaking. It had no idea if she was capable of facing her clan and triumphing, but right now that particular question did not matter. Someday, it would, and it would keep that thought in the back of its mind... but for now, there was nothing they could do. This moment need not be tainted. "How is the hive-bond formed? I cannot help but think that you will be... will be lonely," it said, quietly, reaching one hand up to brush against her cheek. "I know there is also Jericho, but..."
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Posted: Fri Apr 13, 2012 2:23 pm
Riley curled up easily in it's welcoming embrace, and took heart from the comfort it sought to give her. I don't.. really know. We don't question it, it is just there from our birth. I suppose the best way to explain it is that the bond is already there, and we form around it, within the pumpkin. The connection to the hive begins before any physical manifestation has occurred - the moment Fear mingles and creates, we feel the new life there.
At the mere idea of being lonely, Riley snorted and reached up, brushing her hands freely over Malodore's mask, down it's neck, and onward. You cannot be serious. You and I have shared minds. I will never be lonely again.
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Posted: Fri Apr 13, 2012 4:02 pm
"Ah, but I am only one creature, not a multitude brimming with knowledge..." It closed its eyes and tilted its neck forward, leaning into the cup of her hands. "It will not harm you, this severing?"
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Posted: Fri Apr 13, 2012 4:24 pm
You are everything to me. She countered. Despite the thousands of voices I have lived with in my head, yours is the only one that has taken my loneliness. Before you, there was nothing. And without you, there would be nothing.
She pressed her head back on the pillow, and closed her eyes. The only thing in this world with the power to hurt me now, is you. She opened one eye, and eyed it impishly. So don't.
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Posted: Fri Apr 13, 2012 4:46 pm
"I shall make it my life's work," Malodore said, solemnly, pressing its forehead against hers. " E mi fido di te, tresorina. We will have our way, and no one will tell us no. Have we not already come this far?" There was a smile in its voice.
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Posted: Fri Apr 13, 2012 5:48 pm
Malodore's words were exactly what she wanted to hear. We have. She murmured, snuggling it against her as she returned to it's mind, settling there happily once more. Together, we are unstoppable.
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Posted: Sat Apr 14, 2012 3:27 pm
"Then let us not stop," Malodore said, simply, and pulled her as close as she could possibly be.
It was enough.
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