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 Posted: Fri Mar 14, 2008 8:24 pm
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Posted: Sat May 31, 2008 5:59 am
Hooray!
I did some minor cleaning up to thee main post.
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Posted: Thu Mar 19, 2009 7:20 pm
I'm still here and updating my guardian info. Slowly.
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Posted: Sat Apr 04, 2009 5:31 pm
All right; I've read through a lot of myth sources for this one now, and I think I'm just about ready to give you the critique. Sorry for taking so long about it, by the way, but I hope that I'll be able to help out! MYTHOLOGICAL BASE One thing that confused me immensely as I went through some different sources (after having done my first read-through of your thread) was how different the myths I tended to find were from the one you chose as your main source. I think the main reason that this bothers me is because the other versions I read made better sense to me at certain points, particularly once the twins had descended to Xibalba and were going through their interactions with the Lords of Death. I honestly wasn't able to make sense of the logic in the Mythweb version of the story, where the Lords invited them down for the game of ball and then intervened with a number of increasingly distracting ordeals. According to the myths that I read, there wasn't one ball game, but several; the twins purposefully lost these games in order to prove their strength against the different houses, which they were sent to as penalties after having lost. This is why the myths went from the relatively innocent trial of the Dark House to the deadly challenges of the Razor, Jaguar, Cold, Fire, and Bat Houses. For reference, the sources I'm talking about: http://www.meta-religion.com/World_Religions/Ancient_religions/Central_america/popol_vuh.htmhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maya_Hero_TwinsMeta-Religion is especially detailed in its interpretation, where the Mythweb page was inclined to skim over the specifics involved in the situations, and I highly encourage reading chapters 5 through 14 of part II to pick up on a lot of the nuances involved in the journey. (If you read through chapter 1 of part II, you can also get a better idea of their father, Hun-Hunahpu, and how he managed to impregnate the twins' mother; worthwhile for backstory, definitely.) Regardless of if you stick with the Mythweb version of the story or not, I have to admit that there were some pieces in your writing which turned me off. There were places where paragraphs seemed split in the middle of a thought; where slangish language was used that seemed to mesh poorly with the storytelling voice; and dialogue that didn't seem to match the characters or the situation. I find this important because you began your story with an imagery-based storytelling voice, the sort that evokes a "mystic narrative" sort of feel. In a way, you start off with a voice that is a character in its own. When your voice deviates in your writing, it's noticeable; it creates inconsistencies, and I think it's something worth addressing. As a note, I got really nitpicky as I was going through this section. The reason is because this was your leading foot; you opened the thread with this as your first content. That means that when potential Fa'e parents are coming through and looking at your thread, their first impression is coming from your myth's history. So if I saw anything that I wasn't confident about, I picked on it. XD Hopefully, it'll help out; just take it with a grain of salt! Grammar and structure notes: Para1 * It doesn't read cleanly, and I think most of the awkward wording is at the end of the sentence - "the sky hung bright and empty during the day and dark and empty at night". Without clear dividing language between the thoughts of day and night, it looks uncomfortable. You can try putting a comma after "dark", or reword it to "bright and empty during the day and was dark and empty at night". Para2 * Take out the "To tell the truth". That's purely colloquial phrasing, and doesn't do anything to augment what follows; unnecessary words will just distract your reader. * You might want to rewrite the second and third sentences; they're very indirect, and somewhat repetitive (two statements referring to Hun-Hunahpu and Vucub-Hunapu's claims of being the best). Maybe break the sentences up a little to help direct the smaller thoughts, something like: "Hun-Hunahpu and Vucub-Hunapu prided themselves as being the best ballplayers in the land. When the lords of Xibalba heard their bragging, they invited (though is invited the word you want to use here? Maybe something more direct, like 'challenged', would be better language) the arrogant brothers to a series of challenges to prove their claims. They failed the trials, so the lords of Xibalba killed them and hung their heads on a tree." Para3 * Is it necessary to introduce Xquic as "the twin's mother" at this point? That's something the reader will be able to understand when we're told about her strange manner of conception; here, it is unnecessary "telling" exposition, and can be foregone. Without that baggage, you can rewrite the description of her background out of the parentheses, making the read a lot smoother. * I'm fairly certain that "spit" is only a present-tense verb, so when you're talking about Hun-Hunahpu spitting in Xquic's hand, use the past-tense "spat"). * There's a sentence structure issue occurring that I want to address. You have a lot of information you want to communicate; this is good! But you've having a problem that I've encountered in my own writing before. You've got so much you want to say, you end up packing it all into huge sentences that have too many different thoughts, and your reader starts trailing behind. Having the occasional complex sentence isn't bad, but there are some points, such as the sentence introducing Xquic, where it gets somewhat out of hand, especially after a developing pattern. Every time you use the word "and", stop and ask yourself if this is something that needs to be connected with the thought that precedes it, or if it deserves its own sentence. Shorter sentences can have more impact and be more concise at delivering what you mean. Para4 * I'm a bit torn on your delivery here. For one, it is very casual, and helps invoke the narrative sense that you began with again; on the other, it seems unnecessary. "Xquic did not die. If she had, that would be the end of the story." This didn't have its intended effect, because there was so little invested into Xquic's character in the first place; this is the sort of thing you say to a reader that needs comforting, but there's no call for that at this point. Continue working here to make a connection with your audience instead, and keep to the main point: "Exiled and desperate to survive, Xquic sought out Hun-Hunahpu's mother", maybe? It loses that narrative, though, which is why I'm still on the fence. Para5 * Too much information in the first sentence! Break it up. * Don't capitalize within the parentheses. * I'm trying to decide what you are aiming for in discussing the twins' older brothers here. You mention them twice, first as treating them foully, second as their being tricked, but the information is very forced and squished together. Take a little time with it; one sentence to introduce what the twins had to put up with, then another (or even more than one!) to describe the transformation of their older brothers. Set it up as conflict-solution, not blunt expository. * The second sentence is too indirect: "They were doing this unsuccessfully" feels like too many words and not enough impact. Jumping into it by just saying "But every time they cleared the garden...." might suit the story better. Para6 * This was a very odd place to make a new paragraph, mostly because of the delivery. The end of paragraph five was less effective as a wrap-up, and more effective as a new thought; it's probably better to start the new paragraph with the twin's determination for a new course of action, and lead from there. * Is it necessary to mention the rabbit and deer? There was a specific reason for those animals in the original story (they caught them by the tails, but the tails broke off - hence why rabbits and deer have no tails) * "The only catch?" breaks from the narrative voice you'd set up at the beginning of the story, both because it's a modern-colloquial and because it's a question in the middle of the text. I'd suggest either removing it, or combining it with the sentence to follow as a statement of fact. * The wrap-up for this paragraph is a sentence that you can crop altogether. If their grandmother is guarding the equipment, it follows to logic that she would have to be distracted or tricked in some manner so that they could get at it; creating a whole other sentence just to tell readers what they can already infer is no good. Para9 * The dialogue in this story, as a whole, needs work. There's a particular sentence structure you use whenever anyone talks: "[WORDS]," VERBED the NOUN. "[OPTIONAL: MORE WORDS]." This has to get varied; it jumps out too strongly. Try some: NOUN verbed, "[WORDS]." Or: NOUN UNRELATED-VERBED, VERBED, "[WORDS]". Anything to mix up the pattern! * I'm not convinced that the readers needed to be reminded that Xquic was supposed to be dead; it breaks away from what's actually going on, and given that the grandmother seems like a more included character, it doesn't make much sense to bring her up when there's no reference of their mother's status to follow. Para12 * The same as paragraph 6, this is an odd place to begin a new paragraph. Try to think of it like momentum: If you're starting a new thought, you want to start of it with the first lunge (such as the twin's decision to be clever), and then let the rest roll after. Para13 * This is a sentence, not a paragraph; join it with the Para12. * Typo: "adressed" should be "addressed". Para14 * Mentioning it because it's becoming a pattern; you have a noun you like to apply to each group, and you repeat it too often for each. You like to say "the boys" and "the gods", but there are other things you can (and have) called them, and you ought to try and vary things. For the boys, you can say: "boys", "brothers", "twins", or use their names. For the gods: "lords", "deities". Using most adjectives could also help, both to vary the descriptions and give the readers a clearer idea of the attitudes of the two groups. Keep in mind that you're starting off your thread with this story, so when people are reading it, they're getting their first impression of Astor in his past life; don't pass up a chance to augment their imaginings! Para15 * Why isn't there a question mark after the gods' offer? * There's a bit of a problem. You have groups that are speaking, and then you continue to refer to them in groups as they take action. Do all of the gods point to the stone? Is there a spokesperson among them? It's easy to gloss over these details, but you're giving your reader an incomplete (and sometimes flawed) impression of the scene. I would suggest taking out the "motioning to the stone" bit and referring to the stone in the dialogue instead, if you don't want to appoint a main protagonist among them; otherwise, the sentence doesn't make much sense unless your reader is only gleaning a vague sketch of the story you're telling. Para16 * It's not necessary to tell us that the twins remained standing; we can infer that from their refusing to sit. Para18 * There's no reason to have started a new paragraph here. Dialogue can occur in the middle of a sentence, and it connects your thoughts better to keep it that way. Para22 * The comment in parentheses confused me. If they thought they won by default, why did they bother playing after they'd won? Did you mean to say that they thought they would win because of it, or that they had an advantage? * There's a bit of awkward phrasing regarding the "switcheroo". That's not a very common word and has very particular connotations, so if you are going to use it, make sure that it's self-evident; saying that there was a switcheroo, then describing that the rabbit and the head changed places, seems repetitive and unnecessary. Para23 * "Somehow, this made the twins the winners of the match" - this statement was extremely negative for me, and this is why. It makes it sound like you don't understand your myth. If you don't know why the twins won the match, then you need to research more; if you can't find an explanation, then you need to make one. Maybe the twins already had more points than the gods when the squash broke, so they won; maybe it was a proof of the twins' strength, so they were deemed superior. There are explanations out there, you just have to find them. * You made a strong statement here, but never explained it. Why do the twins have to die to complete their quest? This is an integral piece of the story, and it jumped ahead without bringing the reader along - take a little more time to explain what the influences are here. Para 24 * I really, really did not like the dialogue of the gods. They sound more like kids than the twins do, making childish dares that no one would realistically follow up on. Up to this point, they've been tricky and crafty; why would they just go "bet you can't do something that will obviously kill you"? Para25 * "This is where the gods messed up". This is also where the voice totally broke from how it had been set up. The voice is now far too casual, coming across as less interested in the story and more interested in getting through the details. There are better ways to phrase this that keep the storytelling narrative consistent: "But in their arrogance, the gods made a mistake", for example. Para26 * I've lost the motivations of the twins now. Why did they kill themselves, only to be so determined to bring down the lords of Xibalba? Was it because they were certain that the gods would mishandle their remains? It seems a bit convoluted and superficial, but within the world of the story, we know that it must have good supporting reason. This needs to be communicated better within the story. Para27 * "They'd even sacrifice one another" - I really want to see more detail on this. It's not a small deal, and in fact, it's a huge part of who Astor is and what his abilities relate to. Give this part the detail it needs. Para28 * Take out the "Of course"; they're just extra words, and since you've already got "eventually" there, there's too many prefixes onto your main idea. Para29 * A bit formulatic: They were asked to [blank]. They did so. They were asked [blank], so they did. They were asked, they so [blank]. Even though it is repetitive, though, I think that there's some strength in using repetition here; I just wonder if there's any ways it can be done to make it even more powerful. Para30 * This could probably be included in another paragraph; it isn't quite leading enough of a statement to warrant being set apart like this. Para31 * This is one of the most dramatic pieces of the story; I think that it can be rewritten to be strong. I really love the line, "Xibalba lost its glory that day"; before it, though, the writing seems almost anti-climatic. This is your characters' moment of triumph; work with it, don't skim it! Para32 * I think it's worth taking other sources into account in regards to the twins' father. The Mythweb version skims over a lot of details, I've noticed, and this one in particular should be explained; that they didn't just leave the father at the ball court for no reason, but that he was nonfunctional once restored to life, so that he could be prayed to. This is a very notable piece for future plot, so I wouldn't leave it out here. Para33 * I would either rewrite this or take it out, personally. It doesn't foreshadow quite enough to make it worthwhile, and is a weaker wrap-up than how the twins became the sun and the moon. CAUSE OF DEATH I'm going to be pretty critical of this section; it doesn't make sense to me that Xbalanque would have killed his brother like you've described. There's a lot of things that play into my skepticism, but the most of it is that the motivations seem under-developed at this point. I do think that there are a lot of ways that this scenario can happen, however, which I will get into. As it stands right now, though, I think that this is the section that probably needs the most attention, because it will define the why of your Fa'e's being. The one thing I do not like about this is how absolutely blameless Hunahpu is. I think there's a lot of potential, especially in a Mayan mythological system, to create complex character flaws, and this is a key place to be laying the groundwork for those. We know that Astor is impulse and revenge-driven; why shouldn't these play into his downfall? Some points: * Hunahpu is the moon, and Xbalanque is the sun. Based on this, they would probably not meet often (twice a day, if you want to tie them into day and night; still a few options otherwise). This could lead to the twins drifting apart. * On this note, maybe solar eclipses could play into the twin's crumbling relationship. Let's cast Xbalanque as arrogant and glory-driven, much like we understood him to be throughout the myth of the Hero Twins; he is presumably a figure often prayed to by people. Then, for a few moments of the day (HIS time, HIS domain), his brother blocks his light and upstages him. How could this contribute? * Given that the twins do not often meet, we presume that most of their social contact will be with other gods. This being the case, how could Xbalanque have killed all the other gods without Hunahpu's knowing, until it was too late? * If Xbalanque killed Hunahpu and descended to Xibalba, there would no longer be any sun or moon. This is critical within the Mayan mythology, and within the scope of it, we have to assume it is true. What other force stepped in to move the sun and moon without the related deities? When did they become vestigal? Does this tie into the fading of the old gods and old ways, the power of human belief and logic? * Does it make sense for Xbalanque to have become more powerful than his brother, when they were always equal in all other things? I'm trying to remember if I read this in an earlier version of the thread, where Xbalanque merely tricked Hunahpu into letting him dismember him, and then did not bring him to life. That made much more sense to me, and creates more complexities in the situation between the two brothers. Maybe Hunahpu doesn't even know that his brother meant to kill him, but thought only that something occurred that broke his brother's power? Maybe there's still betrayal on the horizon? I think there are a/ lot of scenarios that can push the basic events you've described forward with these things in mind, and probably more that could be found with other observations or connections. But this is a very big part of your Fa'e, and is also your first opportunity in your thread to demonstrate your own writing voice and story creation; I think going into more detail and developing it further will help you out a lot, both in the presentation of your thread and the understanding of your character. INTRODUCING ASTOR First thing I want to clarify: is his hair black, or blue? Every time I look at the images, I see blue - but that might be crossing a line of similarity. One thing you should be aware of with Astor is that there are some resemblances to other Fa'e, particularly Naolin, to steer him away from. Blue hair + feathers + Mayan/Aztec similarity (culturally and physically) + sun deity + athletically-bound, intelligent, but not focused on magic + facial markings = blurred lines, which can be easily addressed in Astor's character. A lot of these things are superficial; look at your traits seriously and ask yourself why they're necessary. I can agree with the skin color, and the facial markings make a statement, but why does he need the feathers? That strikes me more as a hang-on trait from your Icarus concept, and I don't understand where one of the Hero Twins would have picked up such a trait. Because he defeated the Scarlet Macaw god in his childhood? Why would *he* have a trait from that? There's two places where you've been drawing traits from Astor other than casual encounters, and one of them I really like; the ones derived from his abilities, including his spots and his strange firefly attraction. I'd like to see a better definition for whatever it is that's really in his hair, though. Is it just a manifestation of his abilities at his rebirth? Will they go away as he grows and learns to rein them in? I'd like to know a little more about your referring to Hunahpu as a demon-slayer here, though. I know he killed the gods of Xibalba; were they demons? If not, there's a significant piece of history missing, isn't there? I'm not sure I understand or agree with your description of Astor as an "anarchist". According to his personality, he likes to play by the rules, and he played a huge role in the organization of the world during his time as the moon in his past life. Was there a different sentiment you meant to express there, regarding more his prankster attitude? Or does he really have an ideological opposition to authority? You derived his vengeful personality from his anger at his brother, who betrayed him - but wasn't he already vengeful before then, when he went after the gods of Xibalba and restored his father? This seems like an unnecessary distinction for something that has always been a part of his character, though it might be fair to say that this trait is especially strong after his death at Xbalanque's hands. If you're going to go this route, though, I would make a point of making the trait into a character flaw, where he might react poorly to even small matters that he thinks to be a breach of his trust as a result of his cumulative experiences. On a smaller note: it doesn't make sense that he can be both "unfocused" and "revenge-driven", so you may want to think that over a little more. I'm also not sure how someone can be a prankster and not be willing to lie, unless they were purposefully setting themselves up for trouble; it's okay to mess with people, but if they ask you about it, you can't tell them it wasn't you? Maybe a little more detail supporting this would help me understand why. Overall, the personality is a solid tie to who Astor was in his past life; I'd almost like to see more deviation, though, extrapolation based on his life after the end of the original Hero Twin myth, some sort of maturing that may have affected his personality and grown into who he is as a reborn Fa'e. The other big critique I have for it is the way it is presented; it seems too loose, more of a stream of consciousness writing than a polished presentation. Take another look at it, see where certain traits are related to each other, and restructure its organization; in the first paragraph, for example, it would read better to connect directly from the thoughts about him being "impulsive" to the modifying "while he rushes into things", and put the bit about his competitive nature/reaction to losing after. Power-wise, not much seems out of place; I would be cautious about his photosynthesizing, because that is identical to a power Naolin has, but it makes sense for his character. His dismemberment/transformative abilities, I don't know if you're aware, are a trait of more Mayan gods than just him; according to this article, life was first given to mankind by the gods sacrificing their own body parts, which I imagine is similar to what we saw in the Hero Twins myth. I would like to see more than one "weak spot", however. Stabbing him through the heart isn't really the only way to injure him with a cutting weapon, is it? Think of a piercing weapon, like a rapier or a spear - they won't dismember anything, but they'll still do damage. It may be the way you put the wording on that ability, though, and you don't mean to present it the ultimate solution (seeing your note following, I'm sure that's it), so it might be that you should just rewrite that section to show that being stabbed through the heart is a *notable* weak spot, rather than *the* weak spot, if that makes any sense. One other thing I want to address with Astor is that I really don't have a good sense of his weaknesses. He's athletic and speedy - cool! He's cunning and intelligent - also cool... plus, he has these nifty transformation abilities... and dismemberment... plus he can come back from the dead. You might be able to see where I'm becoming uncertain about his focus, right? It mostly seems to me like his jock-ness is his main strength, but then there are specific mentions of these other things, and I get confused. I'd strongly suggest using Puchiko's system in this instance - sort out strength, speed, magic, and intelligence - and numbering them from one to four to prioritize them for your character. (You may choose not to use those specific four - for Dusty, I think I put defense in there instead of magic, for example, but it's helped me to understand where my character is headed.) Of the weaknesses you do have listed, I noticed that two contradict one another; "can't take anything seriously" and "slave to his need for revenge", where the latter means that he CAN take things seriously, if they're important to him. Otherwise, I really would like to see more weaknesses here, because they don't feel like they balance out the strengths just yet. I'm not sure why, in being reborn, Astor's personality should have reverted to that of a younger man. All Fa'e are born without memories (except Lethe, who can never forget); why should this be particular in Astor's case? Did something else occur to interfere with his memory, and if so, what? I think there's some more information that's worth developing here, for sure. Aaaand I'm actually going to have to do this in parts because I'm getting more detail into the critique than I'd expected, so forgive me for putting up an incomplete critique for now. I'll edit this post as I work on it, and you'll know it's complete when I accept the trade. XD More to come later!
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Posted: Sun Aug 09, 2009 8:53 pm
Thank you so much, Arri! That's all great ideas on where to get started! You're a big help!
UPDATE LOG
Personality - totally revised 8/9/09
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Posted: Mon Sep 07, 2009 8:08 pm
There was a rat and a garden and a campfire. He had a twin brother. Something about monkeys. Something else about his brother. Something about a parrot with teeth.
Astor sat up and objected to this, rather loudly. “That’s silly. Birds don’t have teeth.”
“Shut the ******** up,” said the guard, unseen and off to the side outside the bars of his cell.
“Sorry,” said Astor, remembering where he was.
It was cold and it was dark. They were deep in the belly of a ship somewhere, and he only knew that much because he’d spent most of his life on ships and he knew what they sounded like, the little hums they made when they kicked into hyperspace. He didn’t know if they were still on the same ship as they’d been on originally, though. It was certainly a different room than before – when they first grabbed him they locked him in a storage closet and yelled at him for a while. Astor wasn’t sure what it had been about – it hadn’t made much sense.
He did not know how long he’d been here, either. After being screamed at in the closet he’d been knocked unconscious and taken here, and it could have been a week or a month or a few hours later. In between he’d dreamed about parrots with teeth and his twin brother. (Did he really have a brother? That would be exciting.)
He thought that, maybe, the dreams had gotten him in trouble.
“Stupid dreams,” muttered Astor, shifting on the damp floor of the chamber.
“Shut the ******** up,” said the guard.
“Sorry,” said Astor.
“Don’t talk back, you ******** freak, or I’ll slit your throat.”
Astor did not reply, because he was starting to realize his apologies were being taken as what his mother might call “cheek.”
He was not naturally the sort of child who was scared by adults simply because they were adults. His mother worked as a navigator, and when your mother was a navigator, you spent a lot of time on ships mixing with the crew and not a lot of time with children your own age. Adults didn’t frighten Astor.
He was also not naturally the sort of child who was scared by trouble simply because it was trouble. There were all sorts of trouble to be had on a space ship, and at some point or another he had been in all of it. Someone always came and helped him out. The ship was only so big, reasoned Astor. Someone would notice he was missing and go looking for him. Trouble didn’t frighten Astor.
If that was the case and his rescue party would be arriving shortly, then all that was left to do was for Astor to amuse himself in the interim. He teased a particularly large firefly out of his hair and held the beetle in the palm of his hands. He looked at it glumly.
“Well,” he said to the bug, “this is bad.”
“Shut the ******** up!” shouted the guard.
The firefly flashed at him once and then flew back up to its roost.
“Some help you are,” Astor said quietly to it.
This got the guard out of his chair.
“What part of shut the ******** up doesn’t go through your dumb ******** little brain pan?” he demanded. Astor scooted backwards instinctively. This man was huge, and he carried more guns than the boy could hope to count at fist glance. “I should have them cut you up and see if you even have a brain. You’re that stupid. Come here.”
Astor shook his head. The guard placed a hand on one of his holsters.
“Come here or I will shoot you in the foot, and then I will shoot you in the other foot, and each hand, and move up your body until I finally put you out of your misery and then I will find your dumb b***h of a mother and kill her, too, so come here.”
Astor got reluctantly to his feet and crossed the small cell.
“Closer,” said the guard.
Astor stepped up to the bars.
It happened in an instant. The guard grabbed his upper arm and pulled him against the bars. Astor knew what was going to happen a moment before it did. With a sound like a suction cup releasing, the whole arm popped off in the guard’s hand. Astor tumbled backwards with a cry. (Being slammed against the bars hurt. Falling hurt. Losing his arm did not hurt.)
“You are a ******** disgusting freak of nature,” declared the guard, looking down at the arm in his hand. “Do you even ******** bleed? Brat. Freak. Get up and come here.”
Astor struggled to his feet, trying to come up with a way to get his arm back without fragmenting it further. True, he could still control it remotely, but at the moment he wasn’t exactly thinking clearly enough to punch the guard in the face. And even if he did, he was dead certain there were more men waiting just out of sight. He remembered there being more in the closet.
“Listen to me, freak,” said the guard, gesticulating with Astor’s arm. “You are gonna tell us every single ******** thing you know about the others like you, or so help me, I will tear you limb from limb, put a bullet in every last little piece of you, and I will scatter you all over the galaxy so that they never find all of you. I will scatter you and then I will kill your dumb b***h of a mother for being dumb enough not to drown you when she found a little freak like you.”
The guard hit Astor with his own arm, which might have been funny if it wasn’t so downright scary. Boy and severed limb fell backwards, and he struggled to reattach it.
“No one is going to come rescue you because no one knows you are here,” said the guard. “And if they did they wouldn’t give a damn. You’re a freak and a burden and you’ll tell us what you know or you’ll die.”
Astor did not doubt it, but he did doubt that these people would be content to know that he had no idea what they were talking about. They kept talking about others – others like him? People who could take themselves apart? People with fireflies in their hair? Maybe they were some undiscovered species of alien. Which didn’t totally explain this but it was a start.
Not that it mattered much, because he was just guessing.
He curled up on the floor, cradling a firefly in his hands. His arm didn’t feel totally right, but it was good to have it back.
Astor was not a child to be scared under usual circumstances.
These circumstances were anything but usual.
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Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2009 6:34 am
Logging - Living in a Dream Round 1 Part 1 Silverah This was not the ship. Well, it was a ship, but it wasn't a ship, and it certainly wasn't where he had been before. As he stepped towards them, the walls around Astor warped, became quicksilver, and melted away. They vanished through a grate in the floor, and then the floor vanished through the grate, and then the grate vanished into itself as well, which was truly strange to watch. It was almost how he imagined black holes to look right as they swallowed a planet, something large growing smaller and smaller until nothing at all remained.
From where the floor had been, rough green carpet spread out, the sort they laid on ships to keep people from getting planetsick on long journeys. It only filled a brief circle around him, and Astor took a step forward, trying to see what lay over the edge of the carpet. As he moved, so did the surface, and so he could never quite reach the edge. Every time he did, another patch of green sprang up to meet his feet.
This was all very strange.
"Am I dead?" he asked aloud, and then pinched himself several times. Well, he didn't feel dead, and he reasoned that if he was dead then he ought to remember dying and all he remembered was falling asleep on the floor holding a firefly. That didn't add up to being dead. He took another step and looked up, scanning the horizon ahead for any clue of where he might be.
It was hard to focus on this land. The more attention he paid to a place, the more detail emerged, but as soon as he looked somewhere else, it all melted away. The longer he stared, the more aware he became that there were places that didn't fade, places that he could look at, and nothing happened to them. They existed independently of his own little patch of green.
The longer he stared, the more aware he became that there were other people in those patches.
Other people.
Astor paused.
The others?
He took a hesitant step forwards, and when the patch of real far in front of him did not fade, he took another step. As he walked, the green carpet gave way to the traction-coated metal plates of the bridge of a ship, but the consoles and chairs stubbornly refused to materialize. Astor didn't dwell on this too long - it wasn't like he knew what to do with those consoles, anyway.
Astor was not one for logistics. He wasn't quite sure where he was, but it was somewhere away from the nasty guard. And there were others here. Maybe - maybe they could tell him something he could tell the guard, and then the guard wouldn't kill him and his mom... That settled it. He had to get this person's attention. He had to talk to them and find out what they knew and when he woke up - because he reasoned this was a dream but it was dreams that had gotten him into all this, so who was to say dreams wouldn't get him out?
When he woke up, he would tell them what he'd found out, and everything would be okay again.
"Hello?" he called, hoping to maybe catch the mysterious person's attention. "Can you hear me?"
While he waited for a reply, he rubbed his arm. It worked just fine, but it still didn't feel right. He could feel the guard's lingering taint on it. Something cold and dirty and just a little bit off. romantic wishes The scenery had changed when she opened her eyes, and since she hadn't eaten or drank anything for a while, she supposed it couldn't be drugs. Couldn't be drugs, but it couldn't be real, either, because she found herself in a misty place, empty and alone, with a feeling like she was slipping down a slick cliff face. At the end of the fall, she could see, was a thick, dark fog, and she could sense that if she slid too far down, she'd simply... disappear. Her stomach churned at the thought - she wasn't in the camp anymore, and she didn't want to go back. She knew, though she couldn't say how, that if she disappeared she would be back there, and come morning she would die, and querulous old Elsbeth too. Elsbeth, the only one who had been told about her dreams. The only one who could possibly have turned her over to these guards, and who would now die for it. That was not an option. Zaoll turned, to the opposite direction, where the mists seemed to fade into a path surrounded by stone buildings. How she'd longed for a stone surface to vanish into as she listened to the guards! If she could get to those, she could disappear, get as far from the mists as stone allowed. She would live, even if no one else did in the whole world, and alone she could depend upon her own ability to endure. Something gave her pause, a barely audible sound that strengthened as she focused on it. She could hear voices, each as urgent as the next. Could these voices be the 'others' the guards had been asking about? The ones who the guards were looking for... She had hoped that they might show up, that if she just could stay alive and not reveal the secret, they'd somehow find her and she could live. She so desperately wanted to live - without revealing the secret she didn't know, without leaving Elsbeth to die... Tentatively, she took a step towards the voice she had heard, then another and another, but each time, she came no closer to the voices and the sanctuary of stone. If anything, she slid further back, closer to the mist and the end it promised. "No," she said, a weak denial of something she couldn't change, and she ran for the sanctuary of stone. This s**t didn't happen, she thought, normal people did not slid into voracious black mists and get eaten by it. Only in fantasy books did someone get devoured by non-corporeal objects. Zaoll lived quite determinedly in the real world, thank you! When she opened her eyes, it was dark, but not fading away in the mist dark - the safe warmth of the inside of stone. Nothing could get at her when she hid like this, because nothing knew she was there - and suddenly, she was outside again, but this time on a patch of marble maybe five feet around, extending out from where she was, and out there were other people, rare people in their own points of light. Nearest to her was - a boy, with glowing lights in his hair. She squinted - her glasses had vanished sometime during her captivity - at him, leaning forward. Who knew what would happen if she stepped over the edge of this circle? Better to stay put, just in case - but she felt the ravine and the mist coming back, and that spurred her to move forward and lay one hand on the kid's shoulder. This close, she could tell the glowing lights were fireflies. The stone had faded as she approached, seeming to meld and flicker with the kid's... whatever that was, she didn't know, and in the moment of distraction, the ravine yawned and Zaoll pulled herself back to the present. It seemed like as long as she kept herself here in the moment, put her indomitable personality to keeping the mist away, it would stay away. "Hello? You called?" Her voice sounded wispy, but it was normal wispy, and not the empty denial of her flight from the mists. He looked foreign, maybe Spanish, but who could tell? They all looked foreign - the winged one she could barely see, someone else as white as she, another boy with a blackish thing for a tail, closer than the white one but only barely - so she used English, the language most foreigners spoke. The distraction called to the mists again. Zaoll focused again. "I heard you," she said in her stilted English, "My name is Zaoll." [Teen, girl, darkish monochrome hair I guess, really pale marble coloring/skin texture. Looks nearsighted. >: Has a Roman (aquiline) nose.] Silverah Astor whirled around, and found himself looking at a girl.
"I guess I did," he said, slightly surprised. How had she gotten behind him without him noticing?
She was older than him, and they looked nothing alike. So much for his earlier guess about people with fireflies in their hair or people who could take themselves apart. "I'm Astor," he said, and paid no attention to her accent. Lots of people had accents. Practically every planet spoke a different kind of English.
"Are you one of the others?" he continued breathlessly. She didn't look like one, but, then again, you'd never know until you asked.
"Because if you are, I need you to help me. If you don't help me, they're gonna kill my mom and me. They're gonna rip me apart and put a bullet in every one of my bits and spread me out across the galaxy and I really, really don't want that to happen."
He didn't know if he'd still be alive after they did that.
"You know how bad that would be, right?" he asked, and hoped that she could see how desperate he was, because he was really desperate. Desperate with a capital D. She was older and she wasn't mean looking like the men who had captured him and maybe she could help him. Another kid wouldn't have made him feel better, but she comforted him on the virtue of her being older than him.
He had no friends his own age, anyway. He wouldn't know where to begin with a kid.
"I don't want to die," he said, and meant it.
He looked away from Zaoll for a moment to give more attention to the rest of his surroundings. Since setting his sights on her he hadn't paid attention to the rest of the figures, and now noticed a large group of them congregating a bit further away.
"Do you think maybe they can help, too?" he asked, pointing to them.
"And, um," he said, taking hold of his left forearm. He tugged it until with a neat pop, it separated cleanly from the rest of his body. No blood and no harm done. "Can you do this?" romantic wishes She stepped back a bit, reaching again to adjust glasses that she had lost with a somewhat stymied look on her face. This kid's face! What were those dots? And the stripe down his nose - was that frostbite? Whoever he was, he'd had it rougher than she had. This time, as Zaoll had a hand in front of her face, she could see her extremities turn a little transparent as she began to freak out, which didn't help her calm down, but she clamped down on her emotions and just focused on calm. Once her mind was under control again, and she looked solid enough, she took a deep breath and said, "The others?" It was eerily close to a question she had been about to ask. Perhaps... if there really were others, the same thing could be happening to them in other countries, even other worlds. That was ridiculous. There was no such thing as other worlds. But then where was she now? She focused instead on Astor's words. They're gonna kill my mom and me. "Yeah, I know," she said, figuring her similar situation would be best kept under her hat for now. Perhaps, if she helped this kid out of the... strangely, disconcertingly analogous situation, she'd be better able to do the same for Elsbeth and herself. If she even wanted to save Elsbeth, since... it had to be Elsbeth who sold her out. Zaoll clenched her teeth. She wanted to get out of this situation, and right now, the best way look to be kind of roundabout. Help the kid, which helped herself... Not her normal way of handling things. "Neither do I. So let's not die. Easy goal, right?" Yes. She could focus on the goal of not being dead for now. Not falling into the mist and fading off. Easy enough. Her attention, drawn by Astor's words, went back to the people standing somewhat far off and she considered them. Could they help? Perhaps, and it didn't hurt to try. Zaoll took a few steps towards the others, stopped and turned when he spoke again. Pop, went his arm, and Zaoll stood there for a moment, the confused look from before coming back until she said, in a very loud, flat voice, "Mother <********>." Then, quieter, she said, " Put your arm back on." Deciding that she was not going to wait on him to do it - god that was so weird but at least he was one of the others as best she could figure it - she wrestled the limb away and pushed it back to his elbow joint, where it rejoined with his body with a similar pop. Calming down a little - she didn't even notice she hadn't faded at all during that freakout - she said in a passably normal voice, "No, I can't do that. But I can walk through stone. Let's go over there and see what those others know." Zaoll turned around and marched off to join the group that was quickly forming around the man with two pairs of firey wings. [Had Silv's permission to put Astor back together. :O] Silverah The only other person who had ever taken serious charge over Astor's tendency to lose limbs was his mother. Under any other circumstances, Zaoll's unwitting imitation of her behavior might have annoyed him, but right now there was something comforting about it. She seemed willing to help him, at the very least, and to calm down.
Eyes wide, he asked, "You can walk through stone?"
In his experience that wouldn't have been a very useful power for someone who lived in a ship. (Not that his abilities were really suited to shipboard living, either.)
"Are you a planetsider?" he prodded, falling into step behind the girl. They had both agreed not to die and she was smarter than him and that was making him feel better. As long as he was with her he would be okay and together they would find the answers and escape. "Where are you from?"
Maybe when they were all done here and safe again, he'd go find her for real and thank her.
He stayed a few steps behind her, and every so often would look down and wonder at how their separate patches of real flowed together. His metal hit her stone and it exploded in little bursts of pyrotechnic and glittery dust. "Look at that," he said, pointing to the join, but did not have time to dwell on it any longer because he heard a voice from far away -
"Hey! Everybody over here!"
Astor looked up, over to where an orange-winged man seemed to be holding court, surrounded by smaller, fainter figures.
He reached forward and gave Zaoll a tap on the shoulder.
"Zaoll?" he asked hopefully. "Do you think them over there might know something?"
He pointed, indicating what exactly he meant. At the very least, it was worth a try.
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Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2009 6:36 am
Logging - Living in a Dream Round 1 Part 2 kalindara Golden eyes opened slowly, roving from side to side. Something felt very different, very strange. Prickles ran up and down Roth's spine, his body screaming 'danger'. And Roth trusted his instincts. Snapping to attention, he pushed himself off the ground where he lay and tried to make sense of his surroundings. A cherry tree blossomed nearby, and he recognised it from his mu qin's gardens, but directly behind it was a wall he knew was part of his chambers in Hell. He turned, and blinked in surprise as the 'holy couch' from HQ came into view, complete with the knifings made by a tiny Dil and the dagger Roth had gifted him. Frowning, Roth turned back to find that the tree and wall had disappeared. "What in all Hells is this?" he growled to himself. The last thing he remembered was... was... Crap. Well, this just HAD to involve magic of some kind, because the only thing Roth could remember was a hazy mess, and a faint impression of... Had he been kidnapped?! Roth's tail began lashing back and forth. Of course, it was a plot against him! Kidnapped, possibly arranged by one of his rivals, and dumped into this strange place. Someone was out to get him. No wonder his instincts were screaming that his life was in danger. Roth would just have to be on his very best guard. Luckily his Lunar Spear still obeyed his commands, appearing in his hand when he 'reached' for it with his teleportation skill. Feeling much less naked with his weapon, Roth picked a random direction and began walking. "Just so you know," he called out to whomever might be listening in on him, "when I find you, I'm going to rip your spine out, dance on it, and feast on your heart." Kyribird Prince, excuse my boldness, BUT SNAP OUT OF IT. The harsh voice of his adviser broke through his fit of paranoia and he hissed, eyes snapping open and body stilling. More people had arrived - they seemed to be congregating and moving and talking amongst themselves. Nobody seemed to be paying much mind to him. Ghytere didn't know whether to be relieved or pissed off that he wasn't immediately paid attention to.
A low growl came up in the back of his throat. He'd settle for relief, at the moment. Anger didn't do much good when one was fighting for their lives. Certainly it fueled a fire but it also made one reckless. And, as far as Ghy was concerned, this was still a fight for his life.
The words the others were speaking he could not understand. It was like listening to a garbled message from a man who had had too much to drink and could not tell Amphrell from Mitanese. It was amusing when that happened - but right now it was just frustrating. Were they plotting against him? They were. He knew it. Again, panic was rising in his chest until Ukuna's voice was heard.
Prince, if I could be so bold...
"What, you haven't been bold enough?"
An amused look was passed to his charge, I was not within you when you arrived here, Prince.
"...So?" Not necessarily the quickest thing with a brain, was he?
We have always been. Except when you sleep.
"I'm awake. I'm talking to you. That alone proves I am not asleep."
It must be powerful magic at work to separate us, if that is the case.
...Right, tell the paranoid Fa'e that there was powerful magic at work. That was an incredibly bright thing to do when you were attempting to calm him down. "If you're trying to help, it's not working."
What he wouldn't give for his father, at that moment. The two of them had a rocky relationship at best - full of holes and pitfalls so large that it made the grand canyon look like a crack in the sidewalk. But he always felt more secure with that man guarding his back.
"Ghytere, I am always at your back, etali."
The voice had sounded plain as day - Common tongue, but it was Alijatra's voice. He turned, quickly, trying to find him - the world closest to him once more becoming the jungle floors as he thought of home. Alijatra made him think of home. The world was shifting again - before, he thought it was simply something to confuse him. This seemed...deliberate. On his end.
You're changing the floor, Prince.
"What do you mean I'M changing the floor?"
You thought of home, it became home.
Ghytere paused. He needed something more concrete than that. The palace. Forest became elaborate marble, expanding before him and creating the foyer. His thoughts shifted again, to the cold dismal room in Akori - the tiles seeming to fall away one by one to create the cool stone of his room.
"Holy s**t."
Well, at least he was thoroughly distracted from believing the others were out to get him! At least until a nearby voice, sounding none too happy, spoke about ripping out spines. Leave the small bit of English that Ghytere knew to be about violence.
"You."
Heavily accented voice, though an accent no doubt unfamiliar, called out. "You have weapon."
Broken, disjointed, but pleased. He had a weapon. Nobody else he had seen actually carried a weapon. Not that he could make out, anyway.
"Weapon...more?"
You sound like an uneducated savage trying to speak the common tongue.
"It's not like he knows Mitanese."
...Yeah, Ghy. Let people think you're talking to yourself. Smart.
Let me try.
"No."
((SORRY IF I MISSED ANYONE ACTUALLY TALKING TO GHY brain meats are scattered. I will edit if I did <3)) romantic wishes "Yes, but don't tell," said Zaoll, her eyes on the man with the wings. "It's a secret." And, she thought, if he were smart he would have kept his ability secret too, but it could be excused. He was just a little kid, and they were not notoriously skillful at secret-keeping; the obvious exception being herself, of course. She walked towards the group - it seemed the man with the wings knew at least something, or intended to get everyone together. It would be useful to hear what everyone else thought, she thought, to hear if anything else was so similar like her experiences. "Planetsider? I live on a planet. Is that what you mean?" On command, she looked down to the place where marble met steel and raised her eyebrows. That was interesting, and she tried to step away from it - she didn't feel like testing if her skin was flameproof yet. "That's where I've been going," she said to the inquiry, but just then- When I find you, I'm going to rip your spine out, dance on it, and feast on your heart.That voice did not sound at all friendly, and looking around for the source, she thought she saw a tall man holding a spear, with purple hair. If she had been able to blanch, no doubt she would have. As it was, she latched on to Astor's shoulder and interposed her body between him and the origin of the voice. The kid could come apart, but Zaoll could get hit by a car and emerge with only a bruise. In her mind, the two things were not at all comparable in this situation. "Stay close, all right?" There was a naked man over there. A blue, naked man. That was definitely one of the weirder things she'd seen here, not counting the whole Astor-taking-off-his-arm thing. And now in the other direction was... shouting? Approaching the angel did not look like a good idea, not with all the posturing going on, but he was the one calling for people to get together. It definitely didn't help her 'let's not die' pact with Astor to proceed directly towards the person threatening to dance on spines. Not at all. Still... She could endure being hit by a car. Astor could take himself apart. They were not entirely defenseless. So Zaoll grabbed on to Astor's hand. "Change of plans. This way," and she proceeded towards the black-skinned man. "Stay behind me." She had never tested her body's mettle against sharp steel, or whatever kind of metal that was, but this didn't quite seem like real life. Was it? At any rate, one spear versus... whatever was going on near the angel. Better to approach the demonic-looking one, since it would only be one thing to keep after. As they walked, she explained her choice. "Too much anger going on around the angel. If he can get everyone else to shut up long enough to explain something, we're not so far away we can't hear. And everyone is fighting, but here there's only one threat." She paused, then added, "Crazy Blue is not a threat." She stopped a safe distance from the spear-wielding man. "Hello," she said. "You're going to have a hard time getting to my spine, so hear me out. Were you captured by someone and threatened with death by the morning?" [I think after this I'll just start using names to keep things clearer. x - x;] Silverah Astor swerved to follow Zaoll, his 'path' suddenly changing from metal back to the green carpet. Little rims licked at the edges of it, threatening to grow into the walls of a ship's corridor. He kept close to the girl, and winced a little bit as the sparks from where their distinct worlds met licked his ankles.
"Okay," he whispered, and tried not to stare as they passed the crazy, naked blue guy. What had happened to him? Had people threatened him, too?
"Are we all here for the same reason?" he asked, peering around her at the man in front of them. He understood her logic about how this guy was only one threat and all the loud, violent people were many threats, but...
If he got all scattered here, as he was prone to doing in bad situations, and some of his parts fell off his path, what would happen to them? Astor shuddered. It was not something he really wanted to think about.
He nearly crashed headlong to Zaoll when she stopped, and somehow still wound up clinging to her shirt and looking curiously around her, which was, he knew, a perfect recipe for getting his head knocked off.
After her question, he added hopefully, "Please don't eat our hearts!"
Heart. Heart. He was supposed to know something about his heart. Something from the dreams- He couldn't remember.
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Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2009 6:37 am
Logging - Living in a Dream Round 1 Part 3 kalindara "You." Roth's head snapped up as a voice called out to him. Whirling in the direction of the newcomer, he lifted his spear up into attacking position. Was this the person responsible for his current situation? He blinked as the blue-skinned male moved closer and asked about weapons. Roth's lip lifted in a snarl. Was this an attempt to find out how many weapons Roth had at his disposal, before attacking him? "Oh, I have many weapons," he purred silkily. "But I'm not about to give away all my secrets. You won't know what the others are until they're embedded in your flesh." Ha, attack him at your own peril! Roth smirked, an expression that only deepened as the strange blue male began arguing with himself in another language. Or... was he communicating with whoever was behind all this? Some kind of communication device, like those tiny phones that could hide inside your ear? He peered at the stranger, trying to see if there was any kind of device like that on him. His inspection was interrupted by the arrival of more people. Roth quickly moved so he could keep an eye on all of them at once. Only three? Hah, easy. Whoever was behind this was obviously underestimating him! "Your spine isn't as well-protected as you think," he advised the girl who'd spoken. He paused slightly as she mentioned being attacked and threatened with death. His expression darkened, voice icing over. "So, you're taking credit for that, are you? Hardly wise. Don't tell me I've been kidnapped by amateurs." His voice dripped scorn. It was then that the last of three strangers spoke up. "Are we all here for the same reason?" Eyes narrowing, Roth straightened out of his attacking pose - just slightly. He was still ready to attack if needed. "You claim you were also kidnapped and awoke here?" One eyebrow rose. "You certainly do not appear able enough to be behind this scheme, but perhaps one or more of you is just pretending in order to catch me off my guard..." He ignored the angel yelling in the background. Ugh, like Mister Broken Ribs would be of any help in this situation. Still, at least he could be almost certain that the flaming (Roth snickered to himself) angel wasn't behind this. Perhaps Roth would go and compare notes once he could be sure these three weren't the ones trying to kill him. Kyribird Okay, the pretty demon looking guy was talking now, and only a few words of the common could be made out. Ghytere stopped conversing with Ukuna and tried to concentrate on what Roth was saying. Many weapons was understood, secrets...embed. Oh. Oh. He was threatening him now, was he? Ghy's mouth opened to speak again, though was immediately interrupted by two more people showed up. He could barely understand what was going on...and the Fa'e really did not enjoy the fact that he couldn't figure it out. It did nothing to help quell the rising paranoia which was always just a stone's throw away with him.
He turned on a bias, keeping all three of them in his sights, eyes narrowed and shifting back and forth between the black skinned man who was threatening him, the girl attempting to converse with him, and the boy. Who was apparently asking about..eating hearts?
Oh for the love of.. Ukuna figured that this entire 'language barrier' was going to make things difficult - at least it was going to continue to put Ghytere on edge. And an on-edge Ghytere was a bad thing when things needed to come together to figure something out. Forgive me, Prince. It is for your own good.
"He does not understand what you are saying," Ukuna spoke, using Ghytere's mouth like he had done before when Ghytere had nearly lost himself. Being the diplomatic one in the head, he'd had to use his tongue to soothe ire a handful of times. Though as he spoke, Ghytere's voice changed - becoming more of a hiss than the solid words that the Fa'e used. Softer, more soothing. Like a serpent. "But I do. This is Ghytere." Clawed hand lifted to press a finger against his chest. "Please do forgive Prince, he has his issues."
An angry growl sounded in the back of his head and he ignored it, turning his eyes (which had hued to green) to Roth, "He wanted to know if you had a weapon he could borrow, not to use against you unless you are the one who caused this - which by your response, I am somewhat doubting." A pause. "He is skilled in combat. I suggest if it comes to it, you grant his wish for a weapon should it be in your power." Now attention went to the girl, opening his mouth to speak, though it was quickly shut. This would be so much easier if I had my own body.
"Ukuna." Ghytere growled, "Takes over." More broken English. "...You speak Mitanese?" It would be easier if they could all speak the same bloody language. "Only...few words. Common."
...And what the hell was that booming voice? Ghytere jumped, once more on guard, looking around for the source of it. How many people were even here? Who were the 'bad' guys so to speak. At least he seemed to be in the group that was on his side. If what Ukuna had translated was right, then this could possibly be the help that he'd hoped for. All for the same reason, he'd said. That little spark of hope was rekindled. At least the black one looked like he could fight.
"No eat heart." He assured the child. What threat was a mere child?
What, like what threat is a mortal? The thought came from nowhere - he didn't know why, but it definitely hit a nerve. He'd ignore it for now. Kuuro Kitten This was frustrating, it was useless trying to get information from anyone that was just as trapped as she. How could anyone know what was going on? They all seemed on edge, more so the dark skinned man with a weapon of sorts. It looked sharp and every fiber of her being told Renshu to run away and find help elsewhere but despite those warning signs, if he had a weapon he could defend himself and maybe protect her.
But what if he was the one doing all this?
He definitely didn't fit the image of a man lost. Elaborate robes and tall physique, he even had a weapon and wasn't without qualms pointing it at the others. This man! He had to be the one that did all this. Growling, Renshu crouched low, tail swishing irritably. It wasn't like she could take him on or anything but if he had answers about her situation or knew where her papa was then she had to at least try right? ....Right?
Something in her screamed not to attack. Besides what could she -- a little girl -- do against someone like that. For a moment she imagined herself flipping and moving in the sky -- the Big Top, her home, her safe haven. She wanted to go home, return to bed and sleep away this horrible, horrible nightmare. She began to move, the image of a tight rope underfoot, with soft steps she imagined she was home performing. Lithe, agile, practiced and confident. It was just like at home, with a leap she landed gracefully. This wasn't so hard, just pretend she was on the tight rope and...
*Splat*
She tripped and fell landing right at the foot of the group. Looking up an awkward smile slipped across her face as she scratched her head, causing her headdress to shift on her head. Taking it off she hid behind it crouched in a sitting position. "I... um.." Well so much for attacking the scary man with a weapon. She couldn't hope to sneak up on him anyway. "Where's my papa!" She demanded suddenly, placing the headdress back atop her head. It wobbled, sitting haphazardly atop her head as she stood to her full height which was probably at the man's hip at best. "Did you take him? Is this your doing, it has to be...!" Well it had to it only made sense. He looked... DANGEROUS! Frowning she glared up at him tears welling in her ruby eyes but she would not dare let them spill not in the face of her captor. Not in front of any of them present. She had to be strong for her papa. He would be happy to find she hadn't cried for him. That she managed to assert herself in a difficult situation, she would do anything for her papa!
Tail swishing with the effort it took not to pound her small hands on his chest and demand her father's safe return, she continued to glare up at him. Ignoring those around her for now. He probably had them as his servants to do his bidding against their will. If she could save them too then they might help her find her papa. Yes! This all made sense now.
(( My second post... just for my reference. <3 And Renshu is now with Roth, Ghy, Astor and Zaoll. xD )) romantic wishes Get the hell over here!Well yeah, like that was going to happen now. She did not like being ordered around. Or threatened. But more especially she did not like being bossed, and right now, it seemed like they'd have a better chance of survival and escape if joining someone who seemed to be able to handle a weapon, at the least. Sure, she could see the glint of metal from that direction if she squinted, but a spear had more range, didn't it? More cover, wasn't it? Zaoll spared a glance for the orange-winged man, then turned her attention back to the more immediate threat. Crazy Blue was still crazy, muttering to himself about who-knows-what, but now the man - she could see now that she was so close and squinting besides that he had horns, and purple... pearls? on his face - was talking to her. "It's protected enough," said Zaoll bluntly in her soft voice. And she listened to him for a moment - kidnapped by amateurs, what the hell? She was no kidnapper, she'd been kidnapped herself! Like Astor, though, the same situation. The same odd feeling of something not being right with this whole deal. It could be some kind of huge, orchestrated thing... but she doubted it. And she had to find out what was up if they were going to live, because she had to live. Had to. "We claim it because we were," she told Angry Black (as she decided she was going to call spear man for now). She stopped in the beginning stages of asking a question along the lines of 'Do you have any idea who the 'others' are' when Crazy Blue started talking perfect English, and... referring to himself in the third person? Maybe he really was crazy. It seemed likely that he was, when he was referring to an Ukuna and taking over in terrible, barely understandable English. What the hell was an Ukuna? No time for that! Other things had to be done! "Shut up," she said to Crazy Blue - Ghytere or whatever. "We don't have time for crazy talk. If you're in the same boat as us, you've got until morning too, so it's best if we all stop jumping at shadows and start trying to find a way out of this, preferably while escaping from whatever's back in the real world!" But this wasn't drugs. It wasn't a normal dream if it was a dream. And it wasn't like real life, either. Real life was... soaking wet, and without stone, and now she stood on marble. Astor was one of the Others that the men holding her captive were seeking. The dream itself, or whatever this place was, could be an avenue for escape... if only she knew what the Others were, and if there were some who could maybe do this! That'd be something, at least... A little girl tripped into the group and started yelling about her papa, and how Angry Black must have done something to him. "Look, if he did something to your papa, wouldn't your papa be here with you, since this is where Angry Black is?" Zaoll didn't seem to realize that she'd used her mental nickname for the spear-wielding person until after she'd finished talking, but even then there was no use in being embarrassed, and no time. It would be best, she decided, to always act as if she had no time. If this was just a dream, she could wake up at any time. [Fourth post, holding fifth back unless there's something super important I should respond to~] Jiuu Dante froze, hearing a tumult of voices all around now, some near, some far. The little girl ahead of him disappeared behind the illusions, flashes of his room obscuring her face, disappearing in the black landscape. He turned around, to see only more flashes from Terra hiding the white boy from view. "Where'd they go...?" Did they disappear like he'd seen others do? Shaking his head frantically, hoping that wasn't the case, he looked around at the groups that were starting to form, seeing one being led, kinda, but a youth with large orange wings. There was another farther off, the details of the figures indistinct. But the closest one...The naked blue boy, two others, and... A Daimon! Or, at least, someone really close to one! Dante could see the horns and the tail, and though the purple haired figure had more horns then was normal, it wasn't like double pairs never happened on Frain. Trying to keep down the excited hope rising in him, he ran towards them, calling out [i"Hey!" as he approached. When he got closer, he slowed down to a cautious walk, coming up behind the naked man, watching the maybe-Daimon speaking with the other three. There was tension of some sort, but he couldn't tell why... He looked around again, noticing the different grounds underneath each of their feet, and glanced at his own. The brown stone rippled a little, but it was still there, a reminder of Terra's streets. Glancing back up, he could see images around the four figures, clashing with each other when they met. He could see the ones familiar to him sparking a little when he came up behind the group, attempting to mesh but instead almost canceling out. Looking back at the figures, his eyes again fell on the maybe-Daimon man. He felt almost familiar, as if Dante should be bowing or something, but he couldn't for the life of him tell why. Was it just because he had similar features? He was the only one Dante had seen so far that had horns, slanted ears and a tail, but that wouldn't make him feel like an underling or something, would it? It shouldn't, right? It's not like it felt wrong, but it was definitely...Confusing. Suddenly cautious, the child quietly shuffled up to the man, tugging on his sleeve, hoping to get his attention, make him look down, something."Can you understand me?"kalindara Astaroth felt a tic developing in his eyebrow, it kept twitching as things became stranger and stranger. Not to mention all the accusations from these crazy people - all of whom were younger than Roth and they wouldn't respect the scary man with the sharp weapon, they could at least respect their elder. The crazy blue guy - either Ghytere or Prince, Roth wasn't sure, but perhaps he should explain to this guy the negative connotations associated with naming yourself "Prince" - wanted Roth's weapons? He scowled. "Get your own weapons. No one can use the Lunar Spear except for myself. And as I have yet to learn a method of gifting my powers to another, you're out of luck." Not that he'd share his powers even if he could. Who were these insane people? They clearly didn't know him at all... which did, in fact, lend credence to the claim that these kids had also been kidnapped. Musings on the possible truthfulness of the kids was interrupted when a small girl ran forward and fell flat on her face. Righting herself, she began screeching about her papa being stolen... by Roth? The demon pinched the bridge of his nose. "Screeching females give me a migraine, so kindly shut up before I rip your throat out," he spat, glaring at the tiny, energetic beast. "I am Astaroth, King of Hell, so unless your father is dead, I have not taken him anywhere. And unless you would like to visit my domain - permanently - you will desist from such baseless accusations." Maybe a title or two would spur this rabble into some respect for him. Not that he had any problems being taken for the bad guy, but there were bigger issues at stake right now, and so far the only sane person here apart from himself was the original female who'd said her spine was hard to get at. He gave her a nod at her defense of him, not quite sure why she would defend someone she didn't know, but pleased to have someone else attempting to quiet the small, tailed-girl down. "Alright, let's get some things straight," he ordered (Roth didn't believe in 'suggesting'). "Yesterday we were kidnapped, and today we woke up here. For myself, my memories appear somewhat fuzzy, though I have a strange recollection of being asked where 'the Others' are. Whomever they might be. Does this sound familiar to everyone? Any other details anyone can recall?" Running in 'General' mode was definitely the best bet for getting a clear picture of what was going on here. And if the enemy was indeed a third party, it was always best to have organised troops (and a clear chain of command) to take them on. Narrowed golden eyes stared at each of the four strangers in turn. Strange features, some weird skin colours... Roth was getting a bad feeling about this. Hoping he was wrong, he asked, "Anyone here have unusual powers? Possibly dreams of a different life before this one?" Waiting for replies, Roth strained his ears to listen to what was happening in the other groups. Very faintly, a voice he didn't recognise called out, "Riven!" Roth blinked and took a step forward. "Riven?" Did the unknown person mean the neutral Fa'e, he of the purples and greys and appreciating Roth's darkness? It would be nice to have a decent Fa'e here, not just that flaming (ha, Roth was definitely hanging on to this description) angel. Not to mention, the elder Fa'e was usually a very good source of knowledge and would hopefully know more about the current situation. Roth would have to wander over in the direction after he received some answers from this lot. "Hey!"Another stranger ran towards the group, speaking a language Roth had never heard before. The kid halted in front of Roth, babbling and tugging at the sleeve of Roth's robe. Roth cocked his head to one side. "I don't understand a word you are saying," he replied. "English, please. Or Mandarin," he added in his native tongue. Roth was NOT a walking translator.
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Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2009 6:39 am
Logging - Living in a Dream Round 1 Part 4 Kyribird Ghytere was having a very difficult time trying to understand what Roth was saying...But he figured he was not going to get a weapon out of him. Which meant he was going to be relying on his claws and infection to get the job done. That was fine. A warrior knew how to fight dirty and without the aid of sharp pointed objects - to not know how to was a death sentence. And Ghy was not ready to die any time soon.
...The threats of violence to others, however, were understood causing a sharp-toothed grin to touch his lips. Oh yes, he liked this man. They spoke the same language! Well, not literally, which was one of the largest problems but violence was universal, wasn't it?
"A little help, Ukuna."
A sigh sounded in his head and the adviser began to translate into Mitanese for the Fa'e, tone droll and rather bored at that point. It would have been easier if Ghytere allowed him to take over - but he was certain that the blue man would not. He liked being in charge. It was one thing that had followed him through his death. And it would not stop.
Ghytere's brows furrowed. Powers? Dreams of another life...? Was that what those dreams were about? Had they actually happened? The need to ask was strong, but there was that one small problem that prevented that vital communication.
...If he could manipulate the ground, did that mean he could manipulate other things? Silence reigned on his end for a long moment as he concentrated, projecting a thought and hoping it manifested for others to hear - Hey, if he could change the ground from earth to snow to marble to stone in a mere thought, he could damn well make himself be heard.
There were many men, Ghy's voice came - wavering, at first. Unsure whether or not it would work - and because of his uncertainty, it could not be strong. It faded toward the end, but it had been there, and he was encouraged. He started again, this time firming his belief that it would work - the tone coming out as he spoke normally though his mouth did not move. My father and I took out a dozen before they managed to subdue us. I do not know where he is. He is not here. I fell asleep, and I am here. Apparently, I can change things by thinking them.
That sounded like a decent enough explanation. And if the others had the same experience (and it was looking more and more like this was correct) then they must be the 'others' that he had been asked about.
I have powers, yes. But like hell he was going to disclose what they were at that point. He was still untrusting of the demon - one who held violence so high could make a powerful ally...but an equally powerful enemy. Is that what the dreams are? Finally, he was able to ask the question he wanted to ask. Another life?
It would certainly make more sense than having nightmares of things that never happened. He'd at least feel a little less crazy if that were the case.
Sure, he was a paranoid man but without the voices making it worse, he wasn't that bad. At least he wasn't talking like an ill-educated tribesman now.
...Why do they want us? That was the million dollar question.
And then another thought!
I wonder how far this manipulation goes. Head lifted, eyes meeting Roth's since he was the only one with more of a standing presence...and women weren't anything of importance to him. Besides. He had a weapon. He likely knew how to use it. Try. His own voice held command - he didn't much like suggesting either. But Roth DID seem to have a better idea of what was going on. It was logical. Jiuu The man was still arguing with the others, and appeared quite irritated, if not down right angry yet. He seemed to be arguing with the naked man about something, but the words were still unclear to the child's ears. He was so close to pulling his hair out, these silly language problems! The man had said something angry sounding, then swapped languages to another one that didn't sound much more recognizable. Oh...Oh... Dangit! He would have cursed his lack of knowledge concerning foul language, but instead held onto the man's sleeve stubbornly. There was finally someone who might be at least similar to Dante, and he wasn't gonna let him walk off, no sir! Not when he might be an anchor in this bleak, shifting landscape. Dante ignored the others around them, instead focusing on the stranger's face, concentrating and wishing he would be understood. "What are you?" He asked loudly, frowning up at the demon, images of Terra swirling around the boy before disappearing into darkness. The words sounded different, somehow, as if by forcing himself to focus on being understood, he maybe was....Was that how everything in this place worked? When he thought about it, it certainly seemed that way. The people with more control of themselves had more images floating around themselves that were actually similar, as opposed to random flashes of who knew what. And the ones that disappeared quickly, they barely had any ground beneath their feet, all looking terribly confused and weak before they vanished in the black, not like the steady textures beneath everyone Dante could see know. Was that the secret to this dreamscape? Keep yourself focused and strong and you won't disappear? The ones that were all showing firm and solid were certainly strong personalities, unlike the ones that had already disappeared in the emptiness. And that certainly seemed to describe some of those in this group. Strong willed. That was one way of putting it. Looking back up at the maybe-Daimon, who Dante was now thinking might possibly not be, he frowned, his tail flicking behind him, betraying his mixed emotions. "You look like me." The boy said simply, pointing at his horns with his free hand, a frown on his face. "I'm not letting go. You're different then the rest." Dante watched him cautiously, unsure if the man would shake him off or not; he didn't seem to be the sort with a great deal of patience, but given the situation, there probably weren't many that would be very calm. And if they were, well, something was probably wrong with them. And speaking of calm...He could hear loud voices off somewhere, near the red winged being that frightened him if he remembered the positions correctly. More and more voices were making themselves known, and to Dante at least, it felt as if their little "black world" was now filled with a steady hum of many different voices. Illusion or otherwise. Basically, it felt pretty noisy now. Kuuro Kitten The reprimand came off in a harsh tone, Renshu knew she had a way of gnawing on one's nerves, if the former response were any indication. Likened to being silenced she glared up through teary eyes at the man. Was this his way of dealing with children? To bark threats at them even knowing they were scared? She frowned, puffing cheeks out at the idea. "Screw you!" She spat firmly. There was no need to treat her as an invalid. Telling her to simply 'shut up' would have been just as effective. Cocking her head to the side curiously she realized the King of Hell was well winded. A toothy grin would greet him the next time he graced her with a glance. Thankfully he seemed to have a few theories about their situation. Perking up, she listened with ears eager to drink in any new information.
"I too... I was kidnapped with papa. They asked many question but I not know who the others are." She responded, ruby eyes shifting from one form to the next. "I dreamed. They were... strange dreams, a place I have never seen but it felt like home. People who I've never spoken too and yet they are familiar in my mind." She grew quiet for a moment to think but thoughts did not form, "I told others but they not believe me."
Sighing to herself, Renshu crouched low to the ground her tail flicking back and forth as a means of comfort. The ground under her feet was no longer the tight rope she loved but the familiar sand and dirt of the Big Top. Curling her knees to her chest she looked up at the others, wrapping her tail around her safe circle. "What do we do now?" She questioned curious to know what fate lay ahead of them. There was a bug that suddenly scuttled across her feet, wiggling them it soon disappeared as if never there. Aww. Anything to distract from the fear would have been welcomed. With a heavy sigh she looked around taking in those that she had yet to acknowledge.
It seemed they all had the same story if not a little convoluted. Kidnapped along with their guardian/parent, asked questions they knew nothing about, then thrown into this dark abyss -- a hell in and of itself. Apparently they all had strange appearances or abilities of some sort. While she could only fathom a thought about possible abilities she had, she only knew that she was different in her world. That being "different" meant many things but they weren't always well received. Carted off to concentration camps, hindered from traveling or even forming families, the most horrifying was death. This was nothing new, her whole life from infancy to now had been living on eggshells, wondering and waiting for those horrible people to find them and snatch her up. When this whole thing started she was certain this was it, that she would be taken away and killed for her differences but when death didn't come and rather question upon agonizing question was asked of her she simply shook her head, hanging it low and flicking her tail irritably at her captors.
Those people were mean.
These people were not so kind either but they were suffering the same as she.
Maybe they knew a way out, maybe they had answers... and maybe she could finally get an answer in return. A nagging question she held in her heart. Who am I?
(( My third post so far. Time for bed then I'll be back up for another post if needed. )) Silverah Astor refused to linger behind Zaoll any longer. He knew she had told him to stay put, but no one else here was doing that and some of them were scarcely older than he was. The monkey girl looked younger. As grateful as he was to the older girl for helping him calm down and find his way here (he certainly hadn't had his wits about him to do it himself), he was starting to feel a bit better and certainly starting to understand the rules that governed this place.
He glanced over at Crazy Blue and decided he did not like disembodied voices and that they were sort of creepy. He had, of course, been more scared in the last twenty-four hours than he was now, because there didn't seem to be any sort of immediate danger anymore, but Crazy Blue... Crazy Blue was just a little bit freaky.
"My mom's a navigator on a ship," he piped up, and then clarified, "Starship. Freight and transport vessels. We were just in port at a station near Jupiter and must've picked them up there."
After all, big men with body armor and guns didn't come out of nowhere and they certainly hadn't been aboard before. Usually Astor liked to watch load-in, but this time he'd been distracted by a Martian cat that gave birth to six kittens down in the engine room. Or was that eight kittens? Two of them, he remembered, had had two heads.
His enthusiasm fizzled as he got into remembering being captured.
"They grabbed me. I was minding my own business and they grabbed me and locked me in a closet. There were a few of them. Three or four. They told me to tell them everything I knew about the others and I didn't know anything and they knocked me out and took me to a different cell where there was only one guard and he told me he'd take me apart and put a bullet in every piece of me and scatter me across the galaxy if I didn't tell him what I know about the others."
He was frantic now.
"And I don't know anything about the others except that you're them but if I find out some things about you and tell them what I find out then they won't kill me or my mom and--"
He reached up and, with a slight popping sound, took off his own head.
"Can you do this?" asked the disembodied head, resting comfortably in the arms of the boy it belonged to. "Because them who got me say it's unnatural and Zaoll says she can't. And I had dreams - I had dreams and they say that's how they found me."
King of hell or not, this Astaroth fellow seemed to know what he was doing, which was better than Astor and Zaoll combined.
"My name's Astor," he added. Not being attached to a body did not seem to have any effect on his ability to speak. "Astor Bonheur. And I really, really, really don't want to die."
He looked down. The surface beneath him had changed from green carpet to some sort of packed earth. He'd dreampt about this. It was-- he couldn't quite recall what it was, but it was important.
He put his head back on. That was enough demonstrating and if he didn't do it then Zaoll would probably do it for him like she had his arm. romantic wishes Astaroth, King of Hell. Zaoll tucked that into the back of her mind; it certainly suited her more to keep calling him Angry Black but if he was a king, then... She didn't follow a king, did she? It was the Emperors - What am I talking about. She shook her head to clear out the cobwebs and focused again. For all the fact he looked rather fearsome, he hadn't yet done anything but threaten and try to figure things out, as best she could tell it. It seemed like everyone near the angel - she supposed it had to be an angel - was still getting oriented while this group was starting to figure this out. "Yes," she said to his question, but she didn't want to elaborate. Those were a secret, and what had just happened with the kidnapping and the ending up here meant they were supposed to be a secret. Zaoll had already told Astor some of it, and it seemed to make sense that she should tell Astaroth too. "I am Zaoll, and... I can walk through stone." She did herself a favor and didn't watch Astor remove his head, and sank ankle-deep into her marble floor. As she pulled herself free of the rock, she felt... almost as if someone was trying to talk to her, but she was too far away to properly hear. She shook her head again. Was she going crazy? "Astor, we are not going to die. Remember? Please put your head back on." The weird sensation of someone talking when she couldn't hear them continued as she watched the demonic-looking child (Timid Black? maybe. Required more thought.) without comment. She couldn't understand him, so what could she say? It didn't even sound like a familiar language to her, not like Crazy Blue's ukunaspeak or Astor's strangely-accented-but-still-understandable English. And, since Angry Black did not seem inclined to lop off the child's head right then, she simply remained where she was. Then, Loud Monkey of the tail and poor English, spoke up - in the same boat as the lot of them, which meant they had to stick together. At least for now, until they knew how to get out... At least Timid Horns (much better than timid black, which threatened confusion with Astaroth) was speaking English now. To Astaroth, she said, "Since you are the most knowledgeable, I'll listen to your advice." [Establishing that Zaoll (and maybe Astor, by extension? IDK) will just do as Astaroth says (if necessary) until the start of Round 2, if she makes it that far. XD Post five and now I get the popcorn~]
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Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2009 10:19 am
Logging - Living in a Dream Round 2 Part 1 Silverah Astor looked up. Did he hear something? A cry, far away? He wasn't sure. He looked back to the others, meaning to ask, but then - it happened in the blink of an eye. Monkey Girl, Crazy Blue, and Jabbery Demon Kid were gone.
Astor took a step back, tumbling into Zaoll.
"Did you see that?" he asked hoarsely. Beneath him, the packed earth became metal again, and he still didn't remember what the packed earth was important from. And the others - the others! They were just gone. Were they dead? What had just happened? Had whoever had them gotten to them? Was that going to happen to him next?
He looked at Zaoll and reminded himself that they were not going to die. They had promised they were not going to die. And then he heard the voice.
“Only one of the Fa'e children is calling for help. But pushing such a plea across such a distance has swept along so many, and in this realm, overwhelmed their own minds! There are some of you, I know, who are real. Some are bystanders who think they are in danger. And some of you are not real at all, only my imagination! But only one of you truly has come to seek help. There is not enough time - forgive me, I must sort out which....”
Who- who was that? Astor's eyes went wide just in time to see the world around him shift. Walls sprang up - metal, grease-stained, worn - and the ship details that had stubbornly refused to fall into place finally materialized - a meter away, a huge engine structure appeared, and the way it hummed and spun told him this was a ship in motion. He knew this engine. Rory O'Tate worked this engine. Astor had spoken to him this morning. He'd been on his way back to the bridge when- when they captured him and all this started.
Astor took a step back. Engines in motion could be dangerous. He looked around. Zaoll was gone.
"Zaoll?" he called uncertainly. Maybe she was on the other side of the room? She hadn't faded, had she? She couldn't have. "Zaoll!" he shouted. "Zaoll!"
He ran frantically from one end of the engine room to the other and found nothing, and then heard a muffled cry from beneath one of the generator casings.
"Zaoll!" he yelled again, thinking it might be her and she might have gotten caught up beneath it in the shift. (He really hoped she hadn't.) Astor found the source of the noise and knelt down to investigate the cranny. A pair of bright blue eyes stared back at him - a Martian cat, with six (or eight?) kittens nestled against its side.
"Mrow," said the cat.
Astor breathed a sigh of relief that it had not been Zaoll caught under there. She was no longer in the room. He looked around, and found the exit right where it ought to have been. She had to be somewhere else.
Something within the engine made a grinding sound, and then the whole thing began to shake. Astor backed away from it, uncertain as to what was happening, but when he began to hear popping sounds coming from the far end, he knew what was happening. The thing was off balance and set to explode.
"AAAAAAAAUUUUUUUUUUUUUGHHHHHHH!" the boy yelled, and ran for the exit. The popping was getting louder, and now there were sparks. He swerved into the hallway and pounded the walls madly, looking for the blast door release, and couldn't find it.
It was here somewhere. He knew it was here somewhere.
Behind him, the engine roared like an angry dragon. He found the release and mashed it with all his might.
"Close, close, close," he whispered urgently, squinting back at the overheating engine room. Flames shot up. This was bad. He pounded the release again. "Close!" he yelled at it.
The blast door slammed shut, just ahead of the growing inferno. Astor collapsed against the wall, panting. That was a close one. Poor kitties. But he was alive for the time being.
His fingers curled against the floor surface. It wasn't anything familiar. He looked down. Wood? There was no wood on ships. The boy frowned, shook his head in consternation, and got to his feet. This looked half familiar, like somewhere he had visited with Mom once. He took a shaky step forward, and then another (going back certainly wasn't an option).
"Zaoll?" he called. She couldn't possibly be that far away. They'd been right next to each other. He'd practically been sitting on her feet. "Zaoll?" He was going to find her, and then they were going to find that voice. The full implication of her words hadn't sunk in yet, but Astor knew as much as to believe he wasn't one of the ones who didn't really exist. After all, Mom always said "I think, therefore I am," and he was doing a lot of thinking right now.
That meant that either he or Zaoll was really in danger, and while he couldn't know for certain, he had a deep suspicion that it was him. Everything that had happened was too clear in his mind to just be a dream.
"Zaoll!" he yelled, continuing forward at a cautious pace. He needed to find her. They were going to get out together. They'd said so and they would and he desperately needed this much to be true. ((OOC: Long post is looooooong.)) romantic wishes Zaoll knew that this was the mist she had feared from her first arrival here, the thing that forced someone to just vanish. The terrible cry precluding it - it was like nothing she'd yet heard, and now she wished she could forget it. "Yes," she whispered, "I saw." “Only one of the Fa'e children is calling for help. But pushing such a plea across such a distance has swept along so many, and in this realm, overwhelmed their own minds! There are some of you, I know, who are real. Some are bystanders who think they are in danger. And some of you are not real at all, only my imagination! But only one of you truly has come to seek help. There is not enough time - forgive me, I must sort out which....”A wall slammed up between her and Astor, even though they were so close; the force with which it slammed into place sent her sprawling backwards, falling hard into... a plush carpet? Zaoll lifted herself onto her elbows and looked around. Angry Black, Astaroth, was gone, and so was Astor, probably the both of them hidden behind the wall or something. Someone was calling her from the other side of the wall - Astor, it had to be. The best thing to do would be to find a door - or a break in the wall - something. No time to think, just do it! She grabbed onto a chair (where had that come from?) and stood, catching her bearings - it looked like some weird, carpeted version of a Roman temple. Maybe the Curia Acculeia, which had felt so oddly homey when she had visited it with Elsbeth. The furnishings came from the Rome house... Astor kept calling her name. No time! Zaoll started to run, footsteps muffled and slowed by the deep carpeting. If the voice she had heard was right, and it had to be, only one of them was in danger. She felt very certain that it was her ---- Something exploded; Astor screamed. A chorus of pop noises sounded, definitely not so close to her as Astor was, and at the moment she was going to go with the familiar and, hopefully, still alive. She hit the end of the wall, grabbed it, and swung around. Her steps faltered as she hit wood instead of carpeting; Zaoll slammed into a wall, and failed to notice something dark slowly trickling into the joins of the floor boards behind her. Someone was still calling her name, so she picked herself up once more. Her ankle twinged, and Zaoll cursed. What a dumb way to get hurt, running into a wall! At least it didn't look bad. She shook herself. "Astor?" Her voice wasn't loud, had never been very loud, and it got worse as she got older. Like she was going mute, or something. But now it was worse, like the walls were leeching the volume from her voice. Nervously, Zaoll licked her lips and looked around. Astor had called her name several times, but now he'd fallen silent, and she couldn't tell which direction the voice had come from. She took a few steps towards the left, then paused. Maybe... There was no time for maybes! She had to pick a direction and go! Find the person who'd said she was sorting out who was really in trouble or not, because she was sure that the person in trouble was her, just because - because she remembered the floor, water-worn wood, and the guards of that place! She was not going back there. She would never go back there, never! Zaoll headed right, oblivious to the shadows flowing over the floor behind her. Occasionally, for a split second, they took shape; misshapen humans with long, clawed fingers, tongueless mouths gaping. She continued this way for a time, finally stopping when she encountered another child - not Astor, a little girl this time. The kid was crying, which gave Zaoll pause. There wasn't time to be crying, if you were the one in danger you could wake up any minute! Words to the wise, she thought, and she stared at the glass forest for a moment. Could it be that Astor was on the other side? No. It would not have been so clear; she had gone the wrong way- the wrong way to find Astor, at least. She peered around the wall from the wooden corridor; more carpets, and a stone wall. This would be better; with a regretful look at the girl, she turned down that hallway. After all, that girl... was just sitting there and crying. She had no drive, did she? It was like she didn't really want to escape. At least Astor, she knew, was desperate as she was. They could get somewhere together. And if she could find Angry Black, that'd be wonderful, too; she had a terrible feeling that they would all need weapons soon. The shadows snatched at her ankles, then followed her back onto the wooden floor. Sosiqui Only one of the Fa'e children is calling for help-That thought, that voice, that aura - Riven would know it anywhere, but he didn't have time to get the name out before everything shifted again. The Spirit Fa'e yelped in a most undignified fashion as one of the crystal formations abruptly sharpened, and he phased out to avoid being impaled right through the tail. For the Spirit Realm - or a very, very good approximation of it - was growing up around him in a terrifying fashion that made Riven's stomach twist unpleasantly. One of the hallmarks of the place was that it was inherently changeless, static, and stagnant, so to see crystal protrusions twisting and sprouting as if alive, to see mist and greyness spread outwards and claim territory... was deeply wrong in a way Riven couldn't possibly express. And then it stopped. Riven glared at the crystals, eyes narrowed, and brought Aeintor around to strike at them. Much to his relief, the spear's blade passed right through the scenery, and he relaxed... just a little. Whatever was causing all this, it wasn't Chaos' power. But Airi... Why did I sense her? He hadn't spoken to the elder Fa'e in quite some time, and he still had mixed feelings about her and her possible connections to Chaos. Still, if what he had sensed was true... only one was calling for help. Only one was actually in the situation he remembered, distantly? It can't be me. Those memories are wrong. And that brought another flood of relief - Sosiqui was fine, she hadn't been taken, she wasn't in danger. But... someone else's Guardian was. Riven re-solidified, then turned around with a serious expression. Whoever that Fa'e was, he had to find them and help them. ((If anyone wants to play with Riven, feel free~ ^^)) Silverah He could hear her. Astor could hear Zaoll calling his name but no matter where he went in the hallway he couldn't find her. He remembered what this place was now, anyway. When he'd been very small - just big enough to toddle around and remember things - he and Mom had lived planetside for a while while she finished some schooling. This was their apartment.
Just like he remembered, there were doors every so often, but none of them opened. He'd rattle the lock for a little bit, and nothing would happen.
"Zaoll?" he called again. Maybe she was on the other side of the doors. He could still hear her occasionally, but couldn't get a firm sense of what direction she was in anymore. By now their paths ought to have crossed a few times, judging on how the position of her voice had changed, but... nothing. He couldn't find her. But it was good to hear her voice. It meant she was still here and still alive and still looking for him and he'd just keep have to keep looking for her.
He did not remember the hall being this long, but whether or not it was exactly accurate to his memories, he eventually came to a door at the end.
If this was locked, then he was trapped, or he'd have to check all the doors again and see if there was one he'd missed. He certainly couldn't go back to the raging inferno in the engine room. And besides, everyone knew blast doors had to be overridden from the bridge. Even if he did go back, he'd never be able to get them open...
Astor held his breath and tried the door handle. To his surprise, it turned. He opened the door slowly, wary that there might be something else violent and dangerous and sharp and whirlpool-of-deathy on the other side.
There wasn't.
Well, maybe it was a bit sharp. There seemed to be crystals spouting from the ground in places. He was pretty sure he'd never been anywhere like this before, but then remembered that before, the world had changed for other people, and maybe this part had been shaped for someone else. And maybe that other person was still here - one of the others. They could tell him what he needed to know to tell the men, and maybe even help him find Zaoll!
His confidence renewed, Astor picked his way across the jagged landscape. He was glad for his naturally good coordination, because in places it was a bit of a squeeze to move between points.
"Hello?" he called, trying his hardest to keep his voice from shaking. There had to be someone here. If this place existed then there had to be someone here. And hopefully that person wouldn't want to hurt him.
That was silly, he reminded himself. They were all still in the same boat.
Finally, after what felt like forever, he stumbled down a small hill and saw someone approaching. Someone... purple? And floating? What?
Astor shook his head. He didn't have time to doubt it. He needed help and he needed it fast.
"Hey!" he yelled, waving. And then, deciding he needed more height, he grabbed his left arm in his right, detached it at the shoulder, and waved that in the air. Why yes, he felt clever indeed.
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Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2009 10:24 am
Logging - Living in a Dream Round 2 Part 2 Sosiqui Riven had been scrupulously examining the landscape, frowning every time something seemed almost familiar but wasn't quite right. Sometimes the crystals seemed to flinch when he wasn't quite looking at them head-on... "Hey!" The sudden shout made Riven jump visibly, and he whirled with Aeintor at the ready, only to see another figure waving at him with... yes, waving with both arms, he realized, in a shocked and detached sort of way. He was fairly sure that wasn't how you were supposed to wave with both arms, though. "Hello! Are you... are you doing okay?" Riven managed, glancing from the clearly-detached limb to its owner, who seemed rather untroubled by the whole missing-limb thing. "I'm, uh... I'm Riven, and you are...?" Then again, if this child was doing something clearly out of the ordinary, maybe, just maybe- "Is your Guardian in trouble?" he asked, quickly. Maybe he was the one that needed help! Silverah Having gotten the purple man's attention, Astor reattached his arm. "Astor," he said, "Astor Bonheur." And then he hesitated. His mother was not technically in trouble yet, he didn't think. At least, they hadn't indicated that they had captured her, just that they had the ability to kill her. Who knew how fully infiltrated into the ship the men were. They were everywhere.
He settled for: "Yes, but she doesn't know it because they captured me but not her but we're on a starship so there's nowhere to go so them who got me could get her just as easy and she'd never even know what happened and they told me I have to tell them about the others but I didn't even know the others existed until all this weird stuff started and if I don't tell them, they're gonna rip me apart and put a bullet in every last piece of me and scatter me across the galaxy so no one would ever find all of me--"
He paused for breath, and took a few gasps while his lungs tried to catch up with his voice.
"And as you can see, I can sorta take myself apart, so I don't even know if I'd die if they did that and can you imagine just being a talking head for the rest of your life?"
As soon as he said it he regretted saying it, because he certainly could imagine that, and it was a very scary thing to imagine.
"And they said they'd kill my mom, too," he added, "And she's kinda important 'cuz she's a navigator and if they kill her then everyone else on the ship might be lost in space forever."
He paused to let this sink in. It had never struck him how dire the situation was until now, and so the pause was as much for his own benefit as for Riven's.
"And I met this girl named Zaoll and we promised each other we weren't gonna die, and when everything went all weird we got separated and there was this engine and it exploded and I almost got burnt to a crisp and I looked for her and I could hear her calling for me but I couldn't find her and we promised each other we weren't gonna die so I really, really need to find her."
He reached out, fumbling to grab one of Riven's hands. It was almost like earlier with Astaroth, except Riven seemed to have a better grasp of the situation since everything had gone all crazy.
"Can you help me find her?" he asked plaintively. "We made a promise."
Yes, it was that important.((OOC: crap, I meant to delete the quote of Sosi's post before I hit send. Hopefully deleting that's not an edit since I didn't change any of my text?)) Zero Dream Suddenly, there was a scream, and Sei basically jumped. What the hell was -- But then, suddenly, gone. Everyone was gone. There was a voice that spoke, but it seemed distant, so distant. The world suddenly stabilized around him and there he was. Alone. So, so alone, nothing but darkness. The fa'e sucked down the breath he did not need, and started to walk. He needed to go... find the others again. Safety in numbers, after all. But no matter how long he walked... there was nothing but darkness. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- boring.Oh so very... boring. It was how things had been. Thanks to the brat's meddling, he had little hope of being able to influence his vessel, even less attempt to shape it properly. There was nothing more annoying then a vessel having a mind of it's own when it shouldn't. And things not going the way they should. More importantly, his way. But in this place... in this dream... he certainly could bypass such things. And even if it could not reach his vessel directly... Ah.That would not prevent him from having a little fun. "Well, that is rather special, wouldn't this be ?" And just like that, ...Sei ? had taken form, a few paces away from Riven and Astor. But something seemed... wrong. Which one first, on this matter ? The older one was precious to his vessel, he knew. If he managed to take him... oh, such a gleeful thought. But the child would be an easier target. Decisions... decisions. The grey eyes let out flashes of dull gold as he surveyed the two. Sosiqui "A... spaceship?" Riven had heard of those, though only distantly; still, he supposed that issue didn't need to be pressed at the moment. "Sure, I'll help you. I think I'm only here because there was a mistake, or something like that..." He shook his head, slowly, to reinforce the idea. Even though he knew those memories were false, they still kept trying to worm into his mind, like a subtle poison. "But I have to find the Fa'e in trouble, and you're here, so..." He paused. So if only one of them was... the one Airi was looking for? or whatever?.. then what did that mean for the others? Astor seemed as real as anything else, and his hand clasped in Riven's own seemed as solid as any other. "Who is Zaoll? Another child you met here in this place?" ... And if this Zaoll wasn't the one, either, would they all just vanish into thin air and be gone? ... Would he vanish as well? Riven quickly decided not to think about that, and squeezed Astor's hand in what he hoped was a comforting fashion. "This place here is mine - or, well, like places I've been." He scowled at the floor, where a bit of Sosiqui's kitchen tile was mixed into the Spirit Realm grayness for no reason whatsoever. "If you tell me what Zaoll is like, maybe we can try and figure out what her... place... would look like?" Then, just like that, someone else was there - Riven instinctively pulled the younger one back and whipped Aeintor into guard position in front of both of them. "Who - Sei, oh-" He lowered the spear just the tiniest bit before narrowing his eyes. It was Sei... his body, anyway, but the edges of his spirit were different. "Be careful," he told Astor, staring at the new arrival and trying to figure out if it was actually his friend or just another bad dream spawned by this bizzare place. Zero Dream "Why so nervous, Spirit Keeper ?" The grin that slid on his face was certainly too vicious to belong to Sei, eyes flashing completely over to gold. "This is just so fun, don't you think ? No stupidly sentient vessel to hinder me... Let's dance, then - this is only a dream, it is not ?"And with that, the figure dashed straight for Astor, apparently having made his choice, twin daggers rather than guns materializing in his hands. --------------------------------------------------------- Sei walked though the darkness for what seemed to be forever, but then suddenly... figures, so vague in the distances. Figures... that looked like they were in trouble. ,,,One of them looked like Riven, and then... ...!!!! No, that couldn't be possible ! He was right here ! Not over there, and certainly not charging a child head-on ! .....There was only one thing he could think of, of what this could possibly be. And with that realization, all the self-restraint he processed was suddenly gone, engulfed by rage. ".....EX !!!!" And it was indeed with a scream consumed by rage and hatered that Sei charged, as fast as he possibly could, only to find... a rather huge machine in his way Arbiter of Xirian, his mind supplied. Zero had told him about them. Dangerous machines that certainly almost killed her a few times. But he didn't care. He didn't care anymore what was real and what wasn't, if he was safe or if he was in danger. He was taking the b*****d down.
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Posted: Sun Sep 13, 2009 10:34 am
Logging - Living in a Dream Round 2 Part 3 Silverah "I don't know," swallowed Astor. "She was pale and said she could walk through stone. And older than me." He was now realizing that, as much as he had told Zaoll about his home, she had been very reserved in telling him about hers.
When Riven squeezed his hand, he nodded resolutely, trying to look brave. He was doing his best and Riven was going to help him and he would find out about these others and he and Mom would be just fine. And the bad men would get what they deserved and --
"Sei...?" echoed Astor, looking to see what Riven was talking about. Oh. Another person. Be careful? Why?
And then the new person - Sei? - was charging. Oh. Not good not good not good.
Astor ran as fast as he could. It didn't matter where he went. The crystals were like a maze. Maybe he could lose his attacker in them and -
He tripped over a protruding ridge of crystal. He tumbled, hit the ground with a thud, and his head rolled off and became nestled under a ledge of crystals where his attacker might not see it.
Not good not good not good not good!
Astor got to his feet, which was a bit tricky because his viewpoint was suddenly totally unrelated to his body. He wished he'd practiced with this more, because he wasted valuable seconds figuring out what direction to go in to retrieve his head and--
And there was no time for that because his attacker was almost here and he tripped again and went tumbling down. Nothing fell off this time, but there wasn't time to do anything or to get his head and--
Astor closed his eyes tightly and hoped for divine intervention.
He did not want to die. He did not want to die. He did not want to die.
He opened one eye and got to his feet - again, it was tricky, and started towards his head again. It was a race against time now. Sosiqui Riven felt the child turn and run - good. That would give him more freedom of movement against this... this thing, whatever it was. Riven flapped backwards, quickly, phasing through every obstacle until he judged it safe to make a stand, still between the strange being and the child, but set between two large crystals - like a gatekeeper. "Come, then - whoever you are," he said, sharply, then brought his spear around in a swift movement, aiming first to scythe the shaft into his opponent's legs to bring him low, then to smash the butt of the shaft against the strange being's temple. Zero Dream Perhaps, in some twisted way, this was Astor's lucky day, before the being stopped once he saw the head roll off on it's own. What the hell ? He hadn't even hit him ! Stupid fleshling. What good was a toy that did itself off on it's own ? Though, before he could go satify some sense of curiosity and see what had happened, Riven had made his way in front on him, and his previous prey was thus very easily forgotten. There was better game out there. It seemed some of the points Ex shared with the blonde fa'e was a relatively slow speed, thus Riven's spear hit easily - but on the flipside, he seemed to process the agility to simply wobble and make his way back on his feet before he could fall. "Now now, you would not wish to hurt your dear friend, wouldn't you ?" More than anything, Ex seemed more amused than threatened. "And it would be such a shame if something was to happen to you... Who'd certainly cared more than a father who was never there and a mother that rightfully rejected him, hmm ?" Ah, delicious. Positively delicious. Even if he did not manage to do anything, he could still trail in so more doubt and discord for his vessel. Though, it seemed talk was not the only thing he wanted to do - he slashed forward, aiming for the spirit fae's midsection. There was little to use to his advantage here... just boring old crystals. Fff. --------------------------------------------------------- Perhaps, had he been in a more lucid mind, it might have occured to Sei that he did not have a weapon. That he was starting in front of a war machine with little to nothing to defend himself, much less another if he tried to go save the child, or help Riven against his doppelganger. Especially not against him. But logic had flown out the window quite easily and sharply, and he acted simply on instinct, so when attempting to take control on the machine failed, he went for the next idea, pummeling the arbiter with electrified orbs as he made it toward his world was meeting Riven's, shattering one of the crystals with a solid punch and picking the largest pieces, not caring any as it slit the synthetic skin open to reveal the metal underneath. The weakness is under the faceplate. You bust their cameras and they self-destruct. Zero told him. A default in quality, but it was getting here that sucked. He simply did not care when the machine started raining bullets in him, some penetrating somewhat and others ricocheting. He charged. Sosiqui Riven didn't dodge - he didn't have to. Instead, he phased out and allowed the other being's momentum to carry right through him. "Yes, it would be sad," the Spirit Fa'e acknowledged, turning to bring his spear down again, this time aiming to drive the butt of the spear neatly into the other's solar plexus as he fell. "But it doesn't seem like you can actually hit me?" He couldn't tell where the child was anymore - no time to look, not with his opponent to deal with. He could only hope Astor had gotten away safely. ((note: discussed with Zero XD so iz not godmoding~)) Zero Dream That hadn't exactly been what he had been expecting. Ex simply felt right though the spirit fa'e with the force of his momentum and crashed down. Hard. Add the easy direct hit, and it made him rather irritated. A phaser, hm ? We'lld see about that. With no word, he got up and ran - looking very much like if he was trying to flee. And, as he had thought, the purple one followed. Predictably, with the shortest route possible. With that done, Ex turned around and threw one of his knife, aiming to shatter the crystal Riven was about to pass while he was still inside it. --------------------------------------------------- PingPing ping ping.CRAAAAAASH.Well, that had been easier than he though, even if the blonde has just barely avoided the explosion. He did not even stay to witness the chaos and instead continued, some of his fury spent, but not quite. And that was when he walked on the rather odd scene that Astor's body attempting to crawl his way toward his head was. .....Excuse me what. Sei couldn't help but watch blankly for a moment, before his brain kicked in gear and he made his way closer. "Hey... Are you okay ?" But then, of course, the situation dawned on him. "I know what you're probably thinking, but... im not him. I don't want to hurt you. You can ask the purple guy later if you want." Or just run. Either way, the child would be safe from at least his doppelganger. Oh, great explanation here. Sei knelt to slide the child's head out of the crystal as gently as he could, heading toward the body. He certainly did not look very threatening next to golden eyes, at the very least. "Is there... Anything I need to do to get you back in one piece ?" So weird. So. Weird. ((As with Sosi's post, no godmodding. Asked both parties involved~)) Sosiqui Unfortunately for Ex, shattering the crystal did absolutely nothing other than startle Riven for a second - the pieces just fell through his phased form and hit the ground with a series of loud pings. "What were you trying to do?" he asked, honestly curious, before he swiped at the other with his spear again, trying to herd his opponent into an area practically surrounded by unpleasantly sharp crystals - he found himself almost grateful for the malevolent twisting of this place. The actual Spirit Realm had no such edges on which to cut anything, not unless he or one of his spirits sharpened it on purpose. And he was on ... sort of... familiar ground. "Please, just... go away, or wake up, or whatever it is. I'm here to help someone, and it's not you." Silverah Wait.
Wait.
What?
It was Sei. But it wasn't crazy-trying-to-kill-him Sei. It was Sei-who-was-unstucking-his-head and carrying it back towards his body. Astor frowned, tried to get his legs under control long enough to walk towards the older boy without crashing headlong into him, and said, "Um. No. I can do it."
With that, his body reached out, took his head from Sei, turned it around, and put it back on. There was a bit of a popping sound. Astor stretched his neck.
"But you look like him," the boy said bluntly. This was so, so very weird. But he wasn't dead. That was a good thing. He wasn't dead and aside from scraped palms and a skinned knee he was okay. He thought for a moment. "You're him, but you're not him?" he asked, still confused. "Or he's--"
It was like something from a dream he'd been having a while earlier.
"Is he your twin?" asked Astor. It was the only thing he could come up with right now that even began to make sense. He was starting to calm down now, and that meant he was remembering his earlier priorities. He needed to find out information about the others. He needed to find Zaoll.
He glanced behind him for a moment, but saw no trace of Riven or his attacker. So much for that. He turned back to Sei.
"Can you help me?" he asked. "I have to find out about the others or they're gonna kill me and my mom, and you're one of the others, so maybe you can help me, but I don't know what I have to find out about you, just that I do, and I need to find Zaoll because we promised each other we weren't going to die. I think she was back..."
He faltered. In his panic, he had gotten all turned around and now had no earthly clue where Zaoll might be.
"I don't know where she is," he admitted, slumping visibly. He was tired. He was so tired. But he couldn't stop. He needed to find out about the others. He needed to get help. He couldn't stop because if he stopped he'd die just like Crazy Blue and Monkey Girl had and he'd promised Zaoll he wouldn't and--
Finding out about the others seemed like a more readily accomplishable goal.
"I'm Astor Bonheur," he said to Sei. Zero Dream Well, the child - Astor - wasn't running in the opposite direction screaming. That was a start. Though, however, Sei couldn't help but scrounge his face in disgust as the notion of Ex being his twin. Though, with the current situation, perhaps this was the best explanation. "I guess you could put it like that. We... don't exactly get along."No, duh. He looked out in the distance - it seemed that Riven had... him quite easily at bay, actually. This was odd in itself, as the Ex he'd known wouldn't so easily be bested... But then, it seemed to dawn on him. If this was a dream - or perhaps more fittingly a nightmare - ... Then maybe, maybe - this wasn't really Ex. Maybe, rather, this was his fear, his deepest fear, of him falling to the god and ending up hurting the one he loved. And that they would never know that it was not him. "Im Sei." He said with a nod. "And that was Ex. Though it's... odd that he's here.... unless..." He was thorn in between his need for vengeance and Astor's inquiries for a moment, but perhaps he could handle both. He gave the child a path on the shoulder and took a few steps ahead. "Get lost. You're not real." He called out, loudly, toward his doppelganger, his previous fury forgotten. "You're not Ex. You're my fear of him using me and hurting the ones I love. I won't ever let that happen. Get the hell lost, nightmare."-------------------------------------------------------------- Was he... asking nicely ? What the hell ? "It doesn't quite work that way." He gave his best arrogant grin, but that faded when the fa'e voice carried though. Damnit, there come the vessel... And even he had to admit this one had him bested, for now. The addition of the vessel was not in his favor. If only he was not so weak without a true body... Perhaps a strategic retreat was best. "Do not think this will be so easy, vessel. I will have you in my own time." He let out a hiss, then faded, sliding off with a superimposition of sparks and the old circuit marks that had dwelt though Sei's makeshift 'world' mere moments ago. Sei spared no other word to the nightmare. It did not matter - it was not real. Any anger and energy spent toward it was wasted. He made a small sign to Astor that it was not safe to follow him and walked toward Riven. "Are you allright ?" Dumb question, really, but he couldn't really think of anything else to say. "Im gonna go try to help Astor find the person he's looking for... I kind of owe him that much after this one." Shame crept up in his voice, even if he tried to hide it. He seemed pretty convinced this was his fault. Sosiqui "I guess it did work that way," Riven told Sei, bemused, then gave him a quick, reassuring nod as he caught the concern and... fear?... in his friend's voice. "I'm fine. He couldn't even hit me. Are you hurt? Is Astor okay?" He could tell there were other issues lying underneath the surface, but now was not the time or the place. "We can talk later - now we have to find the true Fa'e, the one Airi is looking for... we have to help him! Or her. And I guess help whoever we find on the way." There was no way to tell, he was pretty sure... not yet. So anyone they passed could be the one - thus, everyone deserved help. It made sense to Riven, anyway. Silverah "I'm fine," said Astor, rubbing his bloodied palms down the from of his shorts, where they left tell-tale dark streaks. His knee stung like something awful, but he didn't want to stop to look at it now. He had more important things to do. He was mildly irritated that Riven and Sei were talking about him like he wasn't even there - after all, back home he was used to adult crew members letting him tag along and not talking down to him.
"I--"
He had things he needed to find out and it was important and if he didn't find out he was going to die, which would be very, very bad. Astor inhaled sharply and said, "Who are you guys? Where'd you come from? What are you?"
And then it dawned on him to add, "What am I?" Because really, that was what he was in trouble for, wasn't he? And no one had given him a good answer yet besides some vague mention of things called Fa'e.
It also dawned on him to add, "And I need to find Zaoll because we promised each other we weren't going to die." Sosiqui Riven jumped again - he hadn't realized the child was there, so close! He must have come back... "Ah, I'm sorry. You're bleeding..." Riven shook his head, though. That stubborn look was one he'd seen on his own daughter's face many times before, and he knew that fussing over injuries right now wouldn't do any of them any favors. "Astor... Sei and I, we're Fa'e. We're ancient beings reborn again to have a second chance at life, and to do a better job the second time around." Well, that was over-simplifying things, as the Fa'e had as many reasons for a second chance as there were stars in the sky, or so it seemed sometimes. "Or... or to redeem themselves, or find something they lost, or... lots of reasons. Anyway, everyone has to find out their own reason themselves. There are lots of us, and we all live on a world called Gaia..." But... wait. He'd spoken to a few... who hadn't... The answer came to him like a bolt of lightning. "You - you didn't grow up on Gaia, did you?! You grew up on this spaceship-thing, right?" He glanced at Sei. "They... they might be Lost Children, Sei! Or, uh. One of them is... lost..." He quickly focused his attention on Astor again. "There are some Fa'e who were born on far-away worlds and had to come back, so they would be safe. I think... one of you, maybe more, are children like that. And you're crying out for help so hard that you dragged our minds into it too... I'm sorry, I guess that doesn't make a lot of sense. I didn't come here because I wanted to, either... but now that I'm here, I'll try and help bring you home. Wherever that is," he finished, in a rush of words. "We'll find her," he added, nodding firmly. Zero Dream Sei listened silently, letting the elder fa'e explain - Riven was probably doing heaps better than he would, anyway, though finally his thoughts seemed clear, and able to tell what had been dream and what was reality. Xirian had been the dream, and Gaia was the reality. He was kind of curious about this Airi, though, but now was not the time. "We'll find her. Im gonna look the hardest I can." Upon noticing that the little one was bleeding, though, the blonde frowned, falling down on one knee to inspect the wounds, all the while ignoring his own slits in his palms and the glimmer of metal they revealed. He pondered a moment, but he finally decided that usefulness was more important than his own pride at the moment, and slid off his shirt, revealing both the soul gem, who glew slightly, and the intricate markings that can upward and downward across his chest, to tear it to attempt to bandage his wounds the best he could, every movement of his hands presice and calculated much like it had been some sort of machine doing it. "Can you tell me what she looks like ?" That would be handy, yes. ((FANSERVICE, GO. :V)) romantic wishes Fire sprung up on the branches and she dropped her hands to her side to avoid being burned. Orange Wings was right, the knife would not have been fast enough. The tree might have broken the girl's ribs or spine before then, and then - even though that would have sent her back, out of this nightmare, Zaoll didn't know if the injuries persisted after. Even though it would have made the girl safe, how could Crying Girl or anyone justify going to bed perfectly healthy and then waking up the next day injured? No, the others had to be kept safe, even though they weren't real. It hadn't looked like Crying Girl had been about to annihilate the tree. It had looked more like it was the other way around. "Do not wander," Zaoll said, even though she dearly wanted to inform Crying Girl that she had been about to get split in two by the tree and only Orange Wings' timely intervention had saved her from that horrible fate. Getting into a fight would not help the ultimate goal of surviving the dream and getting out of that hellhole, with Elsbeth if she had to. Come to think of it, since she had joined this group she had been slowed quite a bit. Admittedly, she would still be trapped with the clawing shadows if she hadn't stopped to help Orange Wings with his vine... But... She wasn't going to find the person who was trying to find her. And then she would die. Ugh, she had to get out of here! Zaoll stopped and looked back towards the crystals. There was something glowing over there, spots in a configuration she sort of recognized. Well... no harm in trying it, right? Zaoll looked after Orange Wings and Crying Girl for a moment, and then she plunged into the bushes. By some kind of luck, she made it to one of the sharp-edged crystals, and then - Well, finally. "Astor!" She lurched, somewhat unsteadily, out of the forest and towards the boy. She smiled with relief - there was one promise unbroken, and he was still unhurt - so when, if ever, he woke up he would be all right. "Still alive - I am glad." Then she looked to the rest of the group - the floating purple one, and the blond one with silver tracery across his body - and tensed. They looked... rather like nightmares to her. Silverah "She's about your age," Astor said to Sei. "Really pale. Dark hair." That was really about as much describing of Zaoll as he felt like he could do. She didn't have fireflies in her hair and couldn't take herself apart, so he wasn't sure what other sorts of features to highlight on. Well, there was always clothing.
How had Zaoll been dressed? She was a planetsider, and they always dressed kind of funny, depending where they came from. And Zaoll - Zaoll had been all bundled up. "She was dressed like it was cold out," he said, "with a scarf." That was right. He remembered it because it was weird and not a lot of people he knew wore them.
He was starting to get worried about her. There were weird noises coming from all around. What if - what if something had gotten her? Surely if he had had to deal with an exploding engine, then it was possible she had run into some kind of trouble as well.
He was about to reiterate how important it was that they found her when he heard someone call his name. Astor turned just in time to see Zaoll lurch out of the trees.
"Zaoll!" he cried, and started towards her, only to hesitate a few steps later. If Sei had had someone who looked just like him, then -
He glanced back towards Sei and Riven and then looked her over again. Nothing - nothing seemed off about her. And - and - would a monster be smart enough to mimic his new friend? He decided it was worth the risk and ran the rest of the way to her, throwing his arms around her waist. "You found me! We were about to look for you! We didn't die!"
He let go of her and pointed to the two young men behind him. "Them're Sei and Riven," he explained. "They helped me. This is Zaoll! She found us!"
He helped her back towards the group. "I - where were you? I was in an engine room but then it exploded and I just barely outran it and then I came here and found Riven and we were attacked by this thing that looked like Sei but wasn't Sei and I lost my head but Sei and Riven helped me and--"
He paused, breathless, and looked her up and down. She looked like she'd had it just as rough as he had.
"Where's your scarf?" he asked, proving he definitely had his priorities in order. Zero Dream Sei got himself up when Astor ran off toward his friend, letting him go as he wished. He kind of doubted anyone else's thing was quite like his, and he didn't seem to react like there was something off about her... Well, that had ended up easier than he had thought ? The child seemed to be focusing wholly on his friend that was just fine. It gave him a moment to try to think about how to get out of here... ...And hope no one else saw him shirtless. That was embarassing. And potentially dangerous. He turned to Riven to ask a question... ((And that is my 7th ! /cliffhanger))
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Posted: Tue Sep 15, 2009 12:12 pm
Logging - Living in a Dream Round 3 Silverah ((Um, just date this to after whatever happens with Zahra, and I'm ready for a prompt whenever.)) He had found Zaoll. Rather - Zaoll had found him. But that wasn't important because they were together now and they weren't dead and they weren't going to die because they had promised and he had found out about the others and if he went back and told the men then everything was going to be okay and -
And then the world did that melting thing again, like his cell had done. The walls disappeared into the floors and then the floors disappeared into the floors and there was nothing. Nothing. But it wasn't a bad nothing. It was a good nothing and any second now he would find the person who could help him, who could give him all the answers and then they wouldn't kill him and his mom because Riven had given him some answers and now he'd get the rest and-
And the world came back and he was alone again. Astor frowned. And right when he'd found Zaoll, too. Was - was Zaoll all right? What if - what if more people had vanished? What if Zaoll was dead? What if she had never been real?
He shook his head stubbornly. Zaoll had been real. Zaoll had to have been real because he'd touched her and spoken to her and made a promise to her and she'd even gone and found him and looked much worse for the wear and if Zaoll was dead or gone or whatever had happened to the others then he had to be the one in danger because everyone else was gone and he was alone again. But he couldn't cry because what would Mom say if she saw him crying? But everything was going to be okay, because he had the information about the others. But-
But if that was all it took, then wouldn't he have woken up by now?
Astor began to walk, and turned the question over in his mind as he went. If he was the one in danger, and he knew he was, then-
Then he'd been stupid. This wasn't like in cartoons where the bad guys would never hurt kids. It - it didn't matter if he had the information or not, because one way or another they would get it from him and kill him and probably kill Mom too.
As he continued on, he surveyed his surroundings. He had never been somewhere like this before - never in his whole life. He was a space boy and sometimes a space port boy, but never a flat out planetsider. He found it peaceful. Not enough to make him forget his dilemma, because not dying was really on the important side, but enough to calm him down a bit. He walked, and he blinked furiously and rubbed at his eyes and refused to let anyone (who? there was no one here!) see that he'd even cried a little bit when he realized he might really die after all his hard work.
He, he needed help. Not just answers. Help.
He reached the top of the small rise and found himself at the base of a tree. For a moment, he was caught off guard by how big it was. The only trees Astor had ever seen were small, the kind planted along city streets, or grown in pots in out of the way corners of ships to keep the air from going stale.
It took him a moment to gather his wits about him again, to remember why he was here and how desperate his quest was and what he needed to ask for. And then he saw her - the girl. He hardly knew any other children even remotely his own age and he found her striking.
He had meant to throw himself at whoever it was he needed to ask's feet and beg and grovel and plead. But all that seemed silly and undignified and he remembered how much it would have made Mom yell at him if she ever found out (which she would because Chess found out about everything eventually). So instead of theatrics, all he managed to do was say, quite lamely, "Hi." Fae HQ Airi listened to the tall woman in front of her, so desperate to impress her own fear upon the dream child. There was no doubt that Zahra was terrified of the images her mind saw: her Guardian bleeding, herself bound and condemned to death. Thoughtfully, Airi looked over Zahra's body, looking for bruises and cuts inflicted to her by her captors. She had none. Did it mean that there were none on her or that her dream self merely forgot to add in those details? Airi didn't know. "No, please ... there is no need to be sick." - Airi said emphatically. "Calm yourself. You aren't bleeding. Maybe neither is your guardian. Would you not rather this all be a bad dream?" Bending down momentarily, the pale girl in a simple white dress picked one of the bell shaped flowers blooming everywhere. "Hold it, its scent will calm you." With the last words spoken, Airi turned away from Zahra and to the next visitor to her glen - a boy with a head full of fireflies. Gracefully, the pale child walked up to Astor, her eyes two blue mirrors, reflecting nothing but calmness back to the scared boy. "Hello Astor. I am Airi. Was it you who called to me so desperately that all these others souls became entangled in your plea? Was it?" - she stared at him, not blinking. Judging. ((I am ready for you, Silverah!)) Silverah He sort of wanted to look away. Airi, now that she was paying attention to him, no longer seemed even remotely close to him in age, or maturity level, or even plane of existence for that matter. There was something searching about her expression, a certain look on her line-less face that demanded he explain himself. And her eyes - they were like bottomless pools and he felt himself falling, falling, falling...
He wasn't scared anymore, or at least not so much. His heart stopped racing, or at least slowed from a sprint to a steady jog.
"Hi," he said again, awkwardly. He - he needed this. He needed her to believe him because if he didn't, Mom and him and maybe even all the others on the ship were as good as dead. But - but where did he begin?
After a moment's hesitation of staring into those bottomless blue eyes (they would be eerie if they weren't so calming), the answer seemed rather simple. How had this whole mess started, after all?
"I had dreams," he said quietly. Even if this was so important that his life depended on it, he had by now learned that talking about your dreams could get you in trouble. "There was a rat and a garden and a campfire and I had a twin brother. And there were monkeys and a parrot with teeth and I told my mom and she told me not to be silly because birds don't have teeth, and I told Rory O'tate who works in the engine room about them and he told me they were sort of weird, and I told Canterbury Folds who works in cargo because he asked me for a good story, and we were in port near Jupiter and some men got on but I didn't see them because Rory and I were in the engine room because there was a Martian cat holed up in there, and she had kittens. Six," he told her, "or maybe eight, because two of them had two heads."
He wavered for a moment, not because he was unsure of his story but because Martian Cats and their tendency to birth two-headed young had always confused him a bit. He almost got lost trying to puzzle it out, but he looked back into those big, blue eyes and they seemed to be urging him to keep going.
"A few days later I was on my way to the caf and some of the men grabbed me. Three or four - They kept moving around and coming in and out and after a while they all kind of looked the same. They locked me in a storage closet with them and asked me stuff about the others and talked about my dreams and I didn't know anything, I couldn't tell them anything, and they told me if I didn't tell them what I knew they'd kill me and my mom, and then they knocked me out and took me somewhere else. A holding cell or something, down in cargo, I think. I had the dreams again, but I didn't tell them that. They just left me there with a guard, and he roughed me up and found out I can take off my arms and stuff and he said that if I didn't tell him about the others he'd take me apart and shoot every single piece and scatter me all across the galaxy and shoot my Mom, too and-"
"I stopped talking back to the guard and he let me alone," he continued. "I was talking to one of my fireflies and I fell asleep because - because getting tugged around and hurt and stuff, it takes a lot out of you. When I woke up I was here and I met Zaoll and we promised each other not to die and we got separated when things got all weird but then she found me but I can't find her anymore and I found out about the others but I don't think it matters because them who got me, they're not like bad guys in cartoons, and I think - I think even if I tell them everything I found out, they'll still kill me and Mom and Mom's a navigator and if they kill her then all the people on the ship might die, too, because they'll just be lost in space and I-"
His voice caught. He hesitated again, having become so frantic that his mouth had gotten ahead of his mind. He was babbling and the lump in his throat had probably saved him from looking like an idiot.
"I wanna go home," he choked, "but I don't wanna, because if I go back they'll kill me."
He rubbed his eyes, trying to keep from crying, because what would Mom say?
"I'm tired. I'm tired, and I'm scared, and I really, really don't want to die. I promised Zaoll I wouldn't die and I don't know where Zaoll is but I promised her--"
He rubbed his bandaged hands on his shorts, giving up on hiding his tears. Mom wasn't here now. Fae HQ Airi was not good with children. Partially because she was only a child herself and partially because she had never allowed herself to experience childhood. It was a paradox that explained many of her oddities. So listening to Astor's babble about Martian cats and space navigation was overwhelming. It seemed that the boy with dreadlocks wanted to express every minute detail of his awful experience to give it more weight. Like Zahra, Astor seemed terrified of what future held in store for him. He looked so lonely when he finally ran out of words, that Airi had to stifle the sudden urge to hug him. And that was saying a lot, knowing how much Airi feared physical contact, even in dreams. Instead, to make up for her own coldness, determined to be as impartial as she could in this last exchange, Airi pointed back to the other pale girl, who was sitting on one of the lower branches of the venerable tree in the middle of the glade. "Zaoll is here. You should stay by her. You should stay by her and pray that all of this is just a bad dream. A dream from which you will wake up soon enough ..." At that moment the bushes rustled once more and another boy emerged onto the peaceful glade. This one seemed older, more determined to face challenge then Astor was. Stopping abruptly in front of the dream child, he announced herself: "I am here now." Airi nodded in acknowledgment, giving another look back to the tree, making sure that Astor had made his way there and wasn't crying alone. Her undivided attention back to J'dri now, the pale girl introduced herself: "I am Airi. You call yourself J'dir. Like others, you might be a dreamer stirred up by the desperate cry of one Fa'e on the brink of death. Or you might be that Fa'e. I have to choose. Persuade me you are the one." ((It's your show, soutou)) Fae HQ Each the Fa'e in turn spoke their piece, and Airi was unnervingly attentive to each one - not just with eyes and ears, but the whole of her essence in this place that was made nearly of nothing else. Their observations, in many ways, confirmed her own intuition. The Dream girl's doubts began to slip away, and the glade crackled with energy as she became more and more certain. Her mind was made. With an unembellished gratitude, Airi told the Fa'e who had helped her, "Thank you," and turned her attention aside from them. There were more things they would want to hear, answers they would want from her, and there would be time for talk later. But now, she had spent too much time already to achieve the information that she now knew to be true, and could afford no more waste. Morning was nearly arrived - it was time for the dreamers to awaken, and then they would know each for themselves what the truth was. But there was compassion now, tripping up her prudence as she set her attention back on those gathered. Their eyes were on her - the icy Raina's, the self-assured J'dyr's, the feisty Zahra's, and sitting by one another, the child Astor's and the determined Zaoll's - and her resolve, while not doubted, faltered. They were still fearful. They were unsure. These were the most convincing of the echoes, and the chances were strong that one or more might be Lost Children yet - and if they were not the ones calling for help tonight, what would that say of tomorrow? What would they make of this dream once they had awoken, and what dangers might be waiting if one of them should dare to speak of it? "... I have decided who." Airi spoke with a strange reluctance, disdaining her own responsibility, suddenly acting her apparent age. She was not... good at these delicate talks, but she couldn't cast these children out without a gentle word. Her hands folded behind her, and she swayed her body to one side. "But I feel certain that this is not my last meeting with some of you. And so I ask: When you awaken, do not speak of this dream. Keep quiet, and wait. And if we do not soon meet face-to-face, I promise you, we will meet again in our dreams." Her eyes hopped from one child to another, urging their faith in her promise. It would take time, it would be difficult, but they were her children. If any among them were real, she would find them! But there was one that she knew to be real. And her eyes fell on them now, and the childlike weakness faded into resolve. Her decision was made. And she would be right. "Zaoll. You do not need to be afraid. We will bring you home, safely - you and your Guardian, for better or worse," the girl promised, her voice going soft on naming the girl's potentially traitorous caretaker. "But you must go back now, Zaoll - close your eyes, and return. When you go, I will know where to find you, and we will bring you home...." It was the final promise, and the final word of the night. Morning was soon to come, after all, and there was much work to be done. The realm of the Dream Fa'e vanished now, scattering the spirits of its strange inhabitants back to wherever they had come from. ((Guys, that's the end. <3 Don't know what else to say, except this was an awesome contest, you all were fabulous, and I can't wait for the next one. Congratulations to our winner, and a round of applause for everyone who did so well!))
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Posted: Wed Sep 30, 2009 1:21 pm
Postscript:
Astor woke with a start, and for a moment did not know where he was. The confusion passed quickly, though, and shortly thereafter everything fell into place. The glow-in-the-dark stars plastered to the bottom of the top bunk, the sheet he was tangled in, the familiar hum of the engines beneath him-
It had all been a dream. Or, at least, he hoped it had. He had the distinct feeling that for Zaoll - Zaoll! Was she okay? She was going to be okay - it had not been a dream. But for him-
"It was a dream," he told himself quietly, and rubbed his face with his blanket. It hadn't happened. It was just a dream. He squinted at his palms and knees in the dim light from the fake stars and his fireflies. They were fine. No scrapes. It was just a dream. For him it was just a dream.
For a while there, he had been so scared.
He rubbed his eyes and hesitated for a moment. Falling was just a dream. Almost getting killed was just a dream. Crying hadn't been.
Astor got out of bed and climbed the ladder to the top bunk where his mother lay, oblivious to anything that had just happened. He felt a certain secret pang of gladness that she was okay, and slid onto the bunk.
Chess opened one eye and glared at her ward. "Astor, what?" she grumbled.
"I had a bad dream," the boy said quietly. "Can I sleep here?"
Chess looked him up and down, decided he looked significantly distressed, and rolled over. "If you must," she said gruffly.
Astor curled up next to her and tried to make himself as small as possible.
It was all okay now, he thought as he drifted off to sleep.
He'd never been in any real danger at all...
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